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Four regions instead of seven districts: The Hessian Handball Association (HHV) is planning the largest structural reform in more than two decades. The old district of Fulda is in danger of being torn apart.
Fulda – HHV President Gunter Eckart presented the plans for the reform on Friday evening at the club representative meeting of the Melsungen/Fulda handball district in the “Zum Klosterbrunnen” restaurant in the Petersberg district of Bad Hersfeld. We answer the most important questions about the planned restructuring.
Reform in Hessian handball – what is planned
What is planned?
Four regions are to be formed from the current seven districts by July 1, 2027. The Melsungen/Fulda district will form the North region with Kassel/Waldeck. The Offenbach/Hanau district, where TV Flieden and HSG Kinzigtal are located, and Odenwald/Spessart are to become the southeast region. It would be the biggest reform since 2000, when 22 districts and six old districts became nine districts.
Why should the reform come?
Club and team numbers are continually decreasing. Designing a meaningful gaming operation is becoming increasingly difficult. That should change, the games should become more attractive and youth work should be improved. In addition, digitalization should make administration easier.
What should the future leagues look like?
The HHV is planning to introduce another league level between the current upper and district leagues: the state league. There should be four of them, plus two major leagues and a regional league. Below the state league, eight regional leagues, nine regional leagues and seven regional classes are planned across Hesse.
What's the biggest change?
The game operation is decoupled from regional affiliation and is regulated nationally from the C youth level onwards. For each league level, the composition of the individual classes is created every season based on the routes. This means that, unlike currently, clubs that belong to different regions could still meet in games.
What about the old district of Fulda?
The clubs from the old district should be torn apart. The HHV's proposal envisages that FT Fulda, TV Jahn Neuhof and TLV Eichenzell move to the southeast. HSG Großenlüder/Hainzell, Hünfelder SV, TSG Schlitz and HSG Vulkan Vogelsberg remained in the north. TV Alsfeld should be in the middle.
What are the biggest concerns?
That there are no more derbies and, especially in the lowest youth level – up to the D-youth level, the regions regulate the game operations – the close duels will no longer be there and trips will continue.
What's next?
The clubs have until September 15th to submit their wishes regarding future regional affiliation to the association. Whether the wishes will be taken into account remains to be seen. The 2026/2027 season should serve as a qualifying season. How exactly promotion and relegation should be regulated has not yet been decided. The new structure will be played from the 2027/2028 season.
When will the decision be made?
On March 13, 2027. The topic ends up on the agenda of the Extraordinary Association Handball Day in Frankfurt. If the majority of delegates vote against the planned reform, everything will remain the same.
Meanwhile, sports clubs in Fulda have long been complaining about strained hall capacities. Because the Gellingshalle needs to be renovated in the coming yearsthere is a risk of an extreme bottleneck.
