600 guests at the New Year’s reception | ‚Heading to Bochum with pride‘

Back in Darmstadt, Marco Richter was in good spirits after the first training session. He had personally racked up more scoring points at the end of the first half of the season, but he doesn’t intend to rest on his laurels. „I try to give my best every day. Now it’s a fresh start. All that matters is the team’s success. And I hope I can help the team,“ Richter said in a media briefing on Tuesday. He feels very comfortable in the „really awesome team“ of SV 98.

Looking ahead to the start of the second half of the season, Richter emphasised that the good results in the first half were only achieved through hard work. „It doesn’t work if we take even one step less. That applies one hundred percent to the game in Bochum as well.“ Nevertheless, SV 98 travels deep into the west with confidence: „We have to be ready from the first second, but we’re going to Bochum with our heads held high and want to start the second half of the season with three points.“

A cherished Darmstadt 98 tradition took place for the second year in a row on Tuesday evening (January 13th) at the Darmstadt State Theatre: the club’s New Year’s reception. Around 600 invited guests from the worlds of sports and politics, as well as partners and sponsors, gathered to celebrate the start of 2026. The players sold raffle tickets for charity, Markus Pfitzner addressed the guests, and the contract extension between SV Darmstadt 98 and HAIX was announced. Further information about the evening can be found here.

Yesterday, Tuesday, there was another reason to celebrate – for Darmstadt captain Marcel Schuhen. The number one goalkeeper for SV Darmstadt 98 celebrated his 33rd birthday that day. For many years – more precisely, since the summer of 2019 – he has been a fixture at the Bölle stadium, shaping the team with his performances as a leader both on and off the pitch. It’s great that you’ve been in Darmstadt for so long. We wish you all the best for your new year!

The SV Darmstadt 98 recreational sports camp, held from January 5th to 9th at the Bürgerparkhalle, offered participating children a variety of fun-filled days with plenty of exercise and team spirit. „We are delighted that the recreational sports camp was so well received. It was fascinating to see how much fun the children had with the different sports that SV 98 offers in its amateur departments,“ said Roy Reinelt-Peter, board member responsible for amateur departments and the fan and support department.

Under the professional guidance of coaches and instructors, the kids were able to try a different sport each day. These included futsal, judo, basketball, table tennis, and headis. It was all the more gratifying that the fully booked camp brought great joy to everyone involved. „The recreational sports camps are an important step in increasing the visibility of our sports departments in the city and the region. We need this visibility to grow our recreational sports program and attract new members to our sports club,“ Reinelt-Peter added.

Together with „Die Haftpflichtklasse VVaG,“ SV 98 is hosting the second edition of the „Chancen+“ study and training fair on January 28th. Over 30 companies will be at the Bölle stadium to present careers, entry-level positions, and training opportunities to students. Whether entire school classes attend or students visit alone, with friends, or with family, all the information is available here.

On Tuesday, January 13, Dr. Karl Heß (1900–1975) would have turned 126 years old. Heß was a former chairman of SV Darmstadt 98 and was posthumously appointed honorary chairman at the club’s general meeting in 2018.

Dr. Karl Heß was a German-Jewish lawyer who, as a sports official and passionate football enthusiast, significantly shaped the development of SV Darmstadt 98 during the Weimar Republic. Due to his Jewish faith, he was expelled from Darmstadt during the Nazi era and forced to flee Germany. In 1963, Heß returned to his hometown. He is representative of the numerous German-Jewish athletes, officials, and supporters who fell victim to Nazi antisemitism. A memorial plaque and the Karl Heß Square, inaugurated on January 15, 2017, in front of the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor, commemorate his life’s work.