Looking ahead. Bielefeld is behind us, Hannover is the next target. We report from the media briefing with Marco Richter, as well as on the young Lilies and our partner club from San Antonio. This week we also celebrate the anniversary of the Lilies‘ sporting director and several birthdays. Read „Lilies Across the Board“ here.
Media briefing with Marco Richter. On Tuesday (April 7th), the SV 98 number 23 was available to answer questions from journalists gathered at the Böllenfalltor stadium. „The joy is back today,“ he emphasised, several days after the defeat in Bielefeld. „That game is behind us. Nevertheless, we’re self-critical. We can’t let a game like that happen again this season,“ Richter warned.
When the team plays at home again on Saturday (April 11th/8:30 pm) at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor, the Lilies aim to extend their home winning streak against Hannover 96. Or, as Richter explained: „We’re undefeated at home, we’ve put in some really good performances, and of course we want to build on that.“ The anticipation and energy for Saturday were palpable: „A real cracker awaits us this weekend. We go into every game to win. We want to go all out against Hannover!“
„Fernie becomes sporting director at SV 98“ – This headline adorned the announcement on www.sv98.de exactly two years ago today, announcing the signing of Paul Fernie as sporting director of SV Darmstadt 98. This Wednesday (April 8th), the 38-year-old can therefore celebrate his two-year anniversary at the Böllenfalltor stadium. To mark this occasion, the sporting director of the Lilies looks back on his first two years at the Bölle in his Lilienkurier column, „Post from Paul.“ What does shared responsibility mean? How important are experts at all levels and in all areas? How are challenges tackled? And what role does trust play? The „Post from Paul“ can be read here.
A draw, but still top of the table! Darmstadt’s partner club, San Antonio FC, couldn’t manage more than a 0-0 draw away at Monterey Bay FC in the USL Championship last Sunday (April 5th). Despite the goalless draw, SAFC continues to lead the Division West table in the second-highest American league with eleven points from five games. San Antonio FC remains undefeated in the league – three wins (all at home) and two draws (both away).
However, the Texans suffered a setback earlier in the cup against Tulsa FC. The second round of the U.S. Open Cup marked the end of the road for Darmstadt’s partner club this season. The score was 0-0 after 90 minutes, and the game ended 1-0 in extra time after a red card for SAFC.
The action continues tomorrow, Thursday (April 9th, 4:00am CET), with an away league match against Orange County SC. On Sunday (April 12th, 2:30am CET), Miami FC will be visiting the home ground, Toyota Field. That means two consecutive midweek fixtures overseas. You can read about the results of both matches here next week. Best of luck from Southern Hesse!
With momentum heading into the final stretch! Even though there was no match this weekend, the SV Darmstadt 98 fan team can approach the last eight games of the season with confidence. After a prolonged points drought in the Kreisliga B, they recently managed to secure crucial points in the tight fight to avoid relegation. The second team made a statement with a significant point against TGB Darmstadt. The team from Bessungen (4th) is currently in a much better position in the standings. The SVD players also hosted FC Sturm Darmstadt, another team that, on paper, had a slight advantage. However, this didn’t deter the 98ers from securing a home victory. Their record: four points from the last two league matches.
The next points are to be earned against Türk Gücü Darmstadt II. On Sunday (April 12th/3pm), the current bottom-of-the-table team will host the SVD second team. And the Lilies‘ fan team wants to try to maintain the upward trend and climb further up from twelfth place.
Postponed. The match report for SV Darmstadt 98’s U21 team will not be published this week, as their game against SV Hummetroth has been postponed to April 29th. SV Darmstadt 98’s U19 and U17 teams also did not play last weekend, as their leagues were on Easter break.
Nevertheless, the next league matches are scheduled for a few days from now. You can find an overview of the upcoming fixtures for the young Darmstadt teams here:
| Team | Match | Date | Competition | Venue |
| U21 | SV 98 – TSV Eintracht Stadtallendorf | Saturday 11.04/3pm | Lotto Hessenliga | SV 98 NLZ |
| U19 | SV Rot-Weiss Walldorf – SV 98 | Saturday 11.04/11am | Friendly | Mörfelden-Walldorf |
| U17 | SSV Jahn Regensburg | Sunday 12.04/2pm | U17 DFB Youth League | Pfungstadt (Dr.-Horst-Schmidt-Str. 18) |
Just a 2.5-hour drive from Darmstadt, Spaniard Sergio Lopez was born in Remscheid. And that was exactly 27 years ago today (April 8th). The Darmstadt full-back is celebrating his 27th birthday. Congratulations, Sergio! All the best and happy birthday!
Goalkeeper Benedikt Börner’s birthday! He’ll be celebrating his 20th birthday this coming Friday (April 10th). We send our warmest congratulations on this second milestone birthday and wish you all the best, good health, and everything else you could wish for, Bene!
Alfred Krämer also celebrated a milestone birthday. With a few more years of life experience under his belt, he celebrated his 80th birthday last Monday (April 6th). Belated congratulations to our honorary member and former board member!
The pairings for the first round of the DFB Cup have been drawn: SV Darmstadt 98 will face FC Carl Zeiss Jena away from home. The draw took place on Saturday evening (June 6th) at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. Under the supervision of DFB Vice President Peter Frymuth, Referee of the Year 2026, Deniz Aytekin, who acted as the draw's host live on ARD, drew the match between Darmstadt and Jena.
From the warm opening ceremony to the awards ceremony: The German Football ID Championship in Darmstadt offered exciting games, many wonderful encounters and a well-deserved German champion in the Hesse selection, which also included players from the SV 98 ID team.
The first dates for SV 98's preparations for the 2026/27 second division season have been set: On June 25th, the professional team will return to the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor to undergo various medical tests and performance diagnostics. The first team training session will take place on June 27th in the Odenwald region.
Who will SV Darmstadt 98 face in the first round of the DFB Cup? This question will be answered this coming Saturday (June 6th). The draw for the first round will be broadcast live on ARD's Sportschau. We'll be taking a look and providing you with all the information. We'll also be celebrating with the fan team's survival in the Kreisklasse B (eighth tier) and taking a look across the border to Texas in the USA. All this and more for you in "Lilies Across the Board" on Wednesday.
Fraser Hornby's time at Darmstadt 98 comes to an end after three years. The Scottish attacking midfielder is moving to VfL Wolfsburg. Both clubs have agreed to keep the transfer fee confidential.
An eight-goal thriller to close out the season. The SV Darmstadt 98 U21 team took to the pitch one last time this season on Saturday (May 30th) – away against FC Eddersheim. The young Lilies secured a 5-3 victory in Eddersheim, finishing the 2025/26 Hessenliga season in eleventh place. Even more remarkable, however, was the U21's run at the end of the season: the Blue and Whites won their last five matches, scoring an impressive 22 goals in the process.
Barcelona, Spain. A global city right on the Mediterranean. Over 1.7 million people live here. And one of them is Clemens Riedel. The 22-year-old former Darmstadt player moved from SV 98 to Espanyol Barcelona last summer – from youth academy to professional in the Spanish first division. We spoke with Riedel about his first year in Barcelona, the past season, and his still close ties to Darmstadt.
SV 98 can continue to rely on the services of Fabian Nürnberger. The Lilies have extended the expiring contract with the Bulgarian international.
Grayson Dettoni will continue to wear the SV 98 jersey. The Lilies have exercised their option to buy the defender, who was previously on loan from FC Bayern Munich.
The German Football Championship for People with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) kicks off on Sunday – and it's taking place in Darmstadt's Bürgerpark! Last week, the Darmstadt 98ers' home ground offered a different kind of sporting event: a karate demonstration. We also take a look at the opponents for the new season and celebrate two birthdays this week. You'll find all this and much more about Darmstadt 98 in our usual "Lilies Across the Board".
„I’m proud of you,“ were the words of U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt to the team after they secured their place in the Hessenliga. On Saturday (May 23rd), SV Darmstadt 98’s U21 team had the chance to stay in the league against Turabdin Babylon Pohlheim – and they seized it impressively! The young Lilies delivered a convincing 5-1 goal fest, but at the same time still needed help from other teams to guarantee their survival. However, because their direct rivals, CSC 03 Kassel, narrowly lost in Stadtallendorf, the U21 team was finally able to celebrate.
For the fourth time, the Haftpflichtkasse insurance company and SV Darmstadt 98 have jointly awarded four clubs with the Volunteer Award. The award ceremony, including the presentation of the checks, took place last Sunday (May 17th) before the home game against SC Paderborn at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. The Volunteer Award, established in 2023 by the Haftpflichtkasse and SV Darmstadt 98, aims to strengthen volunteer engagement and promote outstanding projects.
