SV 98 has filled the vacant position of Sporting Director at its youth academy. Maximilian Mehring succeeds Björn Müller. The 39-year-old had previously been serving as interim coach at the Lilies' youth academy. SV 98 has also adjusted its reporting structure within the youth academy.
Björn Kopper, Head of the Youth Academy: „Max has done an outstanding job as interim coach over the past few months, initiating and developing numerous projects in this role. Following Björn Müller’s departure, he has already addressed many areas that fall within the purview of the Sporting Director. He has impressively demonstrated his ability to fulfill this role effectively. It was therefore only logical to integrate him into the Youth Academy in this capacity. For us, it’s ideal to have someone who is already familiar with our processes, while simultaneously having gained experience at other clubs and thus bringing a fresh perspective.“
Paul Fernie, Sporting Director of SV 98: „As liaison coach, Max has been an important contact person for me since last summer. In our discussions, we quickly realised that we share similar ideas regarding the sporting direction and development in the youth sector and the transition to the senior team. He managed to establish connections with all departments within the youth academy in a short time, always keeping the big picture in mind. This 360-degree view is very important for a sporting director. We are absolutely convinced that he will fill the new position very well with his meticulousness, his ideas, and his intuition.“
Maximilian Mehring: „I’m looking forward to this new challenge and am very grateful to the club for the trust they’ve placed in me. The club has clear ideas and visions for the next steps in the development of its youth academy. For me, it’s a great incentive to be able to play an even more active role in shaping this process in the future. And all this in an environment where I’ve felt very comfortable from day one.“
During his playing career, Mehring made three appearances in the second division and a total of 110 appearances in the regional league, including 23 for Darmstadt 98. After his playing career, the Worms native worked as an assistant and head coach at Wormatia Worms, Waldhof Mannheim, and SV Sandhausen. Mehring has held the position of interim coach at SV 98 since July 2025.
SV 98 will fill the interim coach position permanently in due course.
SV 98 Adjusts Reporting Structure
To further improve coordination between the professional players‘ division and SV 98’s governing bodies, the club has adjusted its reporting structure. Going forward, the youth academy, represented by Björn Kopper, will no longer report directly to the club’s board of directors, but rather to the managing director of the professional players‘ division, Tom Eilers, and sporting director, Paul Fernie, on a topic-specific basis. While Eilers will be primarily responsible for strategic, organisational, and infrastructural matters, all sporting matters will fall under Fernie’s purview. Both Eilers and Fernie will continue to report directly to the board of directors.
The U21 team made a perfect start to the new year: In their first match, the Hessenliga side defeated Türk Gücü Friedberg 5-3. The young Lilies showed great character, coming back from a two-goal deficit to secure the win. The victory not only provides crucial points in the fight to avoid relegation, but also marks the perfect debut for Sebastian Schmitt as U21 coach.
More than 30,000 fans packed the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, creating an impressive atmosphere under the floodlights – pure football romance. The setting for Darmstadt's away match against Dynamo Dresden was truly special. Two teams with a playful and attacking approach faced off. For 42 minutes, these ingredients combined to create an entertaining, tactically sophisticated, and intense duel. Until a referee's decision decisively influenced the outcome. We look back on an emotional evening in Dresden.
After 13 unbeaten second-division matches, SV Darmstadt 98 suffered their first defeat this Friday evening. Three unfortunate minutes just before halftime, during which Patric Pfeiffer was sent off and Vincent Vermeij scored twice, paved the way for Dresden's victory. After the match, the focus was primarily on the differing assessments of two very similar incidents by the refereeing team – incidents which both coaches subsequently evaluated identically.
For the first time since October, Darmstadt 98 finished a league match without any points: SV 98 lost 3-1 (2-0) to SG Dynamo Dresden. After a controversial red card against Patric Pfeiffer (42nd minute), the home side scored two goals in first-half stoppage time to secure the victory.
Under the floodlights at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadium. On Friday evening (February 27th/6:30pm), Darmstadt 98 will play away against Dynamo Dresden. Florian Kohfeldt has made three changes to his starting eleven. Raoul Petretta makes his first start, replacing Fabian Holland. Luca Marseiler starts in place of the suspended Marco Richter, and Hiroki Akiyama replaces Fraser Hornby, who is sidelined with a thigh injury. Fabian Nürnberger, Matthias Bader, and Bartosz Bialek remain unavailable due to injury.
A floodlit match at the Rudolf-Haribig-Stadion is always something special. Darmstadt 98 are aiming to take three points back to southern Hesse this Friday evening (February 27th). Kick-off is at 6:30pm. All the important information about the 24th matchday of the 2. Bundesliga is clearly summarised for you in our "Matchday Guide".
Darmstadt 98 aim to extend their unbeaten run to 14 games in Friday evening's match against Dynamo Dresden. While Darmstadt's potent attack has resulted in a respectable goal tally, they are wary at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. The Saxons have been on an upward trend since the winter break and will have a vociferous home crowd behind them. We've compiled all the facts and figures surrounding this clash in this report. Here you'll find the key facts for tomorrow's match.
Darmstadt and Dresden are 598 kilometres apart. On Friday evening (February 27th, 6:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will travel to the Saxon capital for the 24th matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga. The next away game will take place under the floodlights at the historic Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. You can find all relevant fan information here.
Before SV Darmstadt 98 plays under floodlights in Dresden on Friday evening (27.02/18.30), Florian Kohfeldt spoke at the press conference about the strengths of Dynamo Dresden and the special atmosphere in the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion.
Raoul Petretta joined SV Darmstadt 98 in the winter and already feels very much at home. He talks about his arrival and his goals. Besides their sporting focus, the Lilies are also committed to sustainability: On March 15, 2026, over 3,500 trees will be planted as part of the fifth "In the Sign of the Lily" tree-planting campaign. In our "Lilies Across the Board" section, we provide you with the most important news from SV Darmstadt 98 every week.
Numerous Dynamo Dresden fans flock to the stadium on home match days. But one day, they came for a single reason: What should their stadium be called in the future? Tens of thousands of supporters gathered in front of the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, ready to cast their votes. In cooperation with regional partners, Dynamo Dresden's management took the unusual step of letting the club's supporters decide for themselves.
