SV 98 welcomes back a familiar face as they begin their preparations for the second half of the season. Matthias Neumann will now serve as head of the professional players department. The 34-year-old previously worked for the Lilies for a total of eight years, from 2017 to 2025, before taking up a position as head of the professional players department at 1. FC Kaiserslautern in June 2025.
In Germany alone, someone suffers a sudden cardiac arrest approximately every eight minutes – often in the midst of everyday life, while playing sports, or as a spectator in the stands. Medical emergencies also occur frequently in and around stadiums. In these moments, it is often the people present who must act first before the emergency services arrive. The crucial thing is to have the courage to act and to know what to do.
SV Darmstadt 98 have exercised their option to buy Hiroki Akiyama, as stipulated in the loan agreement with Albirex Niigata. This means the existing loan will become a permanent contract at the end of the season. The club and the 25-year-old Japanese player have agreed on the relevant contract terms.
Under the emblem of the Lily, SV Darmstadt 98 stands for community, responsibility, and solidarity. The club sees itself as an active part of society and embodies values that extend far beyond football. Respect, openness, and cooperation characterise its actions both on and off the pitch. Thus, in the second half of 2025, SV 98 implemented numerous projects focusing on sustainability and social responsibility. An overview follows.
Since this season, the foreword to the Lilienkurier has been written by the sporting director of SV Darmstadt 98. Paul Fernie is keen to regularly address the SV 98 fans. He writes about the Lilies' scouting, the development of their counter-attacking game, and uses his own experience to illustrate the importance of communication. Here you can find Paul's monthly greetings at a glance.
SV 98 had a successful first half of the season and will spend the winter break in third place in the table. Between home strength and bad luck hitting the woodwork: In which statistics does Florian Kohfeldt's team excel – and where do they fall short? Here are the top facts from the first half of the 2025/26 season.
In an open letter, the board of SV Darmstadt 98 sends the following words to the Lilies family.
It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of our former player Sebastian Hertner. The professional footballer, who played for Darmstadt from 2018 to 2020, passed away far too soon at the age of 34.
SV Darmstadt 98 will play two friendlies against SV Wehen Wiesbaden on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. As part of their winter training camp in El Saler, the Lilies will travel to Oliva Nova for two matches against the third-division side, one on Tuesday (January 6th, 3pm) and the other on Saturday (January 10th, 1pm).
The SV Darmstadt 98 office will be closed from December 24th to January 5th. The fan shop and ticket office at the Merck Stadium will also be closed from December 24th. While the fan shop will reopen on January 5th, tickets will be available for purchase again from January 7th. The SV 98 city fan shop in downtown Darmstadt will be closed on Sundays and public holidays, but otherwise open as usual between Christmas and New Year's.