Economics, history, and a thank you

Anyone walking through San Antonio with their eyes open will find numerous reminders of the German influence in this Texas metropolis, which was significantly shaped by German immigrants as early as the 1840s. Visitors can stroll through the King William Quarter, attend a performance by the Beethoven Men’s Choir, or stay at the Hotel Emma, ​​named after Emma Köhler, a German immigrant and long time managing director of the Pearl Brewery. The connections to Germany are already evident on the way to San Antonio; within a 100-kilometre radius lie the towns of Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, Boerne, and Luckenbach. And yet, it is, of course, a different world into which the Lilies delegation will immerse themselves these days.

… Since 2017, Darmstadt and San Antonio have been linked through an official city partnership, and since July 2024, SV 98 has been cooperating with San Antonio FC, the local second division team, which belongs to Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E), the organisation that also has the NBA team San Antonio Spurs in its portfolio.

The visit of the South Hessian delegation to the city of 1.5 million inhabitants begins this Monday morning with the first official appointment in the Large Conference Room on the 18th floor of the City Tower. President Markus Pfitzner, board members Anne Baumann and Roy Reinelt-Peter, and managing directors Michael Weilguny, Martin Kowalewski, and Tom Eilers take their seats in the large meeting room.

They are welcomed there by Shahrzad Dowlatshahi, Chief Diplomacy & Protocol Officer for the City of San Antonio. Dowlatshahi, known to everyone as Sherry, looks back in her opening remarks on the connection between the two cities, highlights the relationship between the universities of San Antonio and Darmstadt, and speaks about the cooperation between Darmstadt 98 (the Lilies) and the SS&E, the city’s flagship sports club. These introductory remarks make it clear that both sides have a very high regard for the existing and long-standing connections. Dowlatshahi also explains why San Antonio chose to partner with Darmstadt nine years ago. The reasons for this go back a little further. In the summer of 2015, Sherry traveled to Germany with then-Mayor Ivy Taylor to visit various cities, attend meetings, and discuss a potential city partnership. They got the best impression in Darmstadt. „The warm welcome made a difference,“ says Dowlatshahi, who continues in her retrospective: „There were immediate human connections. We left Darmstadt saying, ‚This is the city that feels right.'“

This feeling led to an official partnership between the two cities in 2017, which, seven years later, also formed the basis for the newly established cooperation between SV 98 and SS&E.

„Our sports partnership was and is a great way to add extra value to the overarching city partnership,“ says Markus Pfitzner, before leading all those present through a presentation on the history, present, and future of SV 98. SV 98 also wants to use the days in the Texas sunshine to „identify economic opportunities,“ as Pfitzner puts it. For this reason, Sarah Morales then takes the floor. Morales is Senior Vice President of Business Engagement for greater:SATX, a company dedicated to creating high-quality jobs in the San Antonio area. Morales provides an overview of the economy in San Antonio and presents impressive figures that underscore what is often reported: the economy in Texas is booming. Of course, there’s a world of difference between these figures and SV Darmstadt 98, not just in terms of distance, but there are still points of connection, for example in the Lilies‘ sponsor network, which can be explored. Economic opportunities, in other words.

The afternoon is dedicated to history. The group from the Lilien club will visit The Alamo for a guided tour, delving deep into the history of San Antonio, Texas, the USA, and Mexico. The Alamo is one of the most famous historical sites in the United States. It gained notoriety through a battle in 1836, in which a small group of Texan defenders held the fortress against the Mexican army for about two weeks before it fell. In short, this defeat later became a symbol of resistance and freedom—every child in San Antonio still knows the phrase „Remember the Alamo“—and motivated the Texan troops who later fought for their independence from Mexico.

For SV Darmstadt 98, after discussing economics and history, the evening offered an opportunity to officially thank all past and future partners involved in the US partnership. On the rooftop terrace of The Monarch Hotel in downtown San Antonio, SV 98 welcomed approximately 30 guests. These 30 individuals, over the past two years of the partnership, have contributed to the positive and positive relationship that everyone looks back on from the South Hessian-Texan connection. „This evening with you all demonstrates that this partnership isn’t just a formality, but a lived reality,“ explained Martin Kowalewski at the start of the reception. Pfitzner added, „It’s very special for us to see so many familiar faces and even friends here. When we launched this partnership, we couldn’t have imagined how quickly everything would develop.“

It’s impressive to see the kind of people this partnership brings together. Representatives from San Antonio FC, SS&E, and the City of San Antonio were all present. Representatives from the University of Texas and San Antonio Sports are also present, as is Reagen Smith from Craft US, the US office of Lilien’s kit supplier, Craft. Sport unites people. This becomes clear again this evening. And in this case, the connection even extends across the Atlantic.