Club History

After various successes in the Hessen Championship and the Hessen Cup, SV 98 experienced its best phase to date in the mid-70s. First they won the South German championship in 1973, and the following year the Lilies qualified for the newly created 2nd Bundesliga. The SVD celebrated its greatest success in the club’s 80-year history in 1978 when it was promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time.

Since the Lilien players continued to pursue their jobs even after promotion to the Bundesliga, the team was nicknamed “After-work footballers from Böllenfalltor”. However, at the end of the season they had to go back to the second division.

In 1981, under the then coach Werner Olk, we were promoted again to the upper echelon of German football. Once again, the Lilies were unable to prevent direct relegation. After numerous years in the second division, the Lilies were relegated to the then third-tier Oberliga Hessen in 1993. In the years that followed, SV 98 fluctuated between third and fourth division.

In 2008, the Lilies had to initiate bankruptcy proceedings due to financial difficulties. Thanks to numerous campaigns and donations, it was ultimately possible to apply for a license for the upcoming regional league season and avert the threat of insolvency.

In the 2010/2011 season, the Lilies surprisingly achieved promotion to the 3rd league. The 2012/13 season ended with relegation for the club, but the bankruptcy of the Offenbacher Kickers saved the SVD from returning to the regional league. The beginning of a sensational story.

In December 2012, Dirk Schuster became head coach of the Lilies. Although the Chemnitz native was unable to prevent relegation in 2013, the Lilies nevertheless recorded a significant increase in performance under his leadership right from the start.

After unexpectedly remaining in the 3rd league, the Lilies played an outstanding 2013/14 season, which ended with third place in the table. What followed were the unforgettable relegation games against DSC Arminia Bielefeld. After the 3-1 home defeat in the first leg, very few people expected the Lilies to rise. However, Elton da Costa’s goal for a 4-2 win in the 122nd minute of the second leg ensured a sensational return to the second division after 21 years.

For the 2014/15 second division season, the Lilies were almost without exception considered the number one candidate for relegation, but things were to turn out completely differently: SV 98 reached the 40-point mark on matchday 23 and thus celebrated reaching their season goal of staying in the league at an early stage. The Lilies continued to storm through the league, so that after the 1-0 win over FC St. Pauli on Matchday 34, sensational direct promotion to the Bundesliga was guaranteed.

The Lilies started their first Bundesliga season in 33 years with four games unbeaten. Only FC Bayern were able to defeat SV 98 on matchday 5. The team continued to collect points diligently as the season progressed and was not in the relegation zone on a single match day. On June 7th, the Lilies celebrated their sensational relegation on matchday 33 with a 2-1 win in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin against Hertha Berlin. For the first time in the club’s history, SV 98 played in the Bundesliga for a second season in a row.

But there was to be no further sensation – after a weak start to the 2016/17 season, even the good second half of the season under Torsten Frings, who took over as head coach at the end of December, could no longer prevent relegation. The Lilies have been playing in the 2nd Bundesliga since the 2017/18 season.

Since relegation from the Bundesliga, SV 98 has gradually managed to establish itself in the second division. While the South Hessians fought for a long time to stay in the second division in the first two seasons, they were able to achieve a single-digit place in the table three times in a row (5th, 7th, 4th). The lilies are now firmly anchored in professional football – also thanks to the renovation of the Merck Stadium. A stadium in which first league air will soon be blowing again. Thanks to a fantastic 2022/23 season, head coach Torsten Lieberknecht’s team secured direct promotion to the Bundesliga one game day before the end of the season. Since the 12th matchday, the South Hessians have been at the top of the table – despite competition against sides that had significantly more financial opportunities. A more than deserved promotion.