SV Darmstadt 98 is launching its international marketing activities with a targeted entry into the U.S. market. At the heart of this strategy lies a partnership with USL Championship club San Antonio FC and Spurs Sports & Entertainment, providing the club with an opportunity to establish itself in one of the fastest-growing football markets in the world.
SV Darmstadt 98 and San Antonio FC, from Darmstadt’s U.S. sister city of San Antonio, signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement on July 23, 2024. The agreement was warmly endorsed by Darmstadt’s mayor, Hanno Benz, and San Antonio’s mayor, Ron Nirenberg, marking another step toward deepening the sister city relationship established in 2017. The collaboration aims to promote youth development, foster intercultural exchange, and facilitate cooperation in sports science, sports medicine, marketing, and innovation.
In addition to the partnership with San Antonio FC announced in July 2024, the Lilies are also collaborating with SVD Beaumont Texas, a football club in southeastern Texas founded by Lilies fans with the support of SV Darmstadt 98 as part of their internationalization strategy. This initiative, initiated by a native of Darmstadt, places a strong emphasis on the social aspects of football. Both clubs view football as a powerful tool for social integration and share the common goal of providing underprivileged youth with access to the sport.
The cooperation between SV Darmstadt 98, San Antonio FC, and SVD Beaumont Texas exemplifies how German clubs can promote values, build networks, and expand their reach on a global scale. Such initiatives contribute to increasing the international visibility of the Bundesliga while paving the way for the Bundesliga to tap into new markets in the long term.
After their eventful days in San Antonio, the Darmstadt delegation concludes their trip to Texas in Beaumont. And the scene that greets the team from southern Hesse initially seems like a crazy dream. Far from home and under the Texas sun, a club wears the Lily on its chest and the Darmstadt name on its back.
A delegation led by Darmstadt 98 president Markus Pfitzner is using the current international break in March for a trip to San Antonio to further strengthen the connection with cooperation partner San Antonio FC, gain deeper insights into the local economy, and immerse themselves in the culture and history of Darmstadt’s sister city. We will be covering their time in Texas on this page.
More than 8,600 kilometres as the crow flies separate San Antonio and Darmstadt. Landry Walker embarked on the long journey from Texas to southern Hesse on March 8th. The 16-year-old midfielder was trained at San Antonio FC, the partner club of SV Darmstadt 98, and has been immersed in the world of the Lilies (Darmstadt's nickname) over the past few days. We look back at the visit of the American U17 international.
SV 98 answers the most important questions about the postponed friendly match of the Lilies against their cooperation partner San Antonio FC.
With the upcoming trip to San Antonio (Texas) in mind, SV 98 has decided to postpone the planned friendly match against its cooperation partner San Antonio FC to September 29, 2026. The delegation trip with representatives from the board and management will still take place.
SV Darmstadt 98 will use the international break in March 2026 for a trip to San Antonio, Texas. The Lilies will visit Darmstadt’s partner city from March 22-28 and play a friendly match against cooperation partner San Antonio FC (SAFC) on Wednesday, 25 March. The primary focus of the trip is to deepen the already existing ties with the city of San Antonio and SAFC, as well as to build new partnerships and engage in mutual knowledge exchange across various areas.
There are two soccer clubs in the US state of Texas with which SV 98 has a special connection. Since July 2024, there has been an official cooperation between SV Darmstadt 98 and San Antonio FC (SAFC) from Darmstadt's US twin city of San Antonio. In addition, there is SVD Beaumont Texas, which was founded by Texas Lilien fans with the support of SV Darmstadt 98. Last summer, both clubs, together with SV 98, hosted the first Lilien soccer camps in the US. Lilien Managing Director Martin Kowalewski also took the opportunity to meet with representatives of SAFC, Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E), and the city of San Antonio in San Antonio. We look back on the very productive visit.
SV 98 maintains a special relationship with two American clubs, US second-division side San Antonio FC and Texas-based SVD Beaumont, through official partnerships. Football is naturally the unifying factor, and both sides are particularly committed to developing young talent. As part of these partnerships, SV 98 has now held its first soccer camps in the USA under the guidance of coaches from the Lilies.
In recent days, SV 98 was privileged to welcome some very special guests. Club officials, coaches, and players from SVD Beaumont Texas visited the Lilies as part of the two clubs‘ partnership, which emphasises the social power of football. We summarise the days with our video.
In recent days, SV 98 was privileged to welcome some very special guests. Club officials, coaches, and players from SVD Beaumont Texas visited the Lilies as part of the two clubs' partnership, which emphasises the social power of football. The visit culminated in the professionals' home victory against SpVgg Greuther Fürth (April 5). We take a look back at the eventful days.
“Lilies go USA” – This is the headline of the homepage of the new, English-language landing page of SV Darmstadt 98, which is specifically designed for the Lilies' USA cooperation with San Antonio FC and Spurs Sports & Entertainment was created and integrated on www.sv98.de. Fans, partners and interested parties can now find all relevant information about this partnership in one central location.
A delegation from SV 98 at an NBA game in Paris? What initially seemed a little unrealistic became reality on January 23rd. The background to the visit is relatively easy to explain: Since July 2024, there has been a cooperation agreement between the Lilies, the football club San Antonio FC (SAFC) and Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E). SS&E is the operating company of the US second division team SAFC and the NBA team and five-time champions San Antonio Spurs.
The partnership with San Antonio FC, one of the leading clubs in the second division of U.S. football, offers SV Darmstadt 98 an excellent platform to strengthen its position in the U.S. The goal of the collaboration is to learn from each other both athletically and culturally and to develop joint projects that promote exchange between the two clubs.
This includes training camps, talent development programs, and an exchange of knowledge in areas such as club management and sports marketing. Additionally, SV Darmstadt 98 will expand its digital platforms to provide U.S. fans with up-to-date content and information about the club. From exclusive merchandise offers to personalised fan experiences and live streaming options for games, SV Darmstadt 98 aims to engage more deeply with its U.S. fanbase and strengthen relationships with American supporters.
The collaboration between SV Darmstadt 98 and SVD Beaumont pursues not only athletic goals but also places a special focus on the social aspect of football. The Lilies aim to support young football players and create a platform for social inclusion.
