Klaus Gjasula spoke in a media round (March 26th) about the current sporting situation and his two priority goals for this season. Meanwhile, Oscar Vilhelmsson presents himself accurately on his international trip. Who's birthday is this week, how the second team is doing and what positive news is coming from England: You can find out in our weekly “Lilies across the board” section.
“We want to be able to say with a clear conscience that we did everything we could in the free time to be as prepared as possible for the upcoming tasks,” said Klaus Gjasula, who spoke about the intensity of the past training days in a media round on Tuesday afternoon (March 26). A lot of hard work lies behind the lilies, whose focus is now on the challenges ahead. SV Darmstadt 98 has crucial weeks and important games ahead of them with the relegation place is in sight. „The mood is good. Everyone believes in the big goal. We will try to get the best out of it,” says Gjasula combatively.
VfL Bochum awaits on Easter Sunday (03.31/7:30pm) – a landmark game for SVD. The 34-year-old predicts that the task will not be easy, but remains optimistic: “It won’t be easy weeks, but it will be very crucial for us. Nothing is lost yet.” In addition to remaining in the upper house, the Albanian also has another goal in mind: taking part in the European Championships in the summer with the Albanian national team. He was not nominated for the international matches during this break. Despite not being taken into account, the hope of a European Championship ticket still exists for the man with the number 23: „I want to offer myself for the European Championships. I haven’t finished it yet.“
Meanwhile, the international trip worked out for another Lilien player and it was extremely successful too! For Oscar Vilhelmsson and Sweden’s U21 there were two games in the match calendar these days: first the friendly match against the junior team from Cyprus (22.03), then the European Championship qualifier against the U21 of North Macedonia (26.03). The 20-year-old from Darmstadt really let it rip. Thanks to a hat-trick in the first 45 minutes, Vilhelmsson virtually took down the Cypriots single-handedly – the final score was 6-1. The Swede also demonstrated his instinct for goal in the following game against North Macedonia. He sealed the victory with his goal in stoppage time to make it 2-0. Vilhelmsson scored four times in two games during this international period. In total, his U21 goal account already has six goals in six games for “Tre Kronor”. A very strong quota.
The SV 98 fan team continues to be in top form and is now unbeaten in five games. Four of them were won. This also applies to the game last Sunday (March 24th) at TSV Eschollbrücken. Despite the changeable weather, the Darmstadt team dominated the game. After a 1-0 half-time lead, there was a 3-1 win in the end thanks to a dominant performance. Thanks to the three-point success, the Lilies climbed to third place. After a free Easter weekend, the second team will welcome the newly overtaken fourth-placed team from Pfungstadt for the top game on Sunday (07.04/3pm).
There are also positive things to report from Darmstadt’s sister city in England, Chesterfield. Chesterfield FC celebrated promotion back to the Football League last weekend thanks to a 3-0 home win against Boreham Wood. After six seasons in the National League, the Derbyshire team is back in England’s fourth division. While they narrowly missed out on promotion last season with third place, they are now confirmed as one of the promoted teams after 41 games. With a lead of 21 points and 95 points of their own, the championship can no longer be taken away from Chesterfield with Paul Cook’s team has already scored a hundred goals this season.
This week we can celebrate two birthdays. On Monday (March 25th) our man with the number 25, Gerrit Holtmann, turned 29 years old. Tomorrow, Thursday (March 28th), another lily will have its special day. Braydon Manu is 27 years old. Happy Birthday! Good luck and success for everything to come in the new year, Braydon and Gerrit.
The first dates for SV 98's preparations for the 2026/27 second division season have been set: On June 25th, the professional team will return to the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor to undergo various medical tests and performance diagnostics. The first team training session will take place on June 27th in the Odenwald region.
Who will SV Darmstadt 98 face in the first round of the DFB Cup? This question will be answered this coming Saturday (June 6th). The draw for the first round will be broadcast live on ARD's Sportschau. We'll be taking a look and providing you with all the information. We'll also be celebrating with the fan team's survival in the Kreisklasse B (eighth tier) and taking a look across the border to Texas in the USA. All this and more for you in "Lilies Across the Board" on Wednesday.
Fraser Hornby's time at Darmstadt 98 comes to an end after three years. The Scottish attacking midfielder is moving to VfL Wolfsburg. Both clubs have agreed to keep the transfer fee confidential.
An eight-goal thriller to close out the season. The SV Darmstadt 98 U21 team took to the pitch one last time this season on Saturday (May 30th) – away against FC Eddersheim. The young Lilies secured a 5-3 victory in Eddersheim, finishing the 2025/26 Hessenliga season in eleventh place. Even more remarkable, however, was the U21's run at the end of the season: the Blue and Whites won their last five matches, scoring an impressive 22 goals in the process.
Barcelona, Spain. A global city right on the Mediterranean. Over 1.7 million people live here. And one of them is Clemens Riedel. The 22-year-old former Darmstadt player moved from SV 98 to Espanyol Barcelona last summer – from youth academy to professional in the Spanish first division. We spoke with Riedel about his first year in Barcelona, the past season, and his still close ties to Darmstadt.
SV 98 can continue to rely on the services of Fabian Nürnberger. The Lilies have extended the expiring contract with the Bulgarian international.
Grayson Dettoni will continue to wear the SV 98 jersey. The Lilies have exercised their option to buy the defender, who was previously on loan from FC Bayern Munich.
The German Football Championship for People with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) kicks off on Sunday – and it's taking place in Darmstadt's Bürgerpark! Last week, the Darmstadt 98ers' home ground offered a different kind of sporting event: a karate demonstration. We also take a look at the opponents for the new season and celebrate two birthdays this week. You'll find all this and much more about Darmstadt 98 in our usual "Lilies Across the Board".
„I’m proud of you,“ were the words of U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt to the team after they secured their place in the Hessenliga. On Saturday (May 23rd), SV Darmstadt 98’s U21 team had the chance to stay in the league against Turabdin Babylon Pohlheim – and they seized it impressively! The young Lilies delivered a convincing 5-1 goal fest, but at the same time still needed help from other teams to guarantee their survival. However, because their direct rivals, CSC 03 Kassel, narrowly lost in Stadtallendorf, the U21 team was finally able to celebrate.
For the fourth time, the Haftpflichtkasse insurance company and SV Darmstadt 98 have jointly awarded four clubs with the Volunteer Award. The award ceremony, including the presentation of the checks, took place last Sunday (May 17th) before the home game against SC Paderborn at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. The Volunteer Award, established in 2023 by the Haftpflichtkasse and SV Darmstadt 98, aims to strengthen volunteer engagement and promote outstanding projects.
