Three points! SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team secured a victory in the Lotto Hessenliga on Saturday afternoon (May 2nd). In their match against Hünfelder SV, the young Lilies overcame an early deficit to clinch a convincing 3-1 win. This result puts the U21 team currently outside the relegation zone. "Our trend is clearly upward," said a delighted U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt.
Not a good start in Hünfeld. The home team was already leading 1-0 after just five minutes. But the young Lilies weren’t fazed. The U21s responded immediately, courtesy of Manolo Merx, who was having a fantastic day. He coolly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper in the twelfth minute to make it 1-1. Just a minute later, Merx scored again – and what a goal it was! He won the ball himself and chipped it into the net from 20 metres..
„I’m incredibly proud of the team,“ emphasised Schmitt after the final whistle, who also had special praise for hat-trick hero Merx: „The way he scores goals is a testament to his personal development in recent weeks.“ He remained composed for his third goal as well, leaving the keeper no chance – 3-1 in the 78th minute. With this goal, he put the finishing touch on the match.
The match against Hünfelder SV was the third game in seven days. But there was no sign of fatigue. „Part of the victory belongs to our athletic trainer, Abed Hadji,“ Schmitt praised his work: „We played over 270 minutes from Saturday to Saturday, 70 of them with ten men. And yet we still managed to beat Hünfeld and maintain that intensity throughout the entire week.“
A positive development has become evident in the U21 team over the past few weeks. Despite their challenging position in the standings, the players believe in themselves and their strengths. „They believe in staying in the league – no matter what obstacles arise,“ Schmitt emphasised. Now, the goal is to carry this confidence into their upcoming home game on Saturday (May 9th, 3pm) against FSV Fernwald.
Line-Up: Börner – Kunstmann, Karakayar (Dos Snatos Pereira, 90+3′), Maier (Steineck, 56′), Kadrijaj, Klappich (Alagi, 86′), Ballmert, Mignano (Schlosser, 68′), Görtler, Merx (Blasa, 80′), Arnold.
The Bundesliga finalised the match schedules for matchdays three through six on Wednesday (July 15th): Darmstadt's home game against Hannover 96 on matchday three will take place on Sunday. This will be followed by their away game against 1. FC Kaiserslautern on Saturday at 1pm. The home game against Arminia Bielefeld on Friday evening and the away game in Wolfsburg, also on Friday evening, have also been confirmed.
The Lilies can welcome another new arrival at the Böllenfalltor: Florian Kleinhansl will now wear the SV 98 jersey. The 25-year-old joins on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with 1. FC Kaiserslautern on June 30th.
Third test, third clear victory. SV 98 won the match against FC 08 Homburg 5-1 (3-0).
SV Darmstadt 98 and the fusion energy company Focused Energy are entering into an official partnership. The aim of the collaboration is to more closely link top-level football and high technology from the Darmstadt region and to jointly generate momentum for innovation and future societal issues.
Killian Corredor will be playing in his home country again in the future. SV 98 has reached an agreement with FC Nantes on the transfer of the Frenchman.
On Tuesday (July 14, 6pm), SV Darmstadt 98 hosts Regionalliga side FC Homburg and asks fans to take note of the following information.
A home game against KSV! SV Darmstadt 98 hosts Holstein Kiel for the opening matchday of the 2. Bundesliga season this Saturday (August 8 at 1pm). Here’s how you can be there: the member pre-sale for the new season's first home game begins this coming Wednesday (July 15) at 12pm —available online and at the ticket shop at the Merck-Stadion, as usual. You can find all further details in this announcement.
For every home goal scored by the "Lilies," SV Darmstadt 98 fans were doubly rewarded during the recent 2025/26 second-division season. Beyond the joy and excitement, supporters received 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every goal Darmstadt scored at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
In recent days, various media outlets have published reports and graphics regarding the distribution of TV revenue for the 2026/27 season. Some of these reports included not only specific figures but also a comparison to the previous season. This comparison indicates a supposed revenue increase of €1.4 million for SV 98 compared to the 2025/26 season.
SV Darmstadt 98 successfully completed their second pre-season friendly, defeating Verbandsliga side VfR Fehlheim 8-0 (4-0).
