Hertha BSC, or the "Old Lady" as the Berliners are often called, was founded in 1892 by the brothers Fritz and Max Lindner, and Otto and Willi Lorenz. The name was not actually a human being, but a blue and white pleasure boat called "Hertha," which once sailed on the Spree and Havel rivers. On Saturday (April 12th, 1pm), the Lilies aim to give the Berlin boat a serious shake-up. We'll show you everything else there is to know about the third-oldest club in Bundesliga history here.
Since its founding, the Old Lady, like its hometown, has experienced a turbulent history. With the founding of the Bundesliga in 1963, Hertha initially belonged to the top flight, but was relegated to the Regionalliga in 1965. What followed were eventful decades of promotions and relegations – their greatest sporting success after the championship era was coming runners-up in 1975. In the 1999/2000 season, Hertha played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time, and the club also qualified for the European Cup several times in the 2010s. The Olympiastadion Berlin has been the home of the club since 1963, whose motto „The future belongs to Berlin“ clearly sets its sights on the future – toward new goals, sustained by a turbulent past.
| Top Scorers | Top Assists |
| Derry Scherhant – 7 Goals | Jonjoe Kenny – 7 Assists |
| Fabian Reese – 7 Goals | Derry Scherhant – 6 Assists |
| Michaël Cuisance – 6 Goals | Ibrahim Maza – 5 Assists |
| Ibrahim Maza – 5 Goals | Michaël Cuisance – 5 Assists |
| Florian Niederlechner – 5 Goals | Pascal Klemens – 3 Assists |
The youth word „bromance“ describes an intense, almost cinematic male friendship – two men who seem inseparable and trust each other blindly. Hertha coach Stefan Leitl and his assistant coach Andre Mijatović are the perfect example of such a connection. The two not only share the same ideas about football, but also an apartment. In Berlin, they live together in a shared apartment for men – and not purely because of a lack of housing.
They already lived together at their previous stints in Fürth and Hanover. What connects them is trust, humor – and a certain routine. Even if there is still room for improvement in the kitchen: „Andre didn’t cook well in Hanover. I guess I’ll have to take over now,“ jokes Leitl, referring to the shared apartment in Berlin.
Minor culinary differences aside, the collaboration on the pitch seems to be working even better: Since moving into their shared Berlin apartment near the Olympic Stadium, Hertha BSC has won all three of their matches – against Braunschweig, Karlsruhe, and Köln. The „Old Lady“ appears stable, eager to play, and back in rhythm.
Leitl and Mijatović came to Berlin with a clear goal: to bring stability in the short term and build on better times in the long term. And as long as their sporting bromance runs as smoothly as it currently does, there’s a good chance that Hertha will soon be sailing in calmer waters again.
„The trend is your friend“: In this case, especially the friend of the old lady. After seven games without a win, Leitl seems to have managed to flip the switch. The capital club has won three games in a row with a goal difference of 9:2. And not only that: Hertha is extremely strong at passing the ball directly from the wings into the danger zone. With 328 crosses from open play, they rank third in the 2. Bundesliga in this statistic, behind Karlsruhe and Paderborn.
Do you believe in love at first sight? For many, that’s the prerequisite for the perfect match. But sometimes it takes a second look – and a bit of patience. The best example: Fabian Reese and Hertha BSC. Initially, there wasn’t much of a spark between the attacking player and the „Old Lady.“
The year was 2015. On November 21, Reese made his professional debut for FC Schalke 04 at the Veltins Arena – against FC Bayern Munich, of all teams. Three minutes of playing time marked the start of a special career. After stints at Karlsruher SC and SpVgg Greuther Fürth, his path ultimately led him back home: to Holstein Kiel, the club of his birthplace.
Reese became a key player at the „Störchen.“ 119 games, 17 goals, 30 assists – figures that even attracted attention from Bundesliga clubs. Then, in January 2023, the big announcement came: Fabian Reese would be joining Hertha BSC in the summer. Finally, he thought, he’d made the step into the Bundesliga. But just a few months later, everything changed: Both Fredi Bobic and coach Sandro Schwarz – who had inspired him to join the „Big City Club“ project – were forced to leave, and Hertha was relegated.
„At first, I was sad that I was denied the opportunity. I was convinced that Hertha would stay in the league,“ Reese later said in an interview with kicker. „But life sometimes presents you with challenges you don’t expect.“
But the frustration didn’t last long. Today, it seems as if there couldn’t have been a better place for Reese. Hertha and him – it’s a perfect fit. Not just because of his striking appearance with painted fingernails, sweatbands, and various hairstyles. But above all because he’s leading the way athletically. In 48 games for the Berlin club so far, he’s delivered an impressive 20 goals and provided 18 assists – thus not only winning the hearts of the fans but also regularly making headlines in the transfer rumor mill.
„Kiel remains my hometown, but my home is Berlin,“ Reese said in an rbb interview – a sentence that shows how deeply he’s settled in the capital. He’s never lost sight of his dream of playing in the Bundesliga. And he would probably prefer to realize it exactly where he is happy right now: with Hertha BSC.
SV Darmstadt 98 invites all its members to come to the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor on November 1st, 2026, starting at 11:30am. Together, we aim to once again create the largest team photo in our club’s history—with the professional players in the front and the entire Lilies family behind them.
On Sunday (Oct 18th), SV Darmstadt 98 will visit Karlsruher SC. The side from Baden differs from the Lilies in several key respects. Furthermore, the match will see SV 98 cross paths with a former player once again. Find out here about other connections between the two clubs, as well as some particularly interesting statistics ahead of the encounter.
On Tuesday evening (October 13th), the SilberLilien took part in SV Darmstadt 98’s Stolperstein tour for the first time. Along the approximately six-kilometre route, the participants made several stops to learn more about the fates of Jewish club members who were persecuted and driven out during the Holocaust.
From new grassroots sports offerings and a look back at the club's history to birthdays and the latest updates from the media briefing—there is plenty to report from SV Darmstadt 98 again this week. In "Lilien Across the Board," we round up the news, insights, and stories from life at the club.
Tickets for the home match against 1. FC Heidenheim on November 22nd are available for purchase now.
SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team proved their mettle at home against KSV Hessen Kassel II in the Hessenliga on Sunday (Oct. 11th). After a convincing 90-minute performance, the Young Lilies secured another three points, finishing with a decisive 4–0 victory that lifts them to sixth place in the standings.
The Lilies overturned an early deficit to celebrate a 3–1 home victory against Energie Cottbus—a win that boosts confidence and confirms the progress being made. Read our analysis to find out why there is still work to be done and what positives SV 98 takes away from the match.
This season, too, Lilien fans will be doubly rewarded for every home goal scored by SV Darmstadt 98. In addition to the joy and excitement of the goals, the team's supporters will receive 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every home goal scored by Darmstadt at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
After the international break, Darmstadt 98 returned to the Bölle with a home win! Against Energie Cottbus, SV Darmstadt 98 put on a spirited performance in front of their home crowd and rewarded themselves with three points after an intense match. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you here:
Despite falling behind, Darmstadt secured their second consecutive home win! Darmstadt defeated Energie Cottbus 3-1 (1-1). The home side equalised after conceding an early goal in the four-minute period through Weißhaupt before halftime. Vukotic headed his team into the lead in the second half, before Lührs sealed the victory with the third goal. This home win brings Darmstadt's season total to seven points.
Homegame at Böllenfalltor (10/10, 1pm): Florian Kohfeldt has made two changes to his starting XI compared to the away match in Wolfsburg three weeks ago. Richter and Mikelbrencis come into the starting lineup for Sickinger (calf issues) and Lannert (illness).
On Saturday afternoon (October 10th, 1pm), SV 98 hosts Energie Cottbus at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor for Matchday 7. What do the two head coaches have to say ahead of kick-off? Who is officiating the match, and where can you follow the action live? As always, we have compiled all the key information regarding the game against Cottbus in our "Matchday Guide" feature.