Will something like this happen again in German professional football at some point...? It was probably one of the biggest sensations in Bundesliga history. It's the 1997/98 season, when 1. FC Kaiserslautern achieved something unique as a promoted team. “There was incredible euphoria in the Palatinate and we took a wonderful path,” said Otto Rehhagel years later, almost reservedly, about this incredible success. As a newcomer, FCK actually became German champions. An incredible story that has never been written before or to this day.
A total of four German championship titles are in the Red Devils‘ trophy cabinet. But the promoted championship is a very special one. As golden as the times were in the 1990s with two championships and two cup victories as well as participation in international competition they were to become darker later. Between 2018 and 2022, the famous club from the Palatinate suddenly only played in the 3rd league.
At the moment, everyone in the Palatinate has every reason to be happy again. Last season they made it to the DFB Cup final, in which FCK lost to the championship team Bayer Leverkusen. The Red Devils are also in impressive form this season. As second in the table, 1. FC Kaiserslautern travels to the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor on Saturday evening (December 14th/8:30pm). Before the ball rolls on the Bölle in the top game, let’s take another closer look at the Lilies‘ upcoming opponent.
| Top Scorers | Top Assists |
| Ragnar Ache – 9 Goals | Daniel Hanslik – 6 Assists |
| Daniel Hanslik – 5 Goals | Daisuke Yokota – 3 Assists |
| Boris Tomiak – 4 Goals | Aaron Opoku – 3 Assists |
| Aaron Opoku – 2 Goals | Luca Sirch – 3 Assists |
He was a player under several well-known coaches in the European football business. Aleksandar Ristic is one name, Huub Stevens another. He also played under world champion coach Jogi Löw and the Belgian Eric Gerets. He now belongs to exactly this professional group and is on the sidelines as head coach.
As a trainer, Markus initially gained his first experience in the regional league at SC Kapellen-Erft before moving to the youth department of Bayer Leverkusen. He finally achieved his big breakthrough at Holstein Kiel. There he not only led the club from the 3rd league to the 2nd Bundesliga in 2017, but also surprised the Storks in the following season when he almost managed to make it through. Anfang and the Kiel team only failed in the relegation against VfL Wolfsburg. After a stint at 1. FC Köln, the Köln native finally ended up at SV Darmstadt 98 in the summer of 2020. He coached a total of 37 games for the Lilies. While he finished seventh in the league with the men from Böllenfalltor, he also reached the round of 16 of the DFB Cup with Darmstadt 98. In the summer of 2021, however, the now 50-year-old decided to accept an offer from SV Werder Bremen.
Anfang, who generally stands for good offensive football, has now found his new home at 1. FC Kaiserslautern after two years at Dynamo Dresden. With 29 goals, his team is one of the strongest offensively in the league. Together they currently occupy second place in the 2nd Bundesliga.
This is the offensive of 1. FC Kaiserslautern. The second-place team currently has 29 goals to their name. Only two teams in the league – SV Darmstadt 98 (30) and Hamburger SV (33) – scored more goals in the current season. The above all accurate offense is possibly one of the reasons why things are going so well for the Red Devils at the moment. The Betze men have been unbeaten in seven second division games. They were able to win all of the last three games with three goals of their own – 3-1 against Karlsruhe, 3-0 at Schalke and 3-2 against Braunschweig.
Sorted out of the youth team at FC Schalke 04, then back to his hometown club Rot-Weiß Essen. Regional league – with a mini-job on the side. First for Essen, then for Wattenscheid and Altona in Hamburg as well as Fortuna Düsseldorf II. The dream of professional football shattered? Not at all. Because Boris Tomiak “always believed in himself and never gave up”. In the 2020/21 season, he played his way back into the focus of several professional teams as Düsseldorf’s second representative. When the offer finally came from third division club Kaiserslautern, the now 26-year-old absolutely wanted to take the step. And it turned out to be the completely right decision: “I became a regular player straight away, we got promoted – just amazing.”
Tomiak has now played a total of 124 competitive games for the Red Devils. The Essen native is indispensable in defense. But he doesn’t just impress with his tough defense. The central defender can also score goals. He has a total of 18 goals on his FCK resume and is also ice cold from the spot. Tomiak converted three out of three penalties this season – including the penalty kick last weekend in the derby against Karlsruher SC. However, his penalty secret remains his well-guarded penalty secret. Tomiak with a wink: “I have my own tactics, which I don’t want to reveal. I’m doing well with that at the moment and I hope I get a few more penalties this season…“
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.