Spain and Croatia. Poland and Austria. The Dutch and Swiss as well as Italy and Turkey. And then there is the final on July 14th between the Spanish national team and England. The Olympic Stadium in Berlin hosted a total of six, sometimes breathtaking, games at UEFA Euro 2024 this summer. A good three weeks later there is no longer any trace of the EM hustle and bustle. Instead, everyday life in the second division was back on the agenda for the third largest German stadium after Dortmund and Munich: Hertha BSC on the first matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga against SC Paderborn. And exactly where the Spaniards were crowned European champions 20 days earlier, the team from East Westphalia celebrated last Saturday (August 3rd).
A goal just before half-time. A goal shortly after the break. And the victory belonged to SC Paderborn, who started the new season with a 2-1 opening win at Hertha. Were the points hinted at at the start? Yes, if Lukas Kwasniok has his way. At the press conference before the game, the East Westphalia head coach confirmed that his team had completed “perfect preparation” in the summer. “Now it’s about delivering in the first game,” Kwasniok continued.
No sooner said than done – even if, despite the victory at Hertha, not everything went smoothly and the head coach said his men still had “room for improvement”. But what are the strengths of Paderborn? What kind of guy is the man on the sidelines? And which player should you particularly have on your list when the duel between Ostwestfalen and SV Darmstadt 98 comes up on the second second division matchday? We took a closer look at the Lilies‘ upcoming opponent.
| Arrivals | Departures |
| Sven Michel (Striker, FC Augsburg) | Sirlord Conteh (1. FC Heidenheim) |
| Mika Baur (Striker, SC Freiburg II) | Kai Klefisch (SV Darmstadt 98) |
| Felix Götze (Defender, Rot-Weiß Essen) | Maximilian Rohr (SV Elversberg) |
| Santiago Castañeda (Defensive Midfield, MSV Duisburg) | Jannes Heuer (1. FC Kaiserslautern) |
| Luca Herrmann (Central Midfield, Dynamo Dresden) | Jannik Huth (SC Freiburg) |
A realist who loves order and faces facts. This is Lukas Kwasniok. At the age of 19, he gave up his dream of paid football and started training to become a middle-level civil servant. But the early end of his playing career later made the Polish-born coach an experienced and hardened coach. Having worked in the Karlsruher SC youth team for many years, Kwasniok developed his own approach. He developed his vision and followed his principles. Then he reaped the fruits of his work: In the 2019/20 season he was promoted to the 3rd league as head coach with 1. FC Saarbrücken and also became the first fourth division team ever to reach the semi-finals of the DFB Cup with the Saarland team .
In the summer of 2021, he moved from Baden-Württemberg to North Rhine-Westphalia, where he took over the second division team SC Paderborn in East Westphalia. Today, the 43-year-old trainer is characterised by security and confidence in himself. For him, defeats are sometimes necessary stages for further success. Since 2021, the SCP has had a trainer in the dugout who once described his work to the Weser-Kurier as follows: “I want to develop a game idea that is authentic and not artificial. A gait that suits my nature.”
The away strength of SC Paderborn!? It was like that last season. Will this trend continue into the new season with the 2-1 win at Hertha BSC? From the 17 away duels last year, the East Westphalia team got a total of 27 points, which put them in a strong fourth place in the away table. The first three points on a foreign pitch are already in the account because the Paderborn team were both efficient and, above all, stable in defense in Berlin. Only Magdeburg and Cologne (both 9) had to accept fewer shots from their opponents than the SCP (10), with Paderborn not allowing Hertha to have any big chances at all.
This cheering in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. His competitive debut for SC Paderborn. His first game in the 2nd Bundesliga. His first goal and three points in the bag. “If I dreamed of something, then it was exactly that,” reported an overjoyed SC Paderborn 07 central defender Felix Götze. Dream debut.
Review. Born in Dortmund, he was trained at the black and yellow Borussia and later at FC Bayern Munich. His path to becoming a footballer? Signed. “The first thing I saw when I was a child was the ball. When you have two older brothers who both played football, you have no choice,” he jokes with a smile on his face. Felix the youngest. Brother Fabian the eldest. And Mario is probably the best-known member of the Götze family. “I wouldn’t be here without him – without his tips,” Felix once said about his brother Mario. He previously celebrated his Bundesliga debut for FC Augsburg in the 2018/19 season and later scored his first professional goal against FC Bayern Munich – a goal that he dedicated to Mario. The breakthrough in his career?
Not quite. Always plagued by bad luck with injuries, the now 26-year-old only went to the third division once. There he played for both 1. FC Kaiserslautern and, most recently, Rot-Weiß Essen. Everything needs it’s time. Since this summer, Götze has wanted to attack in the 2nd Bundesliga. His debut was already promising. He now wants to continue on his path for SC Paderborn. And yet he still has a dream, as he once revealed: to stand on the pitch in the same jersey as his brother Mario.
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.
