What an away trip that was last year! SV Darmstadt 98 achieved a decisive 5-1 victory in Franconia against SpVgg Greuther Fürth. While the Lilies had plenty to celebrate, then-interim Fürth coach Leonhard Haas had a less-than-successful debut. But now, a different man is coaching the Cloverleafs: Jan Siewert. With him, Fürth hopes to return to the former successes surrounding the Fürth flat pass. We'll give you a detailed introduction to the Lilies' upcoming opponent.
| Top Scorers |
Top Assists |
| Noel Futkeu – 9 Goals | Felix Klaus – 5 Assists |
| Julian Green – 7 Goals | Dennis Srbeny – 4 Assists |
| Branimir Hrgota – 6 Goals | Branimir Hrgota – 3 Assists |
| Dennis Srbeny – 4 Goals | Roberto Massimo – 3 Assists |
| Roberto Massimo – 3 Goals | Jomaine Consbruch – 3 Assists |
What is your purpose of existence? Don’t worry, this section won’t devolve into a philosophy seminar—even if it sounds like it at first. Rather, it’s a central question in the life of Jan Siewert, the current head coach of SpVgg Greuther Fürth. The „purpose of existence“—or ZDE for short—comes from one of his favourite books, „The Café on the Edge of the World“ by John Strelecky, and describes the answer to the big question of why we are in this world and what we want to achieve. For Siewert, there are many answers.
One of these many answers is music: „I listen to everything, from hip-hop to pop to rock. The songs just have to have a lot of energy,“ says Siewert, describing his taste in music—just like his idea of high-energy football. Another of his passions is „Dippekuchen“—his favourite dish, a hearty potato dish from the Eifel region that was once considered „poor man’s food,“ but today represents home and identity for Siewert. In his free time, the coach also likes to be inspired by series such as Ted Lasso – a series in which an unconventional coach convinces people with humanity, humour and optimism.
Luca Itter, a defender in Fürth, describes his coach as someone who has „fire in his arse.“ And perhaps this fire is actually geologically determined – after all, Jan Siewert was born in Mayen in the Volcanic Eifel region. Fortunately for the residents, the volcanoes in the Eifel region have not shown any activity for thousands of years. This is behaviour that Siewert would not tolerate in his players. Because his highest principle is – and he emphasises this regularly – activity, especially on the football field.
Siewert’s coaching career is as multifaceted as his interests. After stints as assistant coach for the German national team’s youth teams and as head coach at Rot-Weiss Essen, the English club Huddersfield Town, and FSV Mainz 05, he took over as coach of the Kleeblätter this season.
And who knows – perhaps Fürth is exactly the place where Siewert’s personal „purpose of existence“ in football will be further fulfilled.
Greuther Fürth is more successful than almost any other team in the 2. Bundesliga at drawing fouls through skillful dribbling. In terms of penalties awarded, the Cloverleaf share second place with SC Paderborn – each team has been awarded six penalties so far. Fürth have suffered four fouls, and two penalties were awarded for handballs by the opposition. Back to the overall statistics: Only Fortuna Düsseldorf (8) has been awarded more penalties. Fürth also ranks fifth in terms of free kicks awarded.
Felix Klaus couldn’t hold it any longer – he simply ran. Straight to the fans, to the approximately 2,000 Fürth supporters who were allowed to witness his big moment. But the then 19-year-old didn’t get far. As soon as the ball hit the net and the cheers erupted, his teammates grabbed him and, in a frenzy of joy, threw him to the ground.
„That was actually a straight red,“ Klaus grinned after the game – with a wink, of course. And he certainly had reason to smile: With his first Bundesliga goal, the youngster wrote a small piece of club history and became the first goalscorer for what was then the 52nd club ever to play in Germany’s top division.
„This is an incredible feeling for me,“ said Klaus, who was unexpectedly thrown in at the deep end by then-Kleeblatt coach Mike Büskens in the 2012 Bundesliga opener against FC Bayern.
That all happened 13 years ago, and a lot has changed since then. One thing, however, seems to have stayed the same: Felix Klaus, who played for Fürth’s youth and senior teams from 2007 to 2013, has been donning the green and white jersey again since January 2025. „It’s coming home for me. I had great discussions with the management and now I want to help ensure we have a good second half of the season,“ said Felix Klaus on the sidelines of his contract signing with the Franconian club.
The now 32-year-old still demonstrates why he was once capped three times for the German U21 national team: Since joining Greuther Fürth, he has started all eight matches and collected five assists. If he can maintain this level of performance throughout the second half of the season, his goal of a successful second half of the season with Fürth could very well come true.
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.