A cold winter evening in 1903. In a small inn in Fürth, a group of young men sit close together. On the table lie handwritten notes, an inkwell, a few coins, and a large dose of enthusiasm. They discuss things animatedly, laugh, and make plans. Finally, they agree: It's time to give football a home in Fürth.
History was made that evening. The provisional board confirmed its work, adopted official statutes, and thus laid the foundation for the „Spielvereinigung des Turnvereins Fürth“ (Fürth Gymnastics Club Sports Association).
With just 28 members and two active teams, the Fürth club embarked on its new adventure. Despite modest resources, the ingenuity and solidarity of the club’s founders were evident from the start. To boost the club’s finances, they held a Christmas tree raffle – an extremely popular method at the turn of the century for raising money for sporting or cultural activities.
From these humble beginnings, a traditional football club developed over the years – the Spielvereinigung des Turnvereins Fürth, which later became known far beyond the city limits as SpVgg Greuther Fürth. Today, Greuther Fürth is an established team in the 2. Bundesliga (Second Division of the German Football Association).
Currently, Fürth sits in 14th place in the Second Division table with 13 points.
| Top Scorers | Top Assists |
| Noel Futkeu – 6 Goals | Felix Klaus – 5 Assists |
| Felix Klaus – 5 Goals | Branimir Hrgota – 3 Assists |
| Marco John – 2 Goals | Felix Higl – 2 Assists |
| Branimir Hrgota – 1 Goal | Mathias Olesen – 1 Assist |
| Jannik Dehm – 1 Goal | Jomaine Consbruch – 1 Assist |
Thomas Kleine
Head coach at SpVgg Greuther FürthFinal stages! As the last quarter of an hour of a match approaches, Fürth really turn it up a notch. Half of their season goals have been scored from the 75th minute onwards – nine out of a total of 18. Only Elversberg (11) have found the net more often in this period. The Cloverleaf’s last three goals even came after the start of the 90th minute. Fürth’s Jannik Dehm scored the decisive goal for the home victory against Preußen Münster shortly before the international break in the 5th minute of stoppage time.
The applause at Sportpark Ronhof slowly dies down as Branimir Hrgota retrieves the ball from the net in the first minute of stoppage time. No wild cheers, no excessive celebrations – just a quiet smile, a quick glance at the stands. Yet it is a moment of historic significance: the captain’s 45th second-division goal for SpVgg Greuther Fürth. A goal that is more than just a consolation goal in the 1-3 defeat against Karlsruher SC in October of this year. It is the moment a 45-year-old record falls – that of Klaus Heinlein.
And Heinlein is standing less than fifty meters away, leaning slightly forward and clapping. „It’s not so bad, quite the opposite,“ the 71-year-old tells Kleeblatt Magazine with a laugh. „I’m happy when someone scores a lot of goals for SpVgg.“ Words so typical of the down-to-earth Fürth native, who himself once made history and was the club’s all-time leading scorer in the second division for many years. Until Branimir Hrgota overtook him.
Branimir Hrgota. He’s been wearing the green and white jersey since 2019 and has long since made his mark: 56 goals in the 2. Bundesliga, plus nine goals in Fürth’s two Bundesliga seasons. Had Fürth not secured promotion to the Bundesliga in 2021, Heinlein’s second-division record would likely have fallen even sooner. But now, after 45 years, the time has come. Two players, two eras – connected by goals, passion, and the Ronhof stadium.
A record that unites. Hrgota, born in 1993 in Jönköping, Sweden, to Bosnian parents, began his football journey in the youth ranks of the small clubs IK Tord and Jönköpings Södra IF, where he stood out as a slight but technically brilliant youngster. His talent didn’t go unnoticed in Germany either: in 2012, Borussia Mönchengladbach brought him to the Bundesliga. After three years in the Lower Rhine region – with goals in the league and in the Europa League – he moved to Eintracht Frankfurt.
In 2019, he moved to Fürth – a move that revitalised his career. He quickly became captain, a key player, and the team’s emotional leader. He scored his first goal for the Cloverleaf on the fifth matchday of the 2019/20 season: in the fourth minute, he put Fürth ahead 1-0 against Arminia Bielefeld. The match ended 2-2 – the beginning of a special connection between Hrgota and the club.
On Sunday, the Lilies face a challenge in Baden: for the 8th matchday, SV Darmstadt 98 travel to take on Karlsruher SC. At the pre-match press conference, our head coach discussed the squad situation, the qualities of the opposition, and the team's motivation to get back to winning ways on the road.
On Sunday (October 18th), SV Darmstadt 98 will visit Karlsruher SC. KSC has a history that extends well beyond the confines of German football: the club from Baden once caused a stir on the European stage, writing a chapter that is still remembered today. But how did KSC manage to step into the international spotlight, and what made this success so special?
The next away match is coming up: this Sunday (October 18th, 1:30pm), the Lilien will visit Karlsruher SC for the 8th matchday of the 2. Bundesliga. As always, you can find all the essential information regarding travel and your visit to the stadium in the fan guidelines.
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: