A cool morning settles over the slopes of the Saar Valley as the first rays of sunlight touch the Kaiserlinde tree. Nestled among half-timbered houses and narrow streets, a place awakens that barely registers on maps – yet it now plays a lively role in professional football. And the club almost qualified for the top flight, narrowly losing out to 1. FC Heidenheim in the summer's relegation play-offs. But this season, too, demonstrates that in Elversberg, the smallest town in the entire 2. Bundesliga, the tranquility of everyday life blends seamlessly with footballing excellence.
Today, when people think of SV Elversberg, they picture the surprise promotion winner – but the club’s roots stretch far back, to a time when football was still played on open fields. Founded in 1907 as „FC Germania Elversberg,“ the club experienced its early years as a rollercoaster of euphoria and turmoil: World War I led to its dissolution in 1914, but the club was re-established in 1918 – this time as „Sportvereinigung Elversberg VfB.“
With the construction of the sports field at the Kaiserlinde in the 1920s, the team finally found a permanent home. On the field, they fluctuated between the A-Class, the District League, and the Regional League. After World War II, the occupying powers reorganised the club system, and in 1945, all the local sports clubs merged to form the „Sportgemeinde Elversberg.“
After several years in the district and regional leagues, the club achieved promotion to the Landesliga, the highest amateur league in Saarland, in 1951. In 1952, the club reverted to its original name, „Sportvereinigung Elversberg VfB 07,“ which later became „SV 07 Elversberg e.V.“
What hardly anyone could have foreseen at the time: decades later, this Saarland community would become a professional club, poised to establish itself in the 2. Bundesliga. The Saarlanders were already competing in the second division for the third consecutive season.
| Top Scorers | Top Assists |
| Younes Ebnoutalib – 10 Goals | Bambasé Conté – 5 Assists |
| Bambasé Conté – 3 Goals | Lukas Petkov – 2 Assists |
| Lukas Petkov – 2 Goals | Nicholas Mickelson – 2 Assists |
| Frederik Schmahl – 2 Goals | Lukasz Poreba – 2 Assist |
| Felix Keidel – 2 Goals | Felix Keidel – 2 Assist |
Vincent Wagner
Head coach at SV 07 ElversbergSV Elversberg currently dominates the offensive statistics. With 210 shots on goal, the team leads the league. They not only regularly put opposing goalkeepers under pressure, but also frequently find the back of the net: 27 goals is also a league-leading figure. Arminia Bielefeld follows in second place with 25 goals.
The hall smells of sweat and rubber, the sound of feet striking the mats echoes off the walls. A young Younes Ebnoutalib stands barefoot in the centre, his gaze fixed on his father. Faissal Ebnoutalib, Olympic silver medalist in taekwondo, corrects his son’s posture, gently rotating his hips. The boy nods—and the next moment, his foot shoots upward with lightning speed, clean, precise, powerful. No one in the hall at that time suspected that these movements would one day form the basis for a completely different career.
Today, you can recognise it in every sprint he makes, in every physical contact, in every turn in tight spaces. Younes Ebnoutalib possesses a sporting foundation that is rare in professional football: a black belt. Ebnoutalib’s football career began at the age of 14 in the youth academy of SV 07 Heddernheim, and he later moved to Rot-Weiss Frankfurt before joining the youth team of SV Wehen Wiesbaden in 2019. After another stint at Rot-Weiss Frankfurt, he moved to Italy in 2022, where he played for the U19 team of AC Perugia. His contract was later terminated due to a broken foot, leaving him without a club for six months. In January 2025, he returned to Germany and signed with FC Gießen in the Regionalliga Südwest (fourth tier) – there, he scored six goals and provided several assists in 19 appearances.
… Later that same year, he made the jump to the 2nd Bundesliga: SV 07 Elversberg signed him on January 1, 2025, with a long-term contract until 2028. And Ebnoutalib is delivering: This season he has made 13 appearances and scored ten goals.
Darmstadt 98 lost to Hannover 96 while playing with ten men and must continue to wait for their first win of this second division season. Read our analysis to find out what positives remain and why Darmstadt 98 had factored in setbacks on their chosen path.
Around the time of the home game against Hannover 96 on Sunday (August 30th), the Jonathan Heimes Square was officially inaugurated. Before kickoff, club president Markus Pfitzner and Martin Heimes, father of Jonathan Heimes, who died of cancer about ten years ago, gave speeches highlighting "Johnny's" importance and his commitment to people with cancer.
The Lilien Team Marathon is not just about athletic performance and the shared experience around the Böllenfalltor stadium – but also about making a difference together.
The SV Darmstadt 98 U21 team drew 2-2 (0-1) against SV Unter-Flockenbach. After a heated home game, the young Lilies had to settle for a frustrating, but ultimately deserved, draw. In this extremely balanced league, Patrick Kurt's team continues to grow week by week, gaining valuable experience.
An emotional match with many controversial moments unfolded on Sunday afternoon at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. Ultimately, Darmstadt suffered their first home defeat of the young season. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you.
Tried everything, but to no avail: SV 98 came up short in their home game against Hannover 96. The final score was 1-0 (0-0) to the visitors, whilst the Lilies had to play with ten men after Vukotic was sent off in the 20th minute.
Home game against Hannover! On matchday 3, Darmstadt 98 will host the ambitious Lower Saxons at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. Florian Kohfeldt has made three changes to his starting lineup compared to the victory in Jena. Hiroki Akiyama replaces the suspended Kai Klefisch, while Nicolas Verkooijen (making his first start) and Yosuke Furukawa start in place of Carlo Sickinger and Manolo Merx.
Weekend, Lilies fever! On Sunday (August 30th/1:30pm), the Lilies have their third matchday on the schedule. Hannover 96, the club from the Lower Saxon capital, will be visiting the Bölle. What do the two head coaches have to say before kickoff? Who will be refereeing the match? And where can you watch the game? As usual, we've compiled all the important information about the match against Hannover in our "Matchday Guide"
One day before their home game against Hannover 96, Darmstadt 98 have announced another new signing. William Mikelbrencis will now wear the SV 98 jersey. The 22-year-old Frenchman was under contract with Hamburger SV until June 30th.
In the press conference before the second home game of the still young season, our head coach spoke about, among other things, our team's attacking play and the past week. As usual, you can find the most important statements before the match against Hannover 96 (August 30th/1:30pm) here for you.
A second-division team on the Berlin Mount Olympus: Hannover 96 achieved something unique in 1992. On May 23, the Lower Saxony club defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach in the DFB Cup final, securing another major title in the club's history 38 years after their German championship win in 1954. Hannover became the first and, to this day, only "true" second-division team to win the DFB Cup, causing one of the biggest upsets in the competition's history.
