A flash in the pan in the 2nd Bundesliga? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that. SV Elversberg is currently in its second year in the second division. And apparently feels right at home in the German lower house of football. With fewer than 15,000 inhabitants, the smallest location in the top two German leagues in the municipality of Spiesen-Elversberg has come to stay. In the 2022/23 season, the SVE was promoted to the 2nd league for the first time in the club's history. Even back then, President Dominik Holzer said: “We don’t just see this as a pure adventure, but will use our resources to try to stay and establish ourselves there.”
In their first second division season, Elversberg finished in a solid eleventh place in the table. With 43 points collected, the Saarlanders had a total of twelve points ahead of a direct relegation zone after 34 match days – strong numbers for an absolute newcomer to the league. And this season? The SVE started the season with two draws – first a 0-0 at 1. FC Magdeburg, then a 2-2 against Bundesliga relegated 1. FC Köln. This means that the Elversberg team started the season better than in their first year in the second division, when they only had one point after four match days. Meanwhile, the team from Saarland showed no weakness in the DFB Cup and moved into the second round of the cup with a confident 7-0 win against upper division team VfV 06 Hildesheim. The first defeat of the season followed on the third matchday. The SVE lost 2-3 away to Karlsruher SC.
We’ll take a closer look at SV Darmstadt 98’s upcoming opponent before the duel on Saturday (August 31st). SV Elversberg in the opponent check.
| Top Signings | Departures |
| Elias Baum (Defender, Eintracht Frankfurt) | Jannik Rochelt (Hannover 96) |
| Fisnik Asllani (Attacker, TSG Hoffenheim) | Thore Jacobsen (1860 München) |
| Lukas Petkov (Offensive Midfield, FC Augsburg) | Dominik Martinovic (Slaven Belupo) |
| Maximilian Rohr (Defender, SC Paderborn) | Kevin Conrad (Retired) |
| Tom Zimmerschmied (Left Winger, Dynamo Dresden) | Marcel Correira (Released) |
Horst Steffen is an experienced football coach who has experienced a number of ups and downs in his coaching career. Before he started working at SV Elversberg in October 2018, his previous jobs didn’t exactly go according to plan. He was relieved of his duties at both Preußen Münster and Chemnitzer FC due to a lack of success after 28 and 23 games respectively. But on the SVE sidelines, things are going well for Steffen. The 55-year-old has been in the saddle there for 223 competitive games. „In my first season in Elversberg in the regional league there were a few defeats at the beginning that weren’t great,“ Steffen once recalled in a kicker interview: „But from the winter break onwards I had the feeling that it was okay.“
And it fits. With SV Elversberg, Steffen was only promoted to the 3rd league in 2022 and in the summer of 2023 to the 2nd Bundesliga as third division champions. But that’s not enough. The second division newcomer managed to stay in the league immediately under the direction of his head coach. Father of success? Horst Steffen. The native of North Rhine-Westphalia is the son of Bernhard Steffen, who once played successfully for Fortuna Düsseldorf. As a defensive midfielder, Horst Steffen played over 200 Bundesliga games for Uerdingen, Duisburg and Mönchengladbach. In 2003 he ended his active career to move to the coaching bench. From then on, Steffen worked at MSV Duisburg II as well as in the Zebras youth team and Borussia Mönchengladbach’s youth team. Before his positions in Chemnitz and Münster, he was also head coach at the Stuttgarter Kickers.
That has been SV Elversberg’s running strength to date. The men from Saarland covered a distance of 356.2 kilometers on the first matchdays – that’s an average of 118.7 kilometers per game. Only 1. FC Köln exceeds the Elversberg values – 360.7km in total and 120.24km on average per game. The many sprints by the Saarlanders during the 90 minutes are also noticeable. The SVE sprinted a total of 672 times – only FC Schalke 04 (677) five times more.
…Robin Fellhauer. The defensive midfielder, who was once trained at 1. FC Saarbrücken and SC Freiburg, has had an impressive journey with SV Elversberg: from the Regionalliga Südwest through Liga 3. to staying in 2. Bundesliga. The current Saarland captain has been wearing the SVE jersey since 2019. Before Fellhauer took to the pitch in the URSAPHARM Arena at Kaiserlinde, he played for five years in both the youth and second teams of SC Freiburg. In any case, the Fellhauer family is welcome at the club from Breisgau: twin sister Kim, who ended her career in February of this year, played for the SCF women’s team for ten years.
The 26-year-old Fellhauer has now become a long-running favorite for the SVE. In total, he played 154 competitive games in the Elversberger jersey and enjoyed his most successful seasons with the team. The Mannheim native is now much more than just a clearer in the defensive midfield. In addition to eleven goals, there are also 35 assists in his Elversberg resume. A captain who leads the way on the pitch with passion and commitment. By the way: In the first four competitive games of the current season he scored one goal in the DFB Cup and prepared two goals in the league.
SV Darmstadt 98 will be playing away against Karlsruher SC on Sunday (May 3rd/1:30pm) at the Wildpark Stadium for the 32nd matchday. To ensure you are well prepared for your trip to KSC, here is a summary of all the important information for your visit to the stadium.
To ensure a smooth and convenient journey to Karlsruhe this weekend, SV 98 is offering a special train service that will transport Lilies fans directly from Darmstadt to Karlsruhe and back. Additionally, SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team will host SV Hummetroth at their home academy this Wednesday evening (April 29th). For more news and updates, check out our usual "Lilien Across the Board" – all the latest news about the club, gathered here for you.
At the end of the current season, the partnership between SV Darmstadt 98 and Software AG, which has grown over many years, will end due to a strategic realignment of the software company.
The DFB sports court has suspended Patric Pfeiffer for one match following his sending-off against SV Elversberg.
Four goals, three points, and a well-deserved victory in the Hessenliga! At home against VfB 1905 Marburg last Saturday (April 25th), SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team finally celebrated a win after a long wait. Thanks to their confidence, assertiveness in one-on-one situations, and numerous scoring opportunities, the U21s convincingly beat the Marburg team 4-0.
As Florian Kohfeldt approached the team's dressing room at halftime, the Darmstadt head coach heard exactly one sentence: "It's not finished." Fraser Hornby had uttered it, setting the tone for his teammates and himself. What followed was a remarkable second half from Darmstadt 98 and a point against SV Elversberg, a point that, while likely insufficient for their promotion hopes in southern Hesse, nonetheless filled the Darmstadt fans with pride.
For every home goal scored by the Lilies, SV Darmstadt 98 fans will be doubly rewarded in the 2025/26 season. In addition to the joy and excitement, the Lilies' supporters will also receive 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every home goal scored by Darmstadt at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor.
They fought to the very end, playing with ten men, and tried everything. But in the end, Darmstadt had to settle for a 3-3 draw against SV Elversberg in the sold-out Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. How do the Darmstadt players and staff assess the passionate 90 minutes at the Bölle? What did both head coaches have to say about the match? We've compiled all the reactions for you.
No winner in the clash of the pursuers: Darmstadt 98's home game against SV Elversberg ended in a 3-3 (2-3) draw. After three consecutive defeats, SV 98 managed to secure at least a point and now has 51 points this season. Pfeiffer (14th minute) and Hornby (15th and 51st minutes) scored for the team from southern Hesse.
It's home game day at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. On Saturday evening, the 31st matchday of the 2. Bundesliga, SV Darmstadt 98 hosts SV Elversberg. Head coach Florian Kohfeldt has made two changes to his starting eleven compared to last week. Raoul Petretta replaces Fabian Nürnberger (thigh injury). Yosuke Furukawa also starts in place of Killian Corredor against the team from Saarland.
A new match under the floodlights awaits! On Saturday evening (April 25th, 8:30pm), Darmstadt 98 play against SV Elversberg. What are the coaches' opinions before the game? Who will referee, broadcast, and commentate the match? And what kind of weather can Darmstadt fans expect at the stadium? All the information is compiled for you in "Matchday Guide."
What are Florian Kohfeldt's thoughts on Saturday evening's match (April 25th/8:30pm) against SV Elversberg? Where does he see the strengths of their upcoming opponent? And how does his team plan to get back on track after three consecutive defeats? The Darmstadt head coach answered these and other questions at the press conference on Friday (April 24th) in the catacombs of the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. We've summarised Kohfeldt's key statements from the press conference for you.