Award for the turf in the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor: A jury of experts from the German Football League (DFL) voted the green at Bölle the third best in the 2nd Bundesliga for the 2024/25 season.
Since the 2013/14 season, the „Pitch of the Year“ award has been presented to promote the quality of pitches in German stadiums. In the 2024/25 season, the Lilies‘ stadium pitch made it onto the podium again – for the sixth time overall.
After finishing second in the 2017/18 season and winning the title in 2018/19, the pitch at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor continued to receive high ratings in the following years: second place in the 2019/20 season, third place in 2020/21, and again third place in 2021/22. In the current 2024/25 award, SV 98 and the Heiler greenkeeping team took third place – behind Fortuna Düsseldorf (1st place) and Hertha BSC (2nd place).
Six podium finishes in eight seasons – this is impressive evidence of the consistently high quality that Heiler has maintained for years. For this, they deserve a huge thank you once again. Both the stadium turf and the training ground conditions are consistently of an outstanding standard.
The evaluation is carried out by a panel of experts consisting of three members of the DFL expert commission, which is responsible for ensuring turf quality in Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 stadiums and is also a member of the German Turf Society (DRG e.V.). The awards and certificates will be presented to the winning clubs during the greenkeeper information meeting, which takes place in September.
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.
