Rüdiger Fritsch: 17 Moments from 17 Years

Rüdiger Fritsch first held a position at the club in 2008. He was appointed vice president of the executive committee under Hans Kessler. At the time of his appointment, he had already been involved for several months, as President Kessler had asked Fritsch and his expertise for help in averting SV 98’s financial difficulties and impending insolvency. The task could not have been more ambitious: The Lilies had to be saved and their continued existence as a club was to be secured.

In March, SV 98 officially announced its insolvency and filed for insolvency proceedings. What followed were many months of existential fear and enormous efforts to avert the worst-case scenario. This included star marches, numerous rescue operations, and a charity match against Bayern Munich. The board had to fight on many fronts. But the battle was successful: the insolvency application was withdrawn.

In 2012, Fritsch was elected president of SV 98. Financially, the club continued to consolidate, but there were also some challenges to be addressed on the pitch. The Lilies were fighting to avoid relegation from the third division. In December 2012, Fritsch appointed a certain Dirk Schuster, who had recently joined direct rivals Stuttgarter Kickers. At the time of the signing, the club was at the bottom of the table. In the second half of the season, the Lilies launched a major comeback, but missed safety on the final matchday. And yet, Schuster’s appointment proved to be a wise move by Fritsch…

The Lilies hadn’t managed to avoid relegation on the pitch, but they benefited from the economic rationality they had adopted a few years earlier. Local rivals Offenbacher Kickers had their third-division license revoked. The result: forced relegation for OFC, while SV 98 managed to stay in the league.

In the following season, the South Hesse team transformed from a relegation candidate into a team in contention for promotion. At the end of the season, they finished third in the table, qualifying for the relegation playoffs. This would go down in history: After a disappointing 1-3 first-leg result against Arminia Bielefeld, the Lilies triumphed in the second leg, beating the East Westphalians 4-2 away in extra time.

As in the previous season, the Lilies were tipped as the first candidate for relegation, and once again they managed to defy the predictions. From the very beginning of the season, SV 98 established themselves in the top third of the table, with a tight three-way race developing behind league leaders Ingolstadt between SV 98, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, and Karlsruher SC. On the final matchday, it was the Lilies who secured promotion thanks to a Kempe free kick against FC St. Pauli. Their progress from the 3. Liga to the Bundesliga was complete.

A constant pioneer of the previous successful years was Jonathan Heimes and his „You Must Fight“ wristbands. The football fan, who battled cancer for many years, succumbed to the disease in March 2016. His death shocked people across Darmstadt and the surrounding region. Club representatives, coaches, and the team attended the funeral. To this day, „Johnny“ remains a presence in the stadium and in people’s minds.

Chapter three of the sensational years. SV 98 also held their own in the Bundesliga, managing to avoid relegation for the only time in the club’s history. With just one game remaining, the Lilies completed the miracle with an away win at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

Darmstadt 98 will continue to play at its traditional Böllenfalltor stadium. The Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor is to be gradually rebuilt „as it stands.“ The club and city announced this in a joint press conference that summer. Four other alternative locations had also been examined, but the conclusion was that no new construction could be built at these sites.

Finally, the excavators started rolling: the demolition of the back straight marked the beginning of the reconstruction of the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. For many fans, the demolition meant the (temporary) loss of a long-time regular seat. But from an economic perspective, the work was inevitable.

After a renovation phase lasting only about a year, fans were able to stand in the back straight again. The first match after completion drew 2-2 against newly promoted VfL Osnabrück. Due to global events, only three more matches could initially be watched from the new stadium area…

A global pandemic paralysed football and many other aspects of society. Football was suspended for several months, but then resumed in May with ghost games. Many professional clubs faced serious financial difficulties due to the loss of revenue, and SV 98 also faced significant economic challenges.

The second construction phase was also able to begin – albeit with a slight delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. Mayor Jochen Partsch, City Treasurer André Schellenberg, and Rüdiger Fritsch and Michael Weilguny, Presidents of SV Darmstadt 1898 e.V. and Managing Directors of SV Darmstadt 98 Stadion GmbH, respectively, performed the symbolic ceremony of filling the foundation stone capsule and subsequently sealing it. Included in the foundation stone were a Lilies jersey from the 2020/21 season and an edition of the Darmstädter Echo newspaper published on March 1st.

During the general meeting, Hans Kessler was appointed Honourary President. Kessler had rendered invaluable services during his presidency (2007–2012) and as a member of the Board of Directors (2012–2015).

SV Darmstadt 98’s new main stand at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor was partially commissioned in October 2022 and fully inaugurated in spring 2023. Upon completion, the stadium reached a total capacity of 17,810 spectators. The inauguration marked the completion of the stadium’s modernisation, making it ready for the future.

Bundesliga! SV 98 crowned an incredible second-division season with promotion back to the top flight on the penultimate matchday. Head coach Torsten Lieberknecht’s team won 1-0 at home against 1. FC Magdeburg – and there was no stopping them after that.

An era is coming to an end. Fritsch announced in the spring that he would not run for president again. After 17 years on the Executive Board, including 13 as chairman, Fritsch’s last day at work will be on October 21.