When Florian Kohfeldt arrived in Darmstadt on Sunday morning, a small marathon began. Combined with a wave of new impressions. The Merck Stadium including the adjacent functional building, training pitches and rooms. The 41-year-old got to know his workplace quickly, gave his first interview and had numerous conversations with the members of the staff. On Monday there were discussions with players, the first official press conference and, in particular, the premiere training session with the team. Start-up time? Doesn't exist. The time until the first game against Braunschweig is too short for that. So it's important to use every single minute. And Kohfeldt does this in an impressive way.
I hope that on Saturday we can see the basics of what this team is supposed to stand for
„I hope that on Saturday we will see the basics of what this team should stand for,“ explained the new head coach with a view to the upcoming encounter and, when asked, also clarified his game idea in succinct sentences: „Target-oriented, dominant possession football. Look for high tempo actions and with the aim of getting the ball back as quickly as possible.“
The first impression: Kohfeldt has precise ideas and concrete approaches to how he would like to implement them. “It quickly became clear to me that Florian is very structured and has a lot of clarity,” said Paul Fernie, who gave insights into the discussions with the trainer on Monday. He knew that with his style of play, Kohfeldt “could basically fit in in Darmstadt.” The sports director then gained his final conviction in a personal exchange: “Florian impressed me.”
With all the Lilies these days you can feel that you are only looking forward. Kohfeldt has also completely internalised this. “From now on it doesn’t matter what happened yesterday or five years ago. From now on, what counts is what we bring to the pitch with the team on Saturday.”
They are words that were followed by actions on Monday afternoon. Kohfeldt coached his first session with the team loudly and very communicatively, repeatedly taking players aside and talking explicitly about details. “Little things” was a phrase that the Siegen native used increasingly. Body position, running routes, pass sharpness. Kohfeldt and his team want to convey their game idea without neglecting any topics just to save time.
How important the minutes on the pitch are to the new coach became very clear in the first session. The Lilies had already trained for almost 70 minutes when a violent thunderstorm with thunder and lightning caused Kohfeldt to send the team to the annex building for safety reasons. An early end to the session? Not at all. Almost 15 minutes later, SV 98 returned to the pitch and the remaining 20 minutes of the original program were still completed. This also reinforced the impression: Kohfeldt does not allow resistance to disrupt his structure.
The coach himself had perceived “a great desire to win” in the first conversations, felt “no desperation at all” and also experienced the Lilies as a “familial, harmonious but at the same time very professional club”.
First impressions are important. He fits. For everyone who is now experiencing Kohfeldt at work for the first time. And vice versa also for the head coach himself, who sees his initial feeling confirmed that he could harmonise well with Darmstadt 98. But one thing is also clear: the first positive impressions help, but they don’t get you any points. These will be awarded on Saturday in the home game against Eintracht Braunschweig. A win would be the best solution to leave a lasting impression.
Attention Lilien fans: During SV Darmstadt 98’s training camp in Bad Wörishofen (Allgäu region)—taking place from July 19th to July 26th, 2026—there will once again be an opportunity to meet the team, chat with the players, and, of course, get autographs and photos. The fan meet-up is scheduled for Saturday, July 25th, following the friendly match against SG Sonnenhof Großaspach. Kick-off for the match is at 12pm.
SV 98 remains active in the transfer market. The "Lilies" have signed Christopher Lannert from Arminia Bielefeld.
Friendly matches, fundraising campaigns, and plenty of photos—that’s what the week looked like for SV 98 and the club’s community. Between their 5–1 victory over FC Homburg and the upcoming friendly in Walldorf this Friday (July 17), the „Lilies“ showed their best side for the cameras. In addition, the SV 98 legends team will face an Odenwald select squad on Sunday (July 19th). You can also win great prizes in competitions taking place in Erbach and at the pop-up store in downtown Darmstadt. Lilies Across the Board brings you all the latest news from life at SV 98.
The Bundesliga finalised the match schedules for matchdays three through six on Wednesday (July 15th): Darmstadt's home game against Hannover 96 on matchday three will take place on Sunday. This will be followed by their away game against 1. FC Kaiserslautern on Saturday at 1pm. The home game against Arminia Bielefeld on Friday evening and the away game in Wolfsburg, also on Friday evening, have also been confirmed.
The Lilies can welcome another new arrival at the Böllenfalltor: Florian Kleinhansl will now wear the SV 98 jersey. The 25-year-old joins on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with 1. FC Kaiserslautern on June 30th.
Third test, third clear victory. SV 98 won the match against FC 08 Homburg 5-1 (3-0).
SV Darmstadt 98 and the fusion energy company Focused Energy are entering into an official partnership. The aim of the collaboration is to more closely link top-level football and high technology from the Darmstadt region and to jointly generate momentum for innovation and future societal issues.
Killian Corredor will be playing in his home country again in the future. SV 98 has reached an agreement with FC Nantes on the transfer of the Frenchman.
On Tuesday (July 14, 6pm), SV Darmstadt 98 hosts Regionalliga side FC Homburg and asks fans to take note of the following information.
A home game against KSV! SV Darmstadt 98 hosts Holstein Kiel for the opening matchday of the 2. Bundesliga season this Saturday (August 8 at 1pm). Here’s how you can be there: the member pre-sale for the new season's first home game begins this coming Wednesday (July 15) at 12pm —available online and at the ticket shop at the Merck-Stadion, as usual. You can find all further details in this announcement.
For every home goal scored by the "Lilies," SV Darmstadt 98 fans were doubly rewarded during the recent 2025/26 second-division season. Beyond the joy and excitement, supporters received 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every goal Darmstadt scored at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
In recent days, various media outlets have published reports and graphics regarding the distribution of TV revenue for the 2026/27 season. Some of these reports included not only specific figures but also a comparison to the previous season. This comparison indicates a supposed revenue increase of €1.4 million for SV 98 compared to the 2025/26 season.