The two clubs SV Darmstadt 98 and San Antonio FC from Darmstadt’s US sister city of San Antonio will work more closely together in the future. This is the aim of a cooperation agreement signed on Tuesday (July 23rd) between the Lilies and Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E), the operating company of San Antonio FC, was closed. The cooperation was expressly welcomed by Darmstadt’s Mayor Hanno Benz and San Antonio’s Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who were also on site on Tuesday, and supported by signing a “Letter of Support”.
The aim of the cooperation between the two clubs is to promote young players, an intensive intercultural and knowledge exchange in the areas of sports science, sports medicine and training science as well as marketing, sales, media and innovation. The signing follows successful discussions between the two sides.
Martin Kowalewski, Managing Director of Marketing & Sales at SV 98: “We are looking forward to a successful and fruitful collaboration that enriches cultural understanding and expands our know-how.” He adds: “We are convinced that cooperation and synergies with reliable “Our partners are part of our progress and further development, and that all sides will benefit from the mutual support in the youth sector and the mutual exchange of knowledge.”
“We are honoured to work with SV Darmstadt on this project,” said Bobby Perez, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of SS&E: “The opportunity for San Antonio FC to work with this historic, values-driven club is special, and we are grateful for Darmstadt as a new strategic partner.”
“The newly concluded cooperation agreement opens up promising opportunities to use the integrative power of sport to bring people from all walks of life together,” explain Mayor Benz and Mayor Nirenberg. “We therefore strongly support this cooperation agreement and see it as a further important step towards strengthening our city partnership.” Mayor Benz adds: “The visit also opens up the opportunity to strengthen the municipal partnership in view of current crises and the presidential election in the USA and to expand the sports clubs project into this important area.”
From June 26th to July 2nd, a delegation from SV Darmstadt 98 visited the US state of Texas and the city of San Antonio there. In addition to meetings with officials from the local soccer club San Antonio FC and the SS&E, the program also included visits to the city of San Antonio and the Southwest Research Institute.
From July 20th to 23rd, 2024, a delegation from San Antonio visited the science city of Darmstadt. In addition to taking part in the signing of the “Memorandum of Understanding”, Mayor Ron Nirenberg met with Mayor Hanno Benz for an exchange and took part in a panel discussion on the topic of “Transatlantic Relations” at the TU Darmstadt.
Since 2017, Darmstadt and San Antonio have maintained a close partnership that includes lively exchange on political, cultural, university and social levels as well as in the areas of youth work and sports. This partnership is based on the conviction that intensive exchange and personal encounters at all levels represent added value for both urban societies.
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.
A special place of remembrance for one of the most famous Darmstadt fans. Before SV Darmstadt 98's home game against Hannover 96 on Sunday (August 30th), Jonathan Heimes Square at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor will be officially opened.
Darmstadt's league campaign resumes on Sunday (August 30th). Their opponent? Hannover 96! Hannover 96 have lost more often to Darmstadt than to any other team in the 2. Bundesliga. All the other facts and figures surrounding the match can be found here.
On Sunday (August 30, 2026, 1:30pm), SV 98 asks you to take note of the following information for the upcoming home game. Starting this season, we will be offering women's entrances at the west entrances. Additionally, there is a Bölle Bande family entrance with easier access at the Karl-Hess-Platz entrance.
In Wednesday's media briefing, Nicolas Verkooijen spoke about his Kickbase team, communication within the squad, and the intensive training in Germany. A former Darmstadt 98 player had the opportunity to compete against the best footballers, and we report on the historic stadium tour as part of the Bundesliga's founding anniversary celebrations. All the latest news from SV Darmstadt 98 can be found, as usual, in "Lilies Across the Board"
A journey to the roots of the Lilies: Where churches, residential buildings, or clubhouses stand today, Darmstadt football history was once written. To mark the Day of German Football History, 35 participants set out on a special tour of discovery aboard the professional team's bus—tracing the path from the early pitches of FK Olympia and SC Darmstadt to the club's current home at the Böllenfalltor.