“We wear the Lily with pride on the village sports fields”

Hi, Andreas! The second season in a row is over, which you finished in third place in the district league C. How satisfied are you with your team’s performance and performance?

Andreas Degenhardt: „Overall, we can be happy with where we are in the table, but I wasn’t always happy with our individual performances. But the boys are their own biggest critics and can assess that well. When we came out of the summer break, we had a small one dip in form and one or two injury problems. That had a noticeable impact on the team. Players had to play in positions that they hadn’t often played in. So I see that I still have a lot of potential for the coming season.“

Which game from last season do you particularly remember?

Degenhardt: „The second gameagainst TG Bessungen Darmstadt. We took the 2-1 lead in the 90th minute and then lost the game 2-3. That was highly emotional and unfortunately also a sticking point in the season pulled the plug on us a bit.“

What would you describe as the biggest challenge in the past season?

Degenhardt: „The biggest challenge for us was that after the 2022/23 season, some experienced players who had had a big influence on the team in previous years left us. These were guys who were not only important on the pitch, but also in the dressing room – especially with the way they spoke to the others. But family and professional reasons came together, so that some of them even stopped playing football. You definitely felt this change „It was the biggest thing we had to do with the second team so far. So the team first had to find itself again. It was just a matter of finding out who could take the floor in the dressing room or wake up the team.“

Last season was not successful for the professionals with relegation to the Bundesliga. You are all fans of the club too. How much did the Lilies‘ sporting failure affect the mood in the second team?

Degenhardt: „For us, the entire club and especially the first team obviously have a special influence. Especially after games like against Augsburg, you noticed that there was only one topic of conversation in the dressing room. And that was also in ours „We still wear the Lily with pride on the village sports fields every weekend.“

You have now finished your fourth season as a fan team. How much does it still motivate the boys to wear the Lily on their chest and the jersey of their favourite club? Or have you gotten used to it now?

Degenhardt: „That’s of course always a point with which we always motivate the boys by telling them: ‚Take a closer look at yourself. Look which logo is on your chest and which club is on the back of your jerseys!” For me personally, it is still an absolute highlight to send the boys onto the pitch every weekend with the main responsibility. There is simply nothing more beautiful for me. I’ve been going to the stadium for 20 years and now to be a small part of the bigger picture is really cool.“

What makes this team and the team so special for you?

Degenhardt: „Four years ago we were a mixed bag. And even today, people join us who we didn’t know at the beginning. But immediately there is this consensus for everyone: „SV Darmstadt 98″. It’s never the case that we have major problems with communication because we are all behind this club and we all have the same interest. I love all my boys because I know exactly what they love – and that’s the same as me: the SVD! makes it incredibly easy for me as a coach.“

Can you already predict what will change for the new season? Do you already have a goal for the season in mind?

Degenhardt: „The team actually stays together as much as possible. We’re only strengthening ourselves in certain areas. I’m generally not a fan of saying that we’ll be promoted next season. We simply have to invest too much for that every weekend. After all, it is always special for our opponents when we come. But we have now finished third in the C class twice. Our personal goal should of course be to perhaps be one place higher at the end of the coming season.“

Now it’s time for the summer break. Are there any plans yet as to when you will start preparing for the new season again?

Degenhardt: „We’ll start preparing on July 1st. We’ll also be going to a test game as part of the professionals‘ training camp. We’ll also have an absolute highlight game in the university stadium, at the former place of work of the Lilies in front of the chest. That’s why There will be one or two highlights and we are already looking forward to the upcoming 2024/25 season.“

Thank you for the conversation, Andreas!