29.03.2026 / English,USA
Texas Lilies
After their eventful days in San Antonio, the Darmstadt delegation concludes their trip to Texas in Beaumont. And the scene that greets the team from southern Hesse initially seems like a crazy dream. Far from home and under the Texas sun, a club wears the Lily on its chest and the Darmstadt name on its back.
SVD Beaumont was founded in close consultation with and with the support of SV 98. The cooperation with the club from southeastern Texas is a grassroots project aimed at providing access to soccer, especially for young people and children.
The Darmstadt delegation will be welcomed in the afternoon by President Jaime Roesch and several coaches and officials from SVDB. Roesch comes from the Darmstadt region and established the connection with SV 98 in Texas.
In the evening, the Darmstadt contingent will attend a match between SVD Beaumont’s first team and FC Houston. The Lily logo is prominently displayed throughout the sports complex, the slightly modified logo of the home team is omnipresent, and the SV 98 flag flutters in the gentle breeze of this quintessential Texas evening. Surreal.
Before kickoff, the US national anthem plays, food arrives from a taco stand – yet all the players are wearing SV 98 jerseys with the Darmstadt logo on the back. Bizarre, but also wonderful. „You have to experience it to truly believe it. Seeing our Lily in the middle of Texas is a truly special moment,“ says Markus Pfitzner, who, along with his fellow board members and management, celebrates SVDB’s 3-1 victory.
The delegation delivers their congratulations for this success directly to the locker room after the final whistle. It’s a special end to this trip and an impression that no one can ever take away from anyone involved.
You can find all the information and background on the cooperation with SVD Beaumont here.