United in style and history | Jersey premiere at Bölle

This is pure football tradition at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor! On Wednesday (July 9th, 6:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will host Notts County FC, the world’s oldest professional football club, for a special friendly match. The English club, founded in 1862, brings not only their historical significance to the Böllenfalltor, but also a wealth of football passion from Nottingham. For the Lilies, meanwhile, it will be their first friendly match of this summer’s preseason in front of a home crowd at Böllenfalltor – and also the premiere of their new shirt. Against Notts County, SV 98 will wear their new home kit for the first time.

Tickets for the match will be available at the box office from 5:30pm and online at any time. To create a special atmosphere in the stadium, the visiting English fans will mingle with the Lilies fans in the A-Block.

United in style and history – this is the motto under which SV Darmstadt 98 presented its new home jersey for the 2025/26 season. The Lily-blue jersey combines artistic elements from Art Nouveau and Gothic styles with symbols of the city and the club. Fine embossing features, among others, the Wedding Tower, the church window of the founding church, the fleur-de-lis, and the coats of arms of the predecessor clubs. The collar and sleeves are adorned with a blue and white striped pattern, an embroidered fleur-de-lis sits on the chest, and the „Darmstadt“ lettering in Art Nouveau typography with the abbreviation „svd98“ above it is on the back.

HAIX and Suzuki complete the design in subtle blue and white as partners. The jersey is available online now. Starting Wednesday (July 9), it will also be available in the fan shops at Friedensplatz in Darmstadt’s city center and at the stadium. All buyers who purchase an adult jersey by July 22 can purchase the children’s jersey at half price.

For the launch of the new home jersey, SV Darmstadt 98 had something very special planned for its fans: As part of an elaborate scavenger hunt, fans could exclusively acquire the jersey on a moving tram, which was completely designed in the look of the new Lilien jersey. The first ten Lilien fans to say the code word „Jugendstil“ upon boarding received the new jersey for free. The tram was filled within a very short time, and the coveted free jerseys were sold out just as quickly. Many thanks to all Lilien fans who participated in this campaign!

On Friday (July 12th, 6pm), it will be both nostalgic and passionate: Fan team. Summer. Football. Bürgerparkstadion! For the friendly against VfL Michelstadt’s second team, the „second team“ of SV Darmstadt 98 returns to a place steeped in sports history: the Bürgerparkstadion Darmstadt-Nord.

Since 1978, this stadium has been a stage for athletics and football in Darmstadt. With a capacity of around 6,000 seats, it is idyllically located in the countryside, right in the middle of Bürgerpark-Nord. Thanks to its excellent connections by public transport and car, it is easily accessible for all fans. The genuine stadium atmosphere, combined with the typical Heiner mentality, gives this game a very special charm. Equipped with a grandstand, numerous standing areas, and an athletics track, the stadium offers the perfect backdrop for an exciting evening of football.

According to Malteser Deutschland, between 14,000 and 15,000 blood donations are needed every day. These are essential for blood transfusions, which are necessary for many vital surgeries and the treatment of chronic diseases. Blood cannot be produced artificially, which is why blood donations are so important. To mark the occasion, the Lilies, together with the German Red Cross Blood Donation Service, are organising a blood donation event at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. This event will take place on Thursday (July 10) from 3pm to 8pm. Please book a free appointment in advance.

SV Darmstadt 98’s first team isn’t the only team starting the new season: the U21 team has also begun preparations for the 2025/26 season. After a successful debut season in the LOTTO Hessenliga, the cards are being reshuffled.

The South Hesse team lost their first friendly of the season on Saturday (July 5th) against the top-flight Rhineland-Palatinate side VfR Wormatia Worms. U21 coach Daniel Petrowsky’s team lost 5-2 on home turf. The next friendly is just around the corner: On Saturday (July 12th, 1pm), the SV Darmstadt 98 U21 team will play at home against TSV 1881 Gau-Odernheim.

The U21 test matches at a glance:

July remains a month full of joy and special occasions for the Lilies. After we have already pointed out in „Lilien Across the Board“ last week, we continue to celebrate this week.

Rüdiger Fritsch (64 Years Old)

On Thursday (July 10th), we warmly congratulate our president, Rüdiger Fritsch, on his 64th birthday. Fritsch has been at the helm of the sports club since 2012 and has significantly shaped SV 98 during this time: from promotion from the 3rd division to the Bundesliga, from sporting success to the infrastructural development around the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. The completion of the stadium renovation, including the new main stand, office, function building, and fan shop, is closely linked to his presidency. Dear President, we thank you and wish you all the best, good health, and a wonderful birthday!

Fabian Holland (35 Years Old)

One day later, on Friday (July 11th), Fabian Holland celebrates his 35th birthday. „Fabi“ has been an integral part of the Lilien family for ten years – initially on loan, then permanently signed in 2015. During this time, he experienced emotional highs and lows with SV 98, including two Bundesliga promotions. We congratulate you, dear Fabi, from the bottom of our hearts and are looking forward to seeing you back on the field after a long injury layoff!

Oliver Posniak (68 Years Old)

Just one day later, on Saturday (July 12th), Oliver Posniak, a Lilien legend, celebrates his 68th birthday. In his nine years at SV 98, the former midfielder made an impressive 342 competitive appearances – to this day, he ranks third on the club’s all-time appearance list. Having joined from FSV Frankfurt in 1980, Posniak celebrated promotion to the Bundesliga with the team, wore the Lilien jersey in the top division, and later even took over the captaincy. We thank you for your contributions and wish you a very happy birthday, dear Oliver!

Serhat-Semih Güler (28 Years Old)

The eventful birthday week concludes with our new striker Serhat-Semih Güler, who celebrates his 28th birthday on Saturday (July 12th) alongside Oliver Posniak. Güler progressed through the youth ranks of Fortuna Düsseldorf and Bayer Leverkusen before beginning his professional career at Fortuna Köln in 2019. His career took him from Hansa Rostock to TSV 1860 Munich in the winter of 2024, initially for six months, before moving to Viktoria Köln in the summer. There, the attacker was in goal-scoring form, scoring an impressive 19 goals in 40 appearances in the 3. Liga and the Mittelrhein Regional Cup. Dear Semih, we warmly welcome you to Darmstadt, wish you much success with the Lilies, and of course, a happy birthday!

Alexander Brunst (30 Years Old) 

Darmstadt goalkeeper Alexander Brunst also had a good reason to celebrate this week: The keeper celebrated his 30th birthday on Monday (July 7th). The Hamburg native began his professional career at Hamburger SV. After playing for VfL Wolfsburg’s reserve team, 1. FC Magdeburg, and a stint abroad with Vejle BK in Denmark, Brunst finally landed at SVD in 2022. We wish you all the best, too!