“We are on a really good path” | Coaching legends celebrate their birthday

After the training camp in Spain, things get going again for the Lilies on Friday (January 17th/6:30pm). Captain Clemens Riedel is therefore looking forward to the start of the second half of the season at Fortuna Düsseldorf and sees his team well prepared for it. He says: “We want to pick up where we left off – of course not in the last game in Regensburg, but rather our performance in the previous series. Our goal is to continue to play dominant football,” said Riedel in a media round on Tuesday (January 14). “It is important for us that we develop well. That we don’t just look at the points, but that we also play the kind of football that Darmstadt and the club identify with. And I think we’re on the right track,” the young central defender continued. In the end, one thing is clear to everyone: “The better we internalise this and show it on the pitch, the higher the chance of getting even more points.”

The professionals start the second half of the season. And the SV 98 eFootball players are also coming back from their winter break next week. The ball is rolling again in the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL). And of course the eLilien would like to build on last year’s achievements. SV 98 is currently in fifth place in the South-East division on virtual pitch. But it won’t be easy, because the eLilien will face the fourth-placed team in their league on Wednesday (January 22/9pm) – against 1. FSV Mainz 05. If they win this duel, the Darmstadt team could overtake the Rheinhessen side in the table .

Nine match days have already been played in the Futsal Hessen League. SV Darmstadt 98 is currently in seventh place in the table. Most recently, however, the Lilies suffered a bitter 2:9 defeat against TuS Griesheim on January 11th. However, the boys can make amends on Saturday (January 18th/12pm) when they have to play at FC Asteras Offenbach. There really is no favourite in this duel in the hall at Bresslauer Straße 20 in Dreieich. Both teams are currently level on points, but the Darmstadt team is one place above the hosts due to the better goal difference.

He carries the number one on his back during the game. He was probably looking at a different number on the birthday cake: Marcel Schuhen celebrated his 32nd birthday on Monday (January 13th). In the Lilies jersey, Schuh has played an impressive 179 competitive games, spread over five and a half years, including promotion to the Bundesliga. Happy birthday, Schuh!

One day after the Düsseldorf game, Merveille Papela celebrates his 24th birthday. He has been wearing the Lily jersey since last summer and has appeared on the pitch in 18 of 20 competitive games so far. Happy Birthday, Mey!

When Uwe Klug unexpectedly moved to Homburg in the middle of the season in 1986, those responsible at SV Darmstadt 98 were faced with a major challenge: a new coach had to be found quickly. The choice ultimately fell on Eckhard Krautzun, who was 45 years old at the time. When he took office, he made his enthusiasm for the Lilies clear: „With the good basis, Darmstadt was the dream club for me among several offers.“ His debut was mixed, but Krautzun quickly provided a highlight: under his leadership, the Lilies made it to the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup. Despite a contract extension, they parted ways again at the end of the season. Krautzun returned to Bölle in March 1989 when the team was in a relegation zone. With an impressive series of six wins in a row, he led the team out of the danger zone and once again proved his qualities as a saviour. But this time too, the collaboration ended after the season. Ten years later it was Krautzun who returned to the Böllenfalltor again. The club saw relegation in the regional league as being at risk – and the experienced coach reorganised the team again. Once again he achieved the miracle: SV Darmstadt 98 secured their place in the league. His third term with the Lilies finally ended in June 2000. On Monday (January 13th) Krautzun celebrated his 84th birthday. SV Darmstadt 98 wishes him all the best and, above all, good health.

For many fans of SV Darmstadt 98 he is of course a household name: Werner Olk. The man who once led the Lilies to historic success. In 1979, the former Bayern professional took over as coach of the Lilies and led the team straight from ninth to fourth place in the 2nd Bundesliga. The crowning achievement came in the following season: under his leadership, SV Darmstadt 98 became second division champions and was promoted to the Bundesliga. But the adventure in the highest German league was rather difficult. Towards the end of the season, when the team found itself in a relegation zone, the club parted ways with Olk. After his further positions at KSC, FC St. Gallen and a stint as an assistant coach at FC Bayern Munich, Olk returned to Böllenfalltor for the 1988/89 season. But the renewed collaboration didn’t last long: after 17 match days, in which the Lilies were in great danger of relegation, they parted ways again. Werner Olk remains unforgotten as the promotion hero of 1981. On Saturday (January 18th) he celebrates his 87th birthday. SV Darmstadt 98 wishes him all the best and good health.