„We give a lot for each other“ | Laying the foundation stone

One team. Merveille Papela emphasised this again and again in his media round with journalists on Wednesday (February 26). “We give a lot for each other and you could see that in the game against Schalke,” he said. In general, the success in the last home game was very important for the Lilies‘ morale. But in general the group also harmonises very well with one another. As a newcomer, it wasn’t difficult for “Mey” to find a connection in this group. SV Darmstadt 98 also made things very easy for him thanks to their “family feeling”. While Papela was initially used repeatedly as a substitute, he has been in the starting line-up continuously since Kai Klefisch’s injury. He is very happy to be able to help the team with his achievements. “I am a diverse player. You can’t really put me into one category of player. The number eight position suits me very well, but ultimately I just try to play my game and use my opportunities,” said Papela.

On Saturday (March 1st) it was four years ago that the foundation stone for the new main stand of the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor was laid. The foundation stone capsule was filled with a Lily jersey from the 2020/21 season and a copy of the Darmstädter Echo dated March 1st. “It’s incredibly fun to watch the progress on the construction site. With every stone we lay, we come closer to our goal of adequate rooms for our spectators, sports, sponsors, media and security providers,” said Rüdiger Fritsch, President of SV Darmstadt 98, at the time.

From demolition to laying the foundation stone and construction to opening. In our picture slider we take you through the past years of our main stand:

Last weekend the U17s faced SV Sandhausen at home (22/02). In the second league game, SV 98 celebrated its first victory in the main round of the DFB youth league, winning 3-1. The U17s are in fourth place in their group. Next week (01.03/1pm) the Junglilien will go to the away game against SpVgg Greuther Fürth, where hopefully the next three points will follow.

Although there was no league game last weekend, the U19s were still on the pitch. The Junglilien met TSG Wieseck in a friendly match. In the end, the Darmstadt team won 2-0 at home and are therefore looking positively towards the next competitive game on Saturday (01.03/2pm) against SSV Reutlingen 1905.

The “zwote Zwote” played its penultimate friendly game last Saturday (February 22nd) before the competitive games start again. The game against SV St. Stephan Griesheim II ultimately ended 4-4. After the Lilies were still behind 4-1 after 50 minutes, they were able to equalise the game again with goals in the 61st, 74th and 89th minutes. Again on Saturday (01.03/1pm) the boys will test in the last test match of the preparation at TGB Darmstadt. Things really get going for the SV Darmstadt 98 fan team a week later (09.03/3pm) in the district league C against TuS Griesheim.

You can find an overview of all upcoming games for the Lilien fan team here:

The DFB ePokal was on the agenda for the SV Darmstadt 98 eFootball team last weekend. On Sunday evening (23.02/7pm) the eLilien met the defending champions from Leipzig. In the end, the Darmstadt team unfortunately lost by one goal difference (6-5 and 3-2) and were therefore eliminated.

The Virtual Bundesliga continues on Wednesday evening (February 26th). A double game day awaits our eFootball players. They will start at 5.30pm against SpVgg Greuther Fürth and will end the long evening after the following game against SSV Ulm. The eLilien are currently in eighth place in the table. With further victories in the coming games, South Hesse’s chance of taking part in this year’s playoffs would increase significantly. You can watch the two duels live again on Twitch.

233 games, ten goals and a total of ten years from 1975 to 1980 and again from 1991 to 1996 as a player for SV Darmstadt 98: Gerhard Kleppinger was a member of the Lilien family for a long time. After his playing career, the former right-back stayed in football as a coach. He also worked at SV 98 and assisted alongside Eckhard Krautzun for three years before moving with him to Viktoria Griesheim. In 2006, Kleppinger came to Bölle as an assistant coach and stayed for another three years before moving to FSV Frankfurt. From there he went to SV Sandhausen, where he held various roles from 2012 to 2024. He first worked there as an assistant coach, then coordinator of talent development, and also as interim and head coach. The former Lilien player and coach celebrates his 67th birthday on Saturday (March 1st). We wish you all the best and good health.

Found his way to Darmstadt in the summer and has already played five competitive games with the Lily on his chest. But then Paul Will injured his cruciate ligament. Every Lilien fan will be happy to see you on the pitch again soon. We wish you continued recovery. More than that. Will celebrates his 26th birthday on Saturday (March 1st). We wish you all the best on your special day, Paul!