What does Nico Beigang actually do?

sv98.de: Hi, Nico! When and how did you come to SV 98?

Nico Beigang: I grew up in the Darmstadt area after my parents moved from Berlin to Darmstadt – I was eight years old. My football career began at TuS Griesheim. I then played for my hometown club, Groß-Bieberau, until the U19 team. There we also met FC Alsbach, who, under coach Harald Exner, had a very strong U19 team in the state league – including Hanno Balitsch, who was a year older than me. When his year group moved up to the U19 team, FC Alsbach was specifically looking for talented players to stay competitive in the state league. In a friendly match against Alsbach, I scored five or six goals – that’s how they noticed me. After my time in Groß-Bieberau, I moved to FC Alsbach.

sv98.de: What happened next for you after your time in Alsbach?

At the end of the season there, I received offers from regional league teams Eintracht Frankfurt and SV Darmstadt 98, as I finished second in the goalscoring list that season. I was able to play in what was then the highest youth league at both clubs, and I actually wanted to join the Lilies. However, I couldn’t reach the then-coach Gernot Lutz by phone and only left messages on his voicemail. Shortly afterward, my sister called me and convinced me to try out for Eintracht Frankfurt’s U19 team. I then contacted Gernot Lutz again and withdrew my offer. Six months later, I transferred to SV Darmstadt 98 because I couldn’t really establish myself at Eintracht Frankfurt – and also because the organisational effort was too much for my family. Darmstadt was much easier for us to reach. At this point, I am infinitely grateful to my parents for their support.

sv98.de: What do you miss most about the city of Darmstadt?

I miss my friends from back then the most. I had a very large circle of friends in Darmstadt who meant a lot to me. I’ve kept two very good friends from that time to this day: One was a guest at my wedding, the other was even my best man. But what I miss most about Darmstadt is the stadium, where I certainly spent most of my time. After I left Darmstadt, I didn’t go to Böllenfalltor for ten years. When I returned, it was a very emotional moment for me. My now wife even secretly filmed me back then to tease me a little later – because I had tears in my eyes.

sv98.de: Speaking of tears in your eyes… Which Lilien moments will you never forget?

Unfortunately, we weren’t granted the truly great moments, like promotion to the 2nd division – but we were still able to celebrate many wonderful experiences. My very own Lilien moment was scoring the goal that secured promotion from the Oberliga back to the Regionalliga in the 2003/04 season against KSV Baunatal. Even though it wasn’t a particularly beautiful goal, it was the decisive one – and unforgettable for me. The subsequent promotion celebration was a real highlight. The celebration was actually planned for the following week. But at the Schlossgrabenfest, the first players suddenly appeared on stage – even though we weren’t actually allowed to – and reported on around 2,000 Darmstadt fans in the stands. So it happened that we ended up having two promotion celebrations. That was a very special experience.

sv98.de: Were there any other unforgettable moments?

I’ll also never forget my first appearances for the Lilies. I was always incredibly excited back then – just like when I scored my first goals. Another thing that has stuck with me is the Lilies anthem by Alberto Colucci. I still love listening to it today – even during my time with Sportfreunde Lotte, it was played often, simply because the boys loved the song so much, even though they had nothing to do with it (laughs). And since I still occasionally play for the traditional team today, new Lilies moments keep coming up.

sv98.de: Which person from your time with the Lilies had the most influence on you?

I think Bruno Labbadia had the most influence on me. I made my breakthrough under him – he was the coach who gave me the confidence. But other people were also crucial to my path. Michael Müller, my then U19 coach and assistant coach to Hans Werner Moser, played a particularly important role in my development. He practically pushed us up into the first team.

sv98.de: What advice would you give your former self at Darmstadt today?

I’d probably give my younger self what every experienced player would say: Party less (laughs). Seriously – I’m often asked whether I regret having perhaps wasted some of my potential by partying. Of course, it’s a shame that I never achieved my goal of playing in the 2. Bundesliga. But looking back, I would do most things the same again. The fact that I can still play football today without my whole body hurting shows me that I did a lot of things right. I was a professional footballer for ten years, had an incredible amount of fun during that time, and didn’t have to miss out on anything.

sv98.de: After spending seven years with Darmstadt, you played for ten other clubs within eleven years. Among them were Stuttgarter Kickers, Jahn Regensburg, and Sportfreunde Lotte. What was the reason for your frequent transfers back then?

My big goal was always to reach the 2. Bundesliga. But with Darmstadt, we were relegated from the Regionalliga to the Oberliga. In the summer of my final year of my contract, Wuppertaler SV would have liked to sign me. However, the club wouldn’t let me go – which was certainly a sign of their appreciation.

sv98.de: What happened next for you?

I knew I would be leaving the club after my contract expired. Unfortunately, I never really made it anywhere in terms of sport after that. Things always went well at first – I scored goals and impressed – but during the inevitable weak phases, I never really made the breakthrough. I felt very comfortable in Regensburg as a person, but in terms of football, I only really felt „at home“ in Darmstadt – even though I had a great time with many great people in Regensburg and at Sportfreunde Lotte, for example. From 2010 onwards, I was no longer active at professional clubs. The club changes from that point on were mostly for professional or personal reasons – my life situation and needs had changed. During my time at Freier TuS, I was given the opportunity to work as a player-coach – an opportunity I absolutely wanted to take advantage of. During this period, I also completed my coaching licenses.

sv98.de: When you look at the Lilies‘ development since your time, what impresses you most?

What a club with the right people and over many years has achieved is truly impressive. In Darmstadt, a noticeable amount of investment has been made in the infrastructure – especially in the stadium renovation. When I think about the conditions under which we trained back then, it seems almost unimaginable today. At the beginning of my time with the Lilies, I trained on a hard court. The changing rooms were large, but extremely old. That was a completely different world. Today, there is enormous professionalism and modernity there. The fan base has also changed significantly. Many who used to laugh at me because I played for Darmstadt are now Lilies fans themselves. This shows how established the club has become and how much it has grown.

sv98.de: What do you do for a living today?

I’ve been with the police since 2017, and since September of last year, I’ve been working for the criminal investigation department in Regensburg.

sv98.de: How did the transition from professional football to your current job go?

I initially worked as a freelancer for five years, running a salad bar. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out as I’d hoped—it was a big change compared to life as a professional footballer. During my subsequent training with the police, I was able to do a lot of sports again. The sense of community also returned through the class groups—a bit like being on a team. In that respect, the police force is much closer to football than being self-employed, which naturally made the transition easier for me.

sv98.de: What do you enjoy most about your current job?

I joined the police for a very specific reason: because I have a strong sense of justice. I’ve never been in a fight in my entire life – even though I could sometimes be a bit unpleasant and loud-mouthed on the sports field (laughs). But if something doesn’t go right, I speak my mind. It’s always been this way. When I told my friends and acquaintances that I was joining the police, many of them immediately said, „That’s a perfect fit for you.“ And that’s exactly what I enjoy most about my job – being able to do something good with my work.

sv98.de: What do you mostly do in your free time these days?

The focus of my life these days? Mainly my dog ​​– and, of course, my wife. My wife already had a dog when we got together, and I always wanted one myself. Over time, it became the centre of our lives. Unfortunately, my wife’s soul dog passed away last year. Shortly after our wedding, we got a new companion: a young Czechoslovakian Wolfhound. She’s wonderful, but also quite challenging. Since my wife works in Nürnberg and I’m a player-coach at FC Troschenreuth, we don’t have much time together. I’d say I spend most of my time on the highway – with the dog and with my wife. In that exact order.

sv98.de: Finally, what’s the best Lilies jersey you’ve played in?

My personal favourite jersey was actually the black Nike away jersey, which we wore in the 2005/06 season, among other things—with the „Wella“ logo on the chest. Admittedly, it didn’t have much to do with the club colours. But purely visually, I thought it looked the best.

sv98.de: Thanks for your time and the interview, Nico!