Youngsters are looking forward to the start of the Hessenliga season

It has been decided since May 6, 2024 that SV 98 will compete with its own team in the Hessenliga. The Hessian Football Association approved SV 98’s application to compete with a team in the fifth highest German league in the future. This paves the way for the Junglilien to introduce their talents to the men’s area at an early stage and prepare them for senior football. The Lilien’s U21 team will be one of a total of 19 participants in the Hessenliga and is currently in the final stages of the preparation phase for the debut season 2024/25.

“It is a team with enormous development potential. I’m really looking forward to the exciting journey through the coming season,” explains Björn Müller. But how did the idea of ​​introducing the new team actually come about? On the initiative of head coach Torsten Lieberknecht and under the leadership of Björn Kopper (NLZ leader), Björn Müller and the transition coordinator Pascal Pellowski, the concept for structural adjustment of the NLZ service area was developed. The starting signal for the new project followed in the spring.

The aim is to give youth players even earlier playing time in the men’s area and thus make the transition to the professionals easier. The team mainly consists of players trained in the SV 98 youth performance center – primarily talents from the U17 and U19 areas. The club’s further goal is to use this team to create the right environment for the further development of the NLZ players and thus lay the foundation for men’s football through match practice and an even greater focus on the individual development of the talent. “By improving each player individually, we ultimately want to ensure the sporting success of our U21s,” said Müller.

Nevertheless, the table placement will initially play a minor role in the coming season. The newly formed team’s primary goal is to successfully establish itself in the Hessenliga, as Daniel Petrowsky emphasises. The head coach says: “Our main aim this year is to gradually introduce the players to men’s football and to develop them further so that they can be recommended for higher tasks.” Müller also looks at the coming season in a similar way. “The overarching goal is to provide the players with the best possible training in order to provide them with the basis for positive development within the club,” said the NLZ sporting director.

The Hessenliga team of SV Darmstadt 98 will in future consist of 22 players: 14 players from the youth teams of the Darmstadt youth performance center as well as eight external newcomers who will strengthen the team. “We have an exciting squad with many young players who have a lot of development potential. The majority of the team is made up of our own ranks,” explains Müller and adds: “We were also able to sign players who had already gained experience in the men’s division. When it came to our external newcomers, we were primarily looking for motivated players who were willing to learn and who were willing to take part in the project of this young team in the Hessenliga.”

In addition, a total of six Junglilien players are taking part in the professional preparation this summer. In the future, these will primarily be used for the U21 team on weekends, although they will often train with the professional team over the course of the season. The training sessions with the professionals ultimately lead to an increase in the level of the U21 team and this will hopefully pay off in good performances at the weekend. “Overall, we see the prospect of integrating all of the boys into the adult section of the Hessenliga over the course of the season and enabling them to advance to the next higher level for their development at an early stage,” reports Müller. But he also emphasises that the new team needs some time to come together so that real unity can emerge on and off the pitch.

“The boys show that they are having fun. “They are looking forward to the coming season,” says Petrowsky in a positive mood. During the preparation phase, he and his coaching team primarily wanted the team to get to know each other. “We managed that well. The boys are very motivated and full of energy,” emphasizes the U21 head coach. In addition, Petrowsky, who has been coaching the U19 juniors at SV 98 in recent years, worked with his team in the athletic and tactical areas. The athletic training was primarily about preparing yourself as best as possible for the harder and more physical style of play in men’s football.

And the game philosophy: more defensive or offensive? “A mix of both,” smiles Petrowsky and then continues: “A good defense is the basis for success. Our focus is initially on good defense in order to minimize opponents‘ chances to score. That is the basis. Then of course we want to develop and improve in a playful way.”

As part of the summer preparation, the Petrowsky team completed a four-day training camp in Tauberbischofsheim. “We had a very good training camp with a lot of insights, especially from the two test games against strong opponents from the Bayernliga and the Regionalliga Bayern. We also used the time to continue to grow together,” said the U21 head coach. Müller also draws a positive conclusion: “The training camp was very helpful for the coaching staff and the team. I observed a very positive mood and a high level of motivation.”

Hessenliga season 2024/25. And the U21 of SV Darmstadt 98 starts the new season with a duel in front of their home crowd. The Lilies will play all their home games on the grass pitch in Alsbach-Hähnlein. On the occasion of the first match day, Hünfelder SV will be visiting the Darmstadt team next Sunday (July 28th). The game kicks off at 3 p.m. A first indicator? “The first five or six games will give us an initial orientation as to where we currently stand as a team,” explains Müller. Petrowsky also knows: “Compared to youth football, the demands in men’s football are even higher. Here, mistakes are punished even more quickly. Therefore, it is important to have clarity in our style of play and to be very effective in exploiting our own scoring opportunities.”