Sportverein Darmstadt 1898 e.V., commonly known as Darmstadt 98 (German pronunciation: [ˌdaʁmʃtat ʔaxtʔʊntˈnɔɪ̯nt͡sɪç] ), is a German professional association football club based in Darmstadt, Hesse. The club was founded on 22 May 1898 as FC Olympia Darmstadt. Early in 1919, the association was briefly known as Rasen-Sportverein Olympia before merging with Darmstädter Sport Club 1905 on 11 November that year to become Sportverein Darmstadt 98. Merger partner SC was the product of a 1905 union between Viktoria 1900 Darmstadt and Germania 1903 Darmstadt. The footballers are today part of a sports club which also offers its over 13,500 members[1] basketball, hiking, futsal, judo, and table tennis.

Darmstadt 98
Full nameSportverein Darmstadt 1898 e.V.
Nickname(s)Die Lilien (The Lilies)
Founded22 May 1898; 126 years ago (1898-05-22)
GroundMerck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor
Capacity17,810[citation needed]
PresidentKlaus Rüdiger Fritsch
ManagerFlorian Kohfeldt
League2. Bundesliga
2023–24Bundesliga, 18th of 18 (relegated)
Websitesv98.de
Current season

The football department competed in the Bundesliga for the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons after a 33-year run in lower leagues. Darmstadt 98 were promoted again to the Bundesliga in 2023, however they did not avoid relegation the following season.

History

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Early history

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Cigarette card with the crest of the club from 1930

Olympia played as a lower table side in the Westkreisliga between 1909 and 1913. In the late 20s and early 30s the club played as SV Darmstadt in the Kreisliga Odenwald and Bezirksliga Main-Hessen, Gruppe Hesse, but struggled to stay in top flight competition. In 1933, German football was reorganized under the Third Reich into sixteen premier divisions known as Gauligen. Darmstadt was not able to break into upper league play until 1941 when they joined the Gauliga Hessen-Nassau, Gruppe 2. Their stay was short-lived and they were relegated after their second season of play at that level. By 1944–45 the division had collapsed in the face of the advance of Allied armies into Germany.

 
Historical chart of SV Darmstadt league performance

Darmstadt enjoyed a long run as a second division team through the 50s and then again from the time of the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963 on into the 70s. However, they were never better than a lower to mid-table side until a breakthrough happened in 1973 with a Regionalliga Süd championship and participation in the promotion rounds for the Bundesliga, where they finished a distant second to Rot-Weiss Essen.

From the Bundesliga to insolvency

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A side with limited resources, Darmstadt eventually managed two seasons in the Bundesliga (1978–79 and 1981–82). They narrowly missed a third turn in the top league in 1988 when they lost in a lengthy relegation-promotion play-off to Waldhof Mannheim in a penalty shoot-out of the third match between the two clubs.[2] In the following years, Darmstadt 98 escaped relegation to the Amateur Oberliga Hessen (III) in 1991 when Essen was refused a 2. Bundesliga licence for financial reasons. However, by 1997, SV had themselves become victims of financial mismanagement, slipping to the third and fourth divisions.

The team's most recent successes include wins in the Hessen Pokal (Hessen Cup) in 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007 and 2008, as well as three consecutive Possmann-Hessen Cup wins from 2000 to 2002. In the DFB-Pokal, Darmstadt advanced as far as the third round in 1989 and 2001, and to the quarter-finals in 1986. In 2004, the club won the Oberliga Hessen (IV) championship under manager and former player Bruno Labbadia, and were promoted to the Regionalliga Süd (III).

Financial problems limited their options and they were relegated to the Oberliga Hessen (IV) at the end of the 2006–07 season. The club's stated aim was to reach the new 3. Liga within five years. However, on 6 March 2008, Darmstadt entered insolvency proceedings, with debts of around 1.1 million making the future of the club uncertain. After the 2007–08 Oberliga Hessen Championship, Darmstadt played in the Regionalliga Süd. Darmstadt took various measures to avert bankruptcy, for example a friendly benefit match against Bayern Munich, donations etc. In addition, the former management of the club (e.g. former president, former tax advisor) made vital financial contributions which secured the club's future.

Rise to the Bundesliga

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After winning the 2010–11 Regionalliga Süd in dramatic fashion, Darmstadt were promoted to the 3. Liga. In 2012, Dirk Schuster was appointed as head coach, and he signed Darmstadt's future captain, Aytaç Sulu. In the 2012–13 season, the club was initially relegated but their fiercest rivals Kickers Offenbach were refused a 3. Liga licence due to going into administration and were relegated to the Regionalliga instead. Darmstadt 98 took Offenbach's place.[3]

In 2013–14, having finished third in league and thus gaining entry into the promotion-relegation play-offs, Darmstadt defeated Arminia Bielefeld in the second leg through away goals after losing 1–3 in the first leg at home to secure promotion to 2. Bundesliga for the first time in 21 years in dramatic circumstances.

In the following 2. Bundesliga season, Darmstadt secured the second-place position in the league and therefore promotion to the Bundesliga after a 33-year absence. In their final league match, against FC St. Pauli, the club won 1–0 at home through a 70th minute free-kick by Tobias Kempe. This was a second consecutive promotion for the team, led again by coach Schuster and captain Sulu.

Darmstadt reached the Round of 16 of the 2015–16 DFB Pokal. On 8 March 2016, long-term fan Jonathan Heimes died of cancer and, posthumously, Darmstadt's stadium was renamed as "Jonathan-Heimes-Stadion am Böllenfalltor" for the 2016–17 season. Darmstadt finished the 2015–16 season in 14th position, mainly due to a positive away record.

Coach Dirk Schuster announced his decision to join FC Augsburg, and Norbert Meier was appointed as head coach for the 2016–17 season. After being defeated in the second round of the 2016–17 DFB Pokal and only scoring 8 points in 12 games, Maier was sacked on 5 December 2016. On 27 December 2016, former Bundesliga player and Werder Bremen assistant manager Torsten Frings was presented as new head coach. However, the team was incapable of securing the next season in the Bundesliga after a 0–1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the 32nd matchday of the season, and was relegated to the 2. Bundesliga.

After a poor start to the 2017–18-second Bundesliga season, Torsten Frings was removed from his position, and, on 11 December 2017, the vacant manager's position was again filled by Dirk Schuster, who returned to the Darmstadt club for his second spell as manager. He finished 10th in the league.

In the 2018–19 2. Bundesliga season, Dimitrios Grammozis replaced Schuster after 23 points out of 22 games, going on to finish 10th. In the following season, the club finished 5th. After the season, Markus Anfang took over as head coach.

In the 2022–23 2. Bundesliga season, Darmstardt secured automatic promotion to the Bundesliga by beating 1. FC Magdeburg 1–0 at home.

They were relegated the following season from the Bundesliga, finishing bottom of the table in 18th. The club only recorded three wins for the entire season out of a possible 34 matches.[4]

Honours

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The club's honours:

Recent seasons

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The recent season-by-season performance of the club:[5][6]

Season Division Tier Position
1963–64 Amateurliga Hessen III 1st ↑
1964–65 Regionalliga Süd II 14th
1965–66 Regionalliga Süd 13th
1966–67 Regionalliga Süd 14th
1967–68 Regionalliga Süd 14th
1968–69 Regionalliga Süd 8th
1969–70 Regionalliga Süd 18th ↓
1970–71 Hessenliga III 1st ↑
1971–72 Regionalliga Süd II 7th
1972–73 Regionalliga Süd 1st
1973–74 Regionalliga Süd 4th
1974–75 2. Bundesliga Süd 10th
1975–76 2. Bundesliga Süd 7th
1976–77 2. Bundesliga Süd 6th
1977–78 2. Bundesliga Süd 1st ↑
1978–79 Bundesliga I 18th ↓
1979–80 2. Bundesliga Süd II 4th
1980–81 2. Bundesliga Süd 1st ↑
1981–82 Bundesliga I 17th ↓
1982–83 2. Bundesliga II 7th
1983–84 2. Bundesliga 12th
1984–85 2. Bundesliga 15th
1985–86 2. Bundesliga 10th
1986–87 2. Bundesliga 4th
1987–88 2. Bundesliga 3rd
1988–89 2. Bundesliga 11th
1989–90 2. Bundesliga 16th
1990–91 2. Bundesliga 17th
1991–92 2. Bundesliga Süd 8th
1992–93 2. Bundesliga 24th ↓
1993–94 Oberliga Hessen III 9th
1994–95 Regionalliga Süd 11th
1995–96 Regionalliga Süd 15th
1996–97 Regionalliga Süd 13th
1997–98 Regionalliga Süd 16th ↓
1998–99 Oberliga Hessen IV 1st
1999–00 Regionalliga Süd III 9th
2000–01 Regionalliga Süd 5th
2001–02 Regionalliga Süd 14th
2002–03 Regionalliga Süd 17th ↓
2003–04 Oberliga Hessen IV 1st ↑
2004–05 Regionalliga Süd III 5th
2005–06 Regionalliga Süd 5th
2006–07 Regionalliga Süd 16th ↓
2007–08 Oberliga Hessen IV 1st ↑
2008–09 Regionalliga Süd IV 15th
2009–10 Regionalliga Süd 15th
2010–11 Regionalliga Süd 1st ↑
2011–12 3. Liga III 14th
2012–13 3. Liga 18th
2013–14 3. Liga 3rd ↑
2014–15 2. Bundesliga II 2nd ↑
2015–16 Bundesliga I 14th
2016–17 Bundesliga 18th ↓
2017–18 2. Bundesliga II 10th
2018–19 2. Bundesliga 10th
2019–20 2. Bundesliga 5th
2020–21 2. Bundesliga 7th
2021–22 2. Bundesliga 4th
2022–23 2. Bundesliga 2nd ↑
2023–24 Bundesliga I 18th ↓
2024–25 2. Bundesliga II

Players

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Current squad

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As of 24 September 2024[7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   GER Marcel Schuhen (3rd captain)
2 DF   ESP Sergio López
3 DF   ESP Guille Bueno (on loan from Borussia Dortmund)
4 DF   GER Christoph Zimmermann
5 DF   CRO Matej Maglica
7 FW   SWE Isac Lidberg
8 MF   GER Luca Marseiler
9 FW   SCO Fraser Hornby
11 MF   GER Tobias Kempe (vice-captain)
13 MF   GER Marco Thiede
15 MF   BUL Fabian Nürnberger
16 MF   GER Andreas Müller
17 MF   GER Kai Klefisch
18 MF   GER Philipp Förster
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 FW   GER Fynn Lakenmacher
20 DF   SRB Aleksandar Vukotić
21 MF   GER Merveille Papela
22 GK   POL Karol Niemczycki
26 DF   GER Matthias Bader
28 MF   GER Paul Will
29 FW   SWE Oscar Vilhelmsson
30 GK   GER Alexander Brunst
32 DF   GER Fabian Holland (captain)
34 FW   FRA Killian Corredor
38 DF   GER Clemens Riedel
42 FW   GER Fabio Torsiello
45 GK   GER Max Wendt

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
FW   SUI Filip Stojilković (at OFK Beograd until 30 June 2025)

Current technical staff

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As of 14 September 2020[8]
Position Name
Manager   Florian Kohfeldt
Assistant manager   Martin Heck
Goalkeeping coach   Dimo Wache
  Uwe Zimmermann
Fitness coach   Kai-Peter Schmitz
Head physiotherapist   Dirk Schmitt
Club doctors   Dr. med. Michael Weingart
  Dr. med. Alexander Lesch
  Dr. med. Ingo Schwinnen
  Dr. med. Philip Jessen
Team officials   Michael Stegmayer
  Matthias Neumann
  Jonas Nietzel
  Sebastian Pommer
  Björn Rein
  Michael Richter
Academy director   Björn Kopper
Academy Coordinator   Tim Kuhl
Under-19s coach   Georg-Martin Leopold
Under-17s coach   Patrick Kurt
Under-16s coach   Burak Yelken

Former managers

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The managers of the club:[9]

Start End Manager
1968 1970   Heinz Lucas
1971 1976   Udo Klug †
1978 1979   Lothar Buchmann
1979 1979   Klaus Schlappner
1979 1980   Jörg Berger
1981 1982   Werner Olk
1982 1983   Manfred Krafft
1983 1984   Timo Zahnleiter
1984 1984   Lothar Kleim
1985 1986   Udo Klug †
1986 1987   Eckhard Krautzun
1987 1988   Klaus Schlappner
1988 1989   Werner Olk
1989 1989   Eckhard Krautzun
1989 1990   Dieter Renner
1990 1990   Uwe Klimaschefski
1990 1991   Jürgen Sparwasser
1994 1996   Gerhard Kleppinger
1996 1996   Max Reichenberger
1996 1998   Lothar Buchmann
1998 1999   Slavko Petrović
1999 2000   Eckhard Krautzun
2000 2002   Michael Feichtenbeiner
2002 2003   Hans-Werner Moser
2003 2006   Bruno Labbadia
2006 2006   Gino Lettieri
2006 2009   Gerhard Kleppinger
2009 2010   Živojin Juškić
24 March 2010 2 September 2012   Kosta Runjaić
5 September 2012 17 December 2012   Jürgen Seeberger
2012 2016   Dirk Schuster
1 July 2016 5 December 2016   Norbert Meier
5 December 2016 27 December 2016   Ramon Berndroth (interim)
3 January 2017 9 December 2017   Torsten Frings
12 December 2017 18 February 2019   Dirk Schuster
24 February 2019 30 June 2020   Dimitrios Grammozis
1 July 2020 30 June 2021   Markus Anfang
1 July 2021 1 September 2024   Torsten Lieberknecht
7 September 2024   Florian Kohfeldt

References

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  1. ^ "Wir Lilien. Sind der Verein". WIR LILIEN (in German). SV Darmstadt 98. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  2. ^ "SV Waldhof Mannheim – SV Darmstadt 98, 5:4 i.E., Relegation Bundesliga 1987/88 Spiele". Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  3. ^ Ruhl: "Ein bitterer Tag für den OFC" Archived 16 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine (in German) kicker.de, published: 3 June 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2013
  4. ^ "Darmstadt relegated to Bundesliga 2 after Heidenheim loss". www.bundesliga.com.
  5. ^ Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv Archived 5 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine (in German) Historical German domestic league tables
  6. ^ Fussball.de – Ergebnisse Archived 18 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in German) Tables and results of all German football leagues
  7. ^ "Kader: Darmstadt 98" (in German). SV Darmstadt 98. 3 July 2015. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  8. ^ "Die Trainer". SV Darmstadt 98. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  9. ^ "SV Darmstadt 98 » Coaching history Trainer von A–Z". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 10 July 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
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