Start of the season for the Lilies: Now things are getting serious for SV Darmstadt 98!

Start of the season for the Lilies: Now things are getting serious for SV Darmstadt 98!

SV Darmstadt 98 is preparing for the new second division season 2025/26 with fresh enthusiasm. The official start of training will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m. on the new training ground at Böllenfalltor, to which fans are cordially invited. Preparations began on Friday morning with blood samples to analyze body fat and muscle values, followed by strength and mobility tests in the weight room on Saturday. Although the club is not commenting on the players who will be present on Sunday, there is plenty to talk about possible departures and new additions to the team.

As hessenschau.de reports, the uncertainty about the stay of players like Andreas Müller and Filip Stojilkovic remains. Among the new additions are Benedikt Börner from Wolfsburg's U19 and Yosuke Furukawa from Jubilo Iwata. A ray of hope for the Lilies is the hope for the return of Matthias Bader and captain Fabian Holland, both of whom were seriously injured and suffered from cruciate ligament tears.

First Bundesliga club in preparation for the season

Darmstadt 98 is the first Bundesliga football team to start preparations. Over a thousand spectators came to experience the first steps of the new season. However, coach Dirk Schuster only had a skeleton team with twelve field players and two goalkeepers on site. What was particularly noticeable was that midfielder Jérôme Gondorf was unable to take part due to pubic inflammation and only appeared in civilian clothes.

Schuster commented on the current market, describing it as “overheated,” which makes it difficult to find new players. The club has lost some well-known names in the departures, such as Romain Brégerie, Hanno Behrens and Leon Balogun, who are moving on to new challenges at other clubs. Despite these changes, captain Aytac Sulu and Dominik Stroh-Engel are looking forward to an exciting season and have high hopes of staying in the league.

Ticket information and stadium details

The atmosphere in the area is already great before the start and the anticipation for the new season is palpable. Fans who would like to watch the games at the Merck Stadium can purchase their tickets via the official ticket platforms of the 2nd Bundesliga. The stadium at Böllenfalltor, which was renovated in 2023 and offers space for 17,810 spectators, promises exciting games and an exciting atmosphere in the coming season, which is expected to have many highlights.

With the start of training it becomes clear: Everything is ready in Darmstadt to prove themselves again in the new second division season. Because despite all the challenges, the anticipation of what's to come can be felt among the players and fans. The next few weeks will be crucial in putting together a competitive team for the training camp in the Black Forest, which takes place from July 6th to 12th. Fans can be excited to see what surprises the lilies might come up with. Further details for the tickets are available at bundesliga.com.