SV Darmstadt 98
Encyclopedia
SV Darmstadt 98 is a German 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 approximately 1,200 members athletics
, basketball, cheerleading
, hiking
, judo
, and table tennis
.
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.
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 they finally managed a breakthrough 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.
in overtime of the third match between the two clubs. After returning to second tier play they escaped relegation to the Amateur Oberliga Hessen (III) in 1991 when Essen was refused a 2.Bundesliga license for financial reasons. However, by 1997, SV had themselves become victims of financial mismanagement, slipping to play in the III and IV 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 German Cup play Darmstadt advanced as far as the third round in the 1989 and 2001, and to the quarterfinals in 1986. In 2004 the club claimed the Oberliga Hessen (IV) championship under manager and ex-player Bruno Labaddia 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 is to reach the new 3rd Bundesliga within five years. However, on 6 March 2008 Darmstadt entered insolvency proceedings with debts of about € 1.1 million http://www.sv98.de/magazin/artikel.php?artikel=3848&type=&menuid=509&topmenu=3 making the future of the club uncertain. Since the 2007–08 Oberliga Hessen-Championship, Darmstadt is playing in the new Regionalliga Süd. Darmstadt has taken various measures to avert bankcruptcy, for example a friendly benefit match against Bayern Munich, donations etc., but crucial were the payments by former persons with responsibility (e.g. former president, former tax advisor). In 2009, insolvency has been averted. With long-term debts of €900,000, the club's financial situation is still uncertain.
Darmstadt won the 2010–11 Regionalliga Süd and got promoted to the 3rd Liga
, thus returning to a professional level.
(2009–2010)
Football in Germany
Association football is the most popular sport in Germany. The German Football Association is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members organized in over 26,000 football clubs. There is a league system, with the 1. and 2. Bundesliga on top, and the winner of the first...
based in Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
. 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 approximately 1,200 members athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
, basketball, cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, and table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
.
History
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 OdenwaldKreisliga Odenwald
The Kreisliga Odenwald was the highest association football league in the northern part of the German state of Baden and the southern part of the state of Hesse from 1919 to 1923...
and Bezirksliga Main-Hessen
Bezirksliga Main-Hessen
The Bezirksliga Main-Hessen was the highest association football league in the German state of Hesse and the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau from 1927 to 1933...
, 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.
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 they finally managed a breakthrough in 1973 with a Regionalliga Süd
Regionalliga Süd (1963-74)
The Regionalliga Süd was the second-highest level of the German football league system. It existed in the south of Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2nd Bundesliga in 1974. It covered the three states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hessen....
championship and participation in the promotion rounds for the Bundesliga where they finished a distant second to Rot-Weiß Essen.
Rise to the Bundesliga and fall to insolvency
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 promotion playoff to SV Waldhof MannheimSV Waldhof Mannheim
SV Waldhof Mannheim is a German association football club, located in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg. The club today has a membership of over 2,400.-History:...
in overtime of the third match between the two clubs. After returning to second tier play they escaped relegation to the Amateur Oberliga Hessen (III) in 1991 when Essen was refused a 2.Bundesliga license for financial reasons. However, by 1997, SV had themselves become victims of financial mismanagement, slipping to play in the III and IV 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 German Cup play Darmstadt advanced as far as the third round in the 1989 and 2001, and to the quarterfinals in 1986. In 2004 the club claimed the Oberliga Hessen (IV) championship under manager and ex-player Bruno Labaddia 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 is to reach the new 3rd Bundesliga within five years. However, on 6 March 2008 Darmstadt entered insolvency proceedings with debts of about € 1.1 million http://www.sv98.de/magazin/artikel.php?artikel=3848&type=&menuid=509&topmenu=3 making the future of the club uncertain. Since the 2007–08 Oberliga Hessen-Championship, Darmstadt is playing in the new Regionalliga Süd. Darmstadt has taken various measures to avert bankcruptcy, for example a friendly benefit match against Bayern Munich, donations etc., but crucial were the payments by former persons with responsibility (e.g. former president, former tax advisor). In 2009, insolvency has been averted. With long-term debts of €900,000, the club's financial situation is still uncertain.
Darmstadt won the 2010–11 Regionalliga Süd and got promoted to the 3rd Liga
3rd Liga
The 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...
, thus returning to a professional level.
Honours
- Regionalliga SüdRegionalliga Süd (1963-74)The Regionalliga Süd was the second-highest level of the German football league system. It existed in the south of Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2nd Bundesliga in 1974. It covered the three states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hessen....
champions: 1973, 2011 - 2nd Bundesliga Süd2nd Bundesliga Süd (1974-81)The 2. Fußball-Bundesliga Süd was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the south of Germany from 1974 until the formation of the single-division 2. Fußball-Bundesliga in 1981...
(II) champions: 1978, 1981 - Amateurliga Hessen (III) champions: 1950, 1962, 1964
- Amateurliga Hessen (IV) champions: 1971
- Oberliga HessenHessenligaThe Hessenliga is the highest football league in the state of Hesse and the Hessian football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German football, the 5th tier of the German football league system. It was, until the introduction of the 3...
(IV) champions: 1999, 2004, 2008 - Hessenpokal winners: 1966, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008
Recent seasons
| Year | Division | Position |
| 1999–2000 | Regionalliga Süd Regionalliga Süd The Regionalliga Süd is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the southern part of Germany... (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 ↑ |
Current squad
Notable coaches
Zivojin JuskicŽivojin Juškić
Živojin Juškić is a retired Serbian football player and current manager of SV Darmstadt 98.-Honours:As player:*Obilić Belgrade...
(2009–2010)
- Gerhard KleppingerGerhard KleppingerGerhard Kleppinger is a German former footballer, he works currently as Assistant Coach from FSV Frankfurt.-References:*...
(2006–2009) Gino Lettieri (2006) Bruno LabbadiaBruno LabbadiaBruno Labbadia is a former German footballer of Italian heritage who is now head coach of German Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart.- Club career :...
(2003–2006) - Hans-Werner MoserHans-Werner MoserHans-Werner Moser is a German football coach and a former player who was last managing SV Wehen Wiesbaden.-External links:...
(2002–2003) - Michael Feichtenbeiner (2000–2002)
- Eckhard KrautzunEckhard KrautzunEckhard Krautzun is a German football coach and former football player.-Managerial career:As a player, Krautzun turned out for Union Solingen, Rheydter SV, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Young Fellows Zürich and TeBe Berlin. As well as a manager, Krautzun has acted as a technical director and scout...
(1999–2000) - Lothar Buchmann (1996–1998)
- Max Reichenberger (1996)
- Gerhard KleppingerGerhard KleppingerGerhard Kleppinger is a German former footballer, he works currently as Assistant Coach from FSV Frankfurt.-References:*...
(1994–1996) - Jürgen SparwasserJürgen SparwasserJürgen Sparwasser is a retired German football player and later briefly a football manager.Sparwasser started his playing career in the youth department of his hometown club BSG Lokomotive Halberstadt in 1956. In 1965 he moved to 1. FC Magdeburg where he gave his senior debut in January 1966...
(1990–1991) Uwe Klimaschefski (1990) - Dieter Renner † (1989–1990)
- Eckhard KrautzunEckhard KrautzunEckhard Krautzun is a German football coach and former football player.-Managerial career:As a player, Krautzun turned out for Union Solingen, Rheydter SV, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Young Fellows Zürich and TeBe Berlin. As well as a manager, Krautzun has acted as a technical director and scout...
(1989) - Werner Olk (1988)
- Klaus SchlappnerKlaus SchlappnerKlaus Schlappner is a football manager. He is predominately remembered for his first spell with SV Waldhof Mannheim, where he led them to the Second Fußball-Bundesliga title and several seasons in the Bundesliga as well as being the first foreign coach to manage the Chinese national football...
(1987–1988) - Eckhard KrautzunEckhard KrautzunEckhard Krautzun is a German football coach and former football player.-Managerial career:As a player, Krautzun turned out for Union Solingen, Rheydter SV, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Young Fellows Zürich and TeBe Berlin. As well as a manager, Krautzun has acted as a technical director and scout...
(1986–1987) - Udo Klug † (1985–1986)
- Lothar Kleim (1984)
- Timo Zahnleiter (1983–1984)
- Manfred Krafft (1982–1983)
- Werner Olk (1981–1982)
- Jörg BergerJörg BergerJörg Berger was a German football manager and player, who last managed Arminia Bielefeld.- Coaching career :...
(1979–1980) - Klaus SchlappnerKlaus SchlappnerKlaus Schlappner is a football manager. He is predominately remembered for his first spell with SV Waldhof Mannheim, where he led them to the Second Fußball-Bundesliga title and several seasons in the Bundesliga as well as being the first foreign coach to manage the Chinese national football...
(1979) - Lothar Buchmann (1978–1979)
- Udo Klug (1971–1976)