--- title: "Paul Fernie extends contract, becomes managing director of sport at SV Darmstadt 98; Long-term leadership secured" sdDatePublished: "2026-05-07T04:04:00Z" source: "https://www.sv98.de/98th-baby-boelle-gang-at-the-traffic-school/" topics: - name: "football" identifier: "medtop:20001065" - name: "sport organisation" identifier: "medtop:20001125" - name: "sport event" identifier: "medtop:20001108" - name: "sport achievement" identifier: "medtop:20001301" - name: "society" identifier: "medtop:14000000" locations: - "Wiesbaden" - "Darmstadt" - "Oberhausen" - "Osnabrück" - "Phoenix" - "Colorado Springs" - "Bayreuth" - "Münster" - "North Rhine-Westphalia" - "Karlsruhe" - "San Antonio" --- Paul Fernie extends contract, becomes managing director of sport at SV Darmstadt 98; Long-term leadership secured +++ 98th Baby | Bölle Gang at the traffic school +++ – SV Darmstadt 1898 e.V. Fan information for the Münster game The second consecutive away game, and the last of the season, is upon us. Once again on a Sunday (May 10th, 1:30pm), Darmstadt will be playing away – this time against SC Preußen Münster. Everything you need to know for your final away trip of the season to the LVM-Preußenstadion, about three and a half hours away, can be found here in the usual fan information section. Season tickets for the 2026 27 season: All information is available here! SV Darmstadt 98 informed all season ticket holders about the season ticket procedure for the 2026 27 season on Wednesday (May 6th) and would also like to share this letter on the club's own website. Merck Autograph Session: With Pfeiffer, Klefisch and Lakenmacher Autographs, photos, and personal encounters with the Lilies: You'll have the opportunity to do so on Thursday (May 7th) from 5pm to 6pm. As part of an autograph session presented by Merck, Patric Pfeiffer, Kai Klefisch, and Fynn Lakenmacher will be at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. You'll also receive a ten percent discount in the fan shop during this time. Darmstadt's 2-1 defeat at Karlsruher SC also ended any remaining theoretical hopes the South Hessian club had of finishing the season in the top three. The loss at the Wildpark stadium served somewhat as a symbol for the past few weeks, during which SV 98 had only managed one point from five matches since the international break in March. Following the game on Sunday afternoon, the Darmstadt players addressed the assembled media representatives with mixed feelings. Merx hat trick: U21 deservedly wins at Hünfelder SV Three points! SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team secured a victory in the Lotto Hessenliga on Saturday afternoon (May 2nd). In their match against Hünfelder SV, the young Lilies overcame an early deficit to clinch a convincing 3-1 win. This result puts the U21 team currently outside the relegation zone. "Our trend is clearly upward," said a delighted U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt. HBRS and SV 98: Cooperation extended indefinitely The successful collaboration between the Hessian Disabled and Rehabilitation Sports Association (HBRS) and SV Darmstadt 98 will continue long-term: Both partners have extended their existing agreement to promote inclusive sports indefinitely. This sends a clear signal for the sustainable development of inclusion and disability sports in Hesse. „We must take the lead in the first half.“ A bitter end in Karlsruhe: After 90 entertaining minutes in which both teams sought salvation in attack, Darmstadt suffered a narrow defeat. The final score was 2-1 after a late goal from the home side, following Isac Lidberg's earlier equaliser. After the match, the players were particularly frustrated with the missed opportunities in the first half. The away form continues to be poor: SV 98 suffered a 2-1 (0-0) defeat against Karlsruher SC. Lidberg scored the equaliser for the team from southern Hesse in the 70th minute. Team News: Five Changes in the Team Darmstadt 98 visit Karlsruher SC on matchday 32 (May 3rd, 1:30 PM). Florian Kohfeldt has made five changes to his starting lineup. Killian Corredor replaces the injured Fraser Hornby, Aleksandar Vukotic comes in for the suspended Patric Pfeiffer, and Fabian Holland starts in place of Matej Maglica, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. Merveille Papela and Niklas Schmidt also join the team, replacing Sergio Lopez and Yosuke Furukawa. In addition to Hornby, Pfeiffer, and Maglica, Darmstadt will also be without the injured Matthias Bader, Fabian Nürnberger, and Luca Marseiler. Matchday Guide: All Information before KSC Game Finally, the weekend is here, finally Sunday! On Sunday afternoon (May 3rd, 1:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will face Karlsruher SC away. What do the two coaches have to say about the match, who will be refereeing, and where can you watch it if you're not at the stadium? All the important information about the Lilies' 32nd matchday is compiled for you here in "Matchday Guide". Paul Fernie extends his contract long-term and moves up to a management position. Continuity in sporting management: SV Darmstadt 98 has extended Paul Fernie's contract early and for the long term. As part of the contract extension, the current sporting director will move into the club's management board and will now serve as managing director of sport. „You’ve seen horses vomit before.“ Our head coach spoke at the press conference before the away game against Karlsruher SC (May 3rd 1:30pm) about the mental freshness of his team, the course of action for the remaining games and his coaching colleague, whose commitment to KSC will end after six years this season. +++ 98th Baby | Bölle Gang at the traffic school +++ There's a lot going on at the Bölle. The 98th Darmstadt baby of 2026, along with their family, visited the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor, and they weren't the only ones. Where else the Bölle gang has ended up, and many more news items about the club, can be found here in our "Lilies Across the Board" section, as every Wednesday. On January 25th, the 98th baby born in Darmstadt this calendar year arrived. Little Frido entered the world, bringing joy not only to his parents, Valentin and Heidi, but also to his older sister, Irma. The family, now four members strong, visited the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor on Wednesday (May 6th) at the invitation of SV 98. Prior to the visit, the family had received a video message from Alexander Brunst, who congratulated them on Frido’s birth. On site, Fabian Nürnberger personally presented Frido and his parents with a gift basket from the Darmstadt 98 club. This initiative is part of the Darmstadt model „Protecting Children – Supporting Families.“ The Municipal Social Services department of the Youth Welfare Office of the City of Darmstadt provides low-threshold, unbureaucratic, and preventative support to families in the period following the birth of a child. The specialists of the Darmstadt model inform, advise, and support young families facing challenges during the newborn’s first year. +++ The Bölle Gang visits the Darmstadt Youth Traffic School +++ On two wheels through the city. Nationwide, April 28th was dedicated to road safety. The Bölle Gang took this as an opportunity to visit the Darmstadt Youth Traffic School. Twenty children aged six to ten playfully learned important road safety basics as part of the „safe.mobile.life“ campaign, themed „Two-Wheelers in Focus.“ A challenging course, complete with traffic lights, right-of-way rules, and more, awaited the participants on the JVS grounds. The two varied hours focused on safety, skill, and fun on two wheels were a resounding success, culminating in a snail race. Two children competed against each other, and the winner wasn’t the fastest, but rather the one who reached the finish line most slowly and safely without dismounting. The Bölle Gang extends its heartfelt thanks to the Darmstadt Youth Traffic School and to the two police officers, Evelyn Sniegon and Jesko Gandenberger, for their excellent guidance, child-friendly explanations, and the thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. A powerful training course for greater road safety and lots of fun. +++ New season, new opponents +++ It’s off to Osnabrück. The first of at least four new opponents next season has been confirmed. Joining them is VfL Osnabrück, who secured promotion to the German second division last weekend and clinched the 3. Liga title early. And it was a dramatic victory – in the second minute of stoppage time, Robert Tesche scored the winning goal against Wehen Wiesbaden, making it 3-2 and securing their third promotion to the German second division in seven years. A former Darmstadt player was also on the team: Jannik Müller wore the Darmstadt jersey for three years and captained Osnabrück to the 3. Liga championship this season. See you next season, Jannik! +++ Playoff spots in sight for the Young Lilies +++ The break is over. After a weekend off, SV Darmstadt 98’s U17 team will face Wormatia Worms this Wednesday evening (May 6th, 7pm). The young Lilies will use the friendly in Worms as a warm-up for the next matchday in the U17 DFB Youth League. On Sunday (May 10th, 1pm), the U17s will host SpVgg Bayreuth, and the goal is clear: to continue their upward trend. The young Lilies have earned nine points from three matches in their last league campaign. Currently in a playoff spot, three points ahead of Bayreuth, they could secure their place in the playoffs on matchday eleven of twelve. Meanwhile, SV Darmstadt 98’s U19 team suffered a defeat last weekend against SC Rot-Weiss Oberhausen. After a thrilling opening phase with three goals in 22 minutes, the final score was a disappointing 3-1 for Oberhausen. The Young Lilies will have a chance for three points in their home game in Urberach against VfL Osnabrück’s U19 team next Saturday (May 9th, 11:00am). Both teams currently have eight points. A win would allow the Young Lilies to move closer to the playoff spots. +++ All the best, Fynn! +++ When Darmstadt 98 play away at Preußen Münster on Sunday (May 10th), there will be a birthday boy in the squad. Darmstadt striker Fynn Lakenmacher turns 26 on Sunday. Happy birthday, Fynn! All the best and here’s to hopefully three away points. +++ Happy Birthday, Flo Bauer! +++ Tomorrow, Thursday (May 7th), Florian Bauer, rehabilitation trainer for SV Darmstadt 98, celebrates his 46th birthday. Thank you for your work with the Lilies. And happy birthday, Flo! +++ Thank you to the Oberfeld Estate +++ For many years, SV Darmstadt 98 has sourced its employees‘ Christmas gifts from the Hofgut Oberfeld estate in Darmstadt. What makes this particularly special is that the estate employs, among others, people with physical or intellectual disabilities, all of whom, as passionate Darmstadt fans, always wrap the Christmas gifts with special care. Every employee who has ever received one of these gifts can immediately see the love and dedication that went into it. Now it was time to say a heartfelt „thank you“ to these unsung Santas. For this reason, the club invited the Hofgut Oberfeld employees for a stadium tour and to watch a training session. The happy faces alone showed how well the invitation was received. +++ Member Challenge has ended +++ Despite gains, unfortunately no winner was declared. SV 98 was searching for the „Members‘ Block“: An additional free match was promised to the block whose season ticket holders first comprised 90% members. Many members recruited, distributed flyers, and convinced their neighbours, resulting in noticeable gains. However, these gains were spread throughout the entire stadium, and no single block managed to reach the 90% threshold, meaning no winner could be declared. Perhaps next year will be better, as a repeat performance is not out of the question. +++ San Antonio: Drama in stoppage time +++ Pure excitement until the very end! In the USL Championship, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks visited San Antonio FC and delivered a thrilling encounter. Twice the SAFC came back from a deficit, and the game went into eleven minutes of added time tied 2-2. But from then on, things got even wilder. In the seventh minute of added time, Jorge Hernandez scored what appeared to be the game-winner for San Antonio, making it 3-2. But Colorado had the final say. In the 100th minute of play, they scored to tie the game 3-3. Despite the late shock, the SAFC remains undefeated at home in Toyota Field. Another factor also gives reason for hope for more success in the future: forward Jorge Hernandez and centre back Alex Crognale have each scored five goals in their last two league games! We’ll see if this run continues in their next away game against Phoenix Rising FC on Sunday (May 10th, 4:00am). Best of luck