SV Darmstadt 98 - last updated on 1 August 2008
(Courtesy of Johnny Beaufays)
Club name: Schwimm- und Sportverein Ulm 1846 e.V.
Foundation: May 22nd 1898
City: Darmstadt
Colours: Blue and white
Website: www.sv98.de
Honours:
Regionalliga Süd - 1 (1973)
2nd Bundesliga Süd - 2 (1978, 1981)
Amateurliga Hessen - 4 (1950, 1962, 1964, 1971)
Oberliga Hessen - 3 (1999, 2004, 2008)
Hessenpokal - 6 (1966, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008)
A bit of 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 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.
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 Mannheim in overtime of the fourth 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 and 2007, 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 the 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 making the future of the club uncertain.
They lost a friendly benefit match against Bayern Munich, 11-5, on the 13th of May.
Club crests: (roll on the crest to get more informations)
SV Darmstadt 98
