In the general state of emergency at the first moment of promotion, “Lilien” captain Fabian Holland grabbed the electronic board, which is otherwise used to indicate substitutions. Symbolically, the “2” made way for the glowing “1” in his hands.
The fact that first-league football is returning to the Böllenfalltor is well-deserved and fully deserved. The fact that it still took strong nerves to achieve the big goal is no more than a blemish at the end of a consistently strong season. Promotion never comes at the wrong time, with Darmstadt it comes at the ideal time.
The stadium at Böllenfalltor has just been completely completed in order to be able to receive the best in the republic adequately. And the two Bundesliga seasons from 2015 to 2017 have just fallen out of the five-year ranking of television income, which is so important for clubs in Darmstadt, so that the “lilies” can now take a deep sip from this bottle again. For at least a year.
There is no shortage of that
Can this time, after the fourth promotion to the Bundesliga in the club’s history, be more than a first-class short visit? Yes, because the general conditions in Darmstadt are better than ever. No, because overall they still seem small compared to most top-flight locations.
There are reasons why Braunschweig (then coached by Torsten Lieberknecht), Fürth and Paderborn were not able to establish themselves in today’s professional game. The people of Darmstadt do not lack clear principles in their actions and the necessary know-how. The management of the management team around President Rüdiger Fritsch, the squad planning of the quiet but unerring sports director Carsten Wehlmann and the coaching craft of Lieberknecht have grown to high standards.
Sports director Carsten Wehlmann put together the successful Darmstadt 98 squad.
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Image: dpa
But in the coming months, many correct (personnel) decisions will be necessary to compensate for the disadvantage of the comparatively small budget. The trick will be to maintain the sworn unity in the players’ cabin and still bring in quality from the outside.
Darmstadt will need an increase in some positions in order to be first class competitive over a whole season. A number of professionals have shown in recent years that the Darmstadt location can be a good development step and a springboard for higher tasks – which should increase the willingness of large clubs to loan good young players to the “lilies”. That could make the “1” in front of the SV 98 shine for more than a year.
