SV Elversberg dream of historic promotion in Bundesliga play-offs against Heidenheim

Heidenheim and SV Elversberg will play for a place in the Bundesliga. The former are forced to play to avoid relegation after playing the Conference League this season. The latter are on the verge of taking a further and definitive step to crown a different project that has made its way in German football. Elversberg had been in the fourth tier for eight consecutive seasons until their meteoric rise began in 2021.

The main architect is Frank Holzer, a pharmaceutical entrepreneur who started investing in the club as early as 1989. At that time, Elversberg was in debt and not far from disappearing. He has fulfilled practically every possible role in a club: investor, chairman and even interim coach on the odd occasion. Settled in a football town of 13,000 inhabitants, but usually fills its stadium of 10,000. Now, they are at the top of their game.

Settled in Germany's minor and non-professional divisions, they only set foot in the Third Division in 2013-14, but only stayed for one year before being relegated back to the fourth tier, where they spent eight successive seasons until the 2021-22 that changed everything. They finished in first position to move up to the 3. Liga, where he also finished top to celebrate two consecutive promotions.

In 2023-24, he experienced that transitional period in the 2. Bundesliga. In an already very demanding division with historic teams like Hamburg, Hannover 96 or Schalke 04, Elversberg finished in eleventh place with 43 points - 11 points clear of promotion. In 2024-25, Koln and Hamburg secured the direct promotion places and Elversberg, who finished third, meet Heidenheim to try to fulfil a dream and close Holzer's cycle.

If Holzer has been key in investment and management, Horst Steffen, the team's coach, has been key in sporting matters. The coach has been with the club since 2018 and has been a part of the whole promotion process that Elversberg have enjoyed before playing for a Bundesliga place against Heidenheim over two legs. Steffen has now been in charge of the club for 234 games.