Letzigrund

Letzigrund () is a stadium in Zurich, Switzerland, the home of the football clubs FC Zürich and Grasshopper Club Zürich, as well as the athletics club . The original stadium was constructed by members of FC Zürich in 1925. Grasshopper Club has been using it as their home stadium since 2007, shortly after construction of the new stadium was completed.

The annual track and field meet Weltklasse Zürich, part of the Diamond League, has taken place at the Letzigrund since 1928, as have frequent open-air concerts. On the Letzigrund track on 21 June 1960, Armin Hary was the first human to run the 100 metres in 10.0 seconds.

Old stadium (1925–2006)

The old Letzigrund stadium was opened on 22 November 1925 and was owned by FC Zürich. In 1937, during the Great Depression, ownership was transferred to the city of Zurich, which has operated the Letzigrund ever since. It underwent extensive remodeling in 1947, 1958, 1973, and 1984. Lighting was added in 1973. The first open-air concert there was held in 1996.

The capacity of the stadium was 25,000 and the main pitch was , with athletics facilities. There were also three other playing fields: two lawns, an artificial turf, and a small packed sand field. The old Letzigrund also contained a bar and a restaurant within the stadium.

New stadium (2007–present)

In the 1990s, the athletics club Zürich pushed for a modernisation of the facilities at Letzigrund, in order to even better accommodate the athletes of Weltklasse Zürich. In 1997, the city parliament decided favourably on an upgrade of the stadium, whereas the city administration was simultaneously working on a reconstruction plan. At the same time, the owners of the Hardturm football stadium were also planning to reconstruct their stadium.

In 2003, the new Hardturm stadium was approved by the city population in a public vote, but subsequently, legal objections by neighbourhood and environmental groups put the timely realisation for the EURO 2008 tournament, for which it was chosen by UEFA in 2002 as one of eight venues, in jeopardy. As a result, the planning process for the new Letzigrund stadium was accelerated. In 2005, the city population approved the reconstruction of the public stadium and the costs of temporarily adjusting the stadium to the requirements of EURO 2008 in two separate referendums.

Originally planned for 2009, the new Letzigrund stadium was opened on August 30, 2007. The first sports event there was the annual Weltklasse Zürich on September 7 with 26,500 spectators. The first football game was FC Zürich vs. Grasshopper Club Zürich on September 23. It hosted three games during the 2008 European championships, with a capacity of up to 30,000. The current capacity is 25,000 for football events, 26,000 for athletics and 50,000 for concerts.

On 2 October 2011, the Swiss Football League game between FC Zürich and Grasshopper Club Zürich held at the stadium saw a major incident of football hooliganism. During the 74th minute of the match, with Grasshopper Club Zürich leading 2–1, a masked FC Zürich fan threw a lit flare into the Grasshopper Club Zürich fan section. This incited a violent reaction from the Grasshopper Club Zürich fans, several dozen of whom rushed towards the fence separating the two groups and attempted to fight back with flagpoles. The referee abandoned the match due to safety concerns. Six people were injured in the riot that ensued. The game had to be abandoned with approximately 15 minutes of regular time to go. Also dubbed the "Disgrace of Zürich" () by Swiss media, this incident represented a second major episode of hooligan violence in Switzerland within five years, after a hooligan incident of similar significance occurred in Basel in 2006.

Matches

UEFA Euro 2008

The stadium was one of the venues for the UEFA Euro 2008. Three games were played at the stadium during the tournament.

International matches

UEFA Women's Euro 2025

The stadium will be one of the venues for the UEFA Women's Euro 2025. Five games will be played at the stadium during the tournament.

Gallery

File:Old Letzigrund Stadium by Raymond Lafourchette.jpg, The old stadium, viewed from the Uetliberg
File:Démolition Ancien Letzigrund par Raymond Lafourchette.jpg, Demolition of the old stadium
File:New Letzigrund by Raymond Lafourchette.jpg, Building of the new stadium
File:Letzigrund 2007ii.jpg, Opening ceremony (30 August 2007)
File:Zurich Letzigrund by Raymond Lafourchette.jpg, Interior view of the new Letzigrund
File:Letzigrund 2007 1.jpg, The new stadium

Public transport

Letzigrund can be reached via tram lines 2, 3, 4, 13, 14 and 17.

See also

* List of football stadiums in Switzerland

References

External links

Official Website



*

{{Authority control

FC Zürich
Football venues in Switzerland
Athletics (track and field) venues in Switzerland
Diamond League venues
Sports venues in Zurich
Tourist attractions in Zurich
Sports venues completed in 2007
2007 establishments in Switzerland
21st-century architecture in Switzerland
Grasshopper Club Zurich