Letzigrund
Template:Short description Template:Infobox venue Letzigrund ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}) is a stadium in Zürich, Switzerland, the home of the football clubs FC Zürich and Grasshopper Club Zürich, as well as the athletics club Template:Interlanguage link. 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.<ref name="The 100 meters - World's First 10 Seconds Flat Race">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Old stadium (1925–2006)Edit
Template:Infobox venue 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 Template:Convert, 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.Template:Citation needed
New stadium (2007–present)Edit
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.<ref name="Letzigrund Reconstruction Timeline">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Swissinfo-Matthew">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Swissinfo-Matthew" />
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" (Template:Langx) by Swiss media,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.
MatchesEdit
UEFA Euro 2008Edit
The stadium was one of the venues for the UEFA Euro 2008. Three games were played at the stadium during the tournament.
| Date | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 June 2008 | Template:Flagicon Romania | 0–0 | Template:Flagicon France | Group C | 30,585 |
| 13 June 2008 | Template:Flagicon Romania | 1–1 | Template:Flagicon Italy | Group C | 30,585 |
| 17 June 2008 | Template:Flagicon France | 0–2 | Template:Flagicon Italy | Group C | 30,585 |
International matchesEdit
UEFA Women's Euro 2025Edit
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.
| Date | Time (CEST) | Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 July 2025 | --:-- | Template:Fbw-rt | – | Template:Fbw | Group D | |
| 9 July 2025 | --:-- | Template:Fbw-rt | – | Template:Fbw | ||
| 12 July 2025 | --:-- | Template:Fbw-rt | – | Template:Fbw | Group C | |
| 17 July 2025 | --:-- | Winner Group C | – | Runner-up Group D | Quarter-finals | |
| 23 July 2025 | --:-- | Winner QF4 | – | Winner QF2 | Semi-finals |
GalleryEdit
- Old Letzigrund Stadium by Raymond Lafourchette.jpg
The old stadium, viewed from the Uetliberg
- Démolition Ancien Letzigrund par Raymond Lafourchette.jpg
Demolition of the old stadium
- New Letzigrund by Raymond Lafourchette.jpg
Building of the new stadium
- Letzigrund 2007ii.jpg
Opening ceremony (30 August 2007)
- Zurich Letzigrund by Raymond Lafourchette.jpg
Interior view of the new Letzigrund
- Letzigrund 2007 1.jpg
The new stadium
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:FC Zürich Template:Grasshopper Club Zürich Template:Euro 2008 stadiums Template:Football venues in Switzerland Template:European Athletics Championships stadiums Template:Diamond League venues Template:Zürich Template:Authority control