Letzigrund Explained

Stadion Letzigrund
Nickname:Letzi
Location:Zürich, Switzerland
Broke Ground:15 November 2005
Built:2006–2007
Opened:30 August 2007
Owner:City of Zurich
Operator:City of Zurich
Construction Cost:CHF 120 million (2007)
Architect:Bétrix & Consolascio, Frei & Ehrensperger[1]
General Contractor:Implenia
Capacity:26,104 (football, domestic league),
24,061 (football, international matches),
30,930 (UEFA Euro 2008),
25,773 (athletics),
50,044 (concerts)[2]
Dimensions:105 x 68 m
Tenants:FC Zürich
Grasshopper Club Zürich
FC Zürich Frauen
LC Zürich

Letzigrund (pronounced as /de-CH/) is a stadium in Zürich, 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 being to run the 100 metres in 10.0 seconds.[3] LC Zürich was spun off of FC Zürich in 1934.

Old stadium (1925–2006)

Letzigrund
(old stadium)
Nickname:Letzi
Location:Zürich, Switzerland
Coordinates:47.3828°N 8.5044°W
Opened:22 November 1925
Expanded:1947, 1958, 1973, 1984
Closed:20 August 2006
Demolished:2006
Owner:FC Zürich (1925–1937),
City of Zurich (1937–2006)
Capacity:25,000 (football);
48,000 (concerts, 2006)
Tenants:FC Zürich, LC Zürich

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 105 by 68 meters, 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.[4] 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 referenda.

Originally planned for 2009, the new Letzigrund stadium was opened on August 30, 2007.[5] 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 sector. 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,[6] 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.

UEFA Euro 2008 matches played at Letzigrund
DateTeam #1ResultTeam #2RoundSpectators
9 June 2008 Romania0–0 FranceGroup C30,585
13 June 2008 Romania1–1 ItalyGroup C30,585
17 June 2008 France0–2 ItalyGroup C30,585

International matches

International matches played at Letzigrund
DateTeam #1ResultTeam #2Competition
13 October 20073–1Men's friendly
20 November 20070–1
6 February 20083–1
10 September 20081–22010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
1 June 20120–3Men's friendly
31 March 20151–1
29 March 20160–2
23 March 20181–2
27 March 20180–1
29 May 20183–0
22 October 20212–02023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
26 October 20215–0
29 March 20221–1Men's friendly
30 June 20220–4Women's friendly
11 October 20222–12023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

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.

DateTime (CEST)Team #1Res.Team #2RoundSpectators
5 July 2025--:--D1 D2Group D
9 July 2025--:--D2 D4
12 July 2025--:--C4 C1Group C
17 July 2025--:--Winner Group CRunner-up Group DQuarter-finals
23 July 2025--:--Winner QF4Winner QF2Semi-finals

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bauten - Frei & Ehrensperger . 2009-12-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090216011042/http://www.frei-ehrensperger.ch/fr_03.html . 2009-02-16 . dead .
  2. https://www.stadionletzigrund.ch/docs/zahlen-und-fakten.pdf Stadium Letzigrund official website
  3. Web site: 10 Seconds Flat Race . February 13, 2015 . Speed Endurance .
  4. Web site: Reconstruction . dead . https://archive.today/20150215015529/http://www.stadionletzigrund.ch/en/reconstruction/ . February 15, 2015 . February 13, 2015 . City of Zurich administration, stadium management.
  5. Web site: Matthew . Allen . August 31, 2007 . Letzigrund opening . February 13, 2015 . Swissinfo.
  6. News: Kern . Max . Wegmann . Michael . 2 October 2011 . Die Schande von Zürich . 25 June 2024 . Blick.