Grasshopper Club Zürich
Full name | Grasshopper Club Zürich | ||
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Nickname(s) | Hoppers | ||
Short name | GC, GCZ, Grasshoppers | ||
Founded | 1 September 1886 | ||
Ground | Letzigrund | ||
Capacity | 26,104 | ||
Owner | Los Angeles FC[1][2] | ||
President | Stacy Johns (interim) | ||
Sporting director | Stephan Schwarz | ||
Coach | Marco Schällibaum | ||
League | Swiss Super League | ||
2022–23 | 7th of 10 | ||
Website | Club website | ||
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Grasshopper Club Zürich, commonly referred to as simply GC, GCZ, or Grasshoppers, is a professional multisports club based in Zürich, Switzerland. The oldest and best-known department of the club is its football team. With 27 titles, Grasshopper holds the records for winning the most national championships and the Swiss Cups, with 19 trophies in the latter.[3] The club is the oldest football team in Zürich and maintains a substantial rivalry with FC Zürich.[4]
The origin of Grasshopper's name is unknown, although the most common explanation refers to its early players' energetic post-goal celebrations and that their style of play was nimble and energetic.[5]
After a number of appearances in
History
Before 1920: Foundation and first championship wins
Grasshopper was founded on 1 September 1886 by Tom E. Griffith, an English student. Using a 20 Swiss franc donation, the club acquired an English football shirt in blue and white colours (as worn by Blackburn Rovers). The English students were from Manchester Grammar School in Manchester. Arthur J. Finck was one of the students who was part of the group that founded the club. Its first match came in October of that year against ETH and ended in a goalless draw. In 1893, Grasshopper became the first Swiss team to play in (what was then) Germany, defeating Strasbourg 1–0.
The first
The illustrious coach
1920s: Dori Kürschner era
After rejoining the Swiss championship in 1916, GC won their fifth championship in
1930s: Beginning of Karl Rappan era
Dori Kürschner stayed with Grasshopper until 1934, winning another championship in
1940s: More titles during World War II
Despite the turmoils of
1950s: Last successes for a long time
In
1960s: No titles
During the 1960s, Grasshopper won no championships and no Cups. The best result was a second place in
1970s: Return to success and UEFA Cup semi-final
In
Thanks to their top finishes in the league, GC was able to play in European competitions almost every year. In
1980s: Hat-tricks
The 1980s were a successful decade for Grasshopper. In the years
Grasshopper were also successful in the Cup competition: after winning in 1983 they also achieved a hat-trick in the Cup, winning in 1988, 1989 and 1990. The last two of those wins were achieved with German manager Ottmar Hitzfeld. A notable success in European competitions came in 1980–81 UEFA Cup when GC reached the quarter-finals, but then were eliminated by French side Sochaux.
1990s: Champions League
In
In the
, a more positive result was achieved. After home wins over Rangers and Auxerre and an away win at Ajax, a draw in the last game at home against Ajax would have secured qualification for the quarter finals. However, the game was lost 0–1 and Ajax advanced instead.2000s: Incorporation
With title wins in 2000–01 and 2002–03, the first decade of the 21st century started well, but since then no further successes were achieved. In 1997, Grasshopper was incorporated and as of May 2005, it is formally organized as Neue Grasshopper Fussball AG. In doing so, Grasshopper became the first Swiss sports club to go public.[8] However, the club entered a period of decline after their last championship in 2003, with two third-place finishes in 2005 and 2010 being their best results. In 2012, they narrowly avoided being relegated thanks to Sion's 36-point deduction and Neuchatel Xamax's expulsion from the league in January 2012. Then coach Ciriaco Sforza resigned in April 2012.
For the 2012/13 season,
The improving results did not last however and soon declined again. In the following five years, they managed to only once finish in the upper half of the table and finally, in 2019, Grasshopper were relegated to the second division for the first time in 68 years.[11] They spend the entire 2018/19 season in the bottom three of the league, ending their season with two abandoned matches due to Grasshopper fan behaviour.[12]
2020s: Return to the Super League
The first season in the second league did not go as planned. For one, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the second half of the season was delayed until late spring 2020. Furthermore, GC failed to even achieve a second-place finish, which would have qualified them for a playoff game for promotion, after losing the final game of the season 0–6 against Winterthur. During this time, in April 2020, it was revealed that the Hong Kong-based Champion Union HK Holding Limited had acquired 90% of GC shares.[13] The new ownership appointed Sky Sun as the president of the club. In April 2021, Seyi Olofinjana was signed as sporting director.[14]
For the following season, João Carlos Pereira took over coaching duties at GC. Despite a strong season, and spending a majority of the time at first place, the team began to struggle at the close of the season. After a seven-point lead on challenger Thun had melted away in three games, club leadership took drastic measures by removing Pereira and reinstating Zoltán Kádár (who had been interim coach at the end of the previous season) as interim coach for the final two games of the season. The changes would pay off, as GC secured Challenge League championship and promotion in a 2–1 victory over Kriens in the final game.
For the first season back in the top Swiss league, former Lausanne coach Giorgio Contini was signed as head coach.[15] Despite a decent first half of the season, following the winter break, the team struggled to win points and came dangerously close to the bottom of the league. Improving results in spring 2022 allowed the team to narrowly avoid the relegation playoff, ending the season in eighth place thanks to a better goal difference over Luzern.
During preparation for the new season, sporting director Olofinjana and CEO Shqiprim Berisha were removed from the teams management.[16] President Sun would take over CEO duties in the interim. On 1 July 2022, Grasshopper veteran Bernt Haas was appointed as new sporting director.[17] On 13 February 2023, Sun stepped down from his positions as president and CEO, with vice-president András Gurovits taking up the mantle in the interim.[18]
On 19 March 2023, Swiss online news site nau.ch reported that coach Contini had handed in his resignation in mid February,[19] which would see him leaving the club in the summer, following a six-month notice period. On the same day, the club confirmed the news and stating their intention of continuing their cooperation for the duration of the season.[20] On 9 June 2023, following the conclusion of the season, Bruno Berner was announced as the new head coach for the 2023–24 season.[21] He signed a two year contract with GC. Berner had graduated from the Grasshoppers academy in 1997 and played for the first team until 2002, winning two Swiss championships in that time (1998 and 2001).
On 30 June, former
On 17 January 2024, a long-term partnership with
Stadium and grounds
Since September 2007, Grasshopper-Club Zürich has played all of its home matches in the Letzigrund stadium which is the regular home ground of FC Zürich. After the completion of the new Stadion Zürich (currently in planning stage), both teams are expected to play there.
From 1929 to 2007, Grasshopper had their own home ground in the Hardturm stadium. Before 1929, home matches were played at various other venues.
Training facilities are located in Niederhasli, where in 2005 the club opened a comprehensive facility including five practice pitches, apartments for youth players and offices.
Rivalries
FC Zürich
FC Zürich was founded ten years after GC in 1896. A year later, the first derby between the two Zurich clubs was held as part of the first Swiss championship, where GC defeated FC Zurich 7–2. As the two teams did not always play in the same league, it would take nearly 70 years until the 100th derby. To date, 251 official derbies have been held, with Grasshopper leading with 121 wins to FC Zurich's 90, leaving 39 draws.
Basel
Basel has long been a rival to GC, owing largely to the rivalry between the two cities. As a result, games between FC Zurich and Basel are also often heated games, often leading to clashes between fans.
From the late 60s to the early 80s, both GC and Basel had numerous Swiss championship victories. However, in 1988, Basel was relegated to the Nationalliga B. The rivalry flared up at the beginning of the 21st century, when FCB's improved performance has made them a mainstay at the top the Swiss league. However, with FCB's rise came GC's downfall and the rivalry has become largely one-sided. The most recent notable meeting between the two teams was the Swiss Cup Final in 2013, where Grasshoppers were able to beat Basel in penalties, with a score of 1–1 after extra time.
Honours
League
- Swiss Championship
- Champions (27): 2000–01, 2002–03(record)
- Champions (27):
- Nationalliga B/Challenge League
- Winners (2): 1950–51, 2020–21
Cups
- Swiss Cup
- Swiss League Cup
- Winners: 1973, 1975
- Swiss Super Cup
- Winners: 1989
European Competitions
- Champions League/European Cup
- Quarter-finalist: 1978–79
- Europa League/UEFA Cup
- Semi-finalist: 1977–78
- European Cup Winners' Cup
- Quarter-finalist: 1989–90
Players
Current squad
- As of 15 February 2024[25]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Academy players with first-team contracts
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Other players under contract
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Women's team
The women's division was founded in 2009, when GC/Schwerzenbach (originally FFC Schwerzenbach) was absorbed into the club.
- As of 7 September 2023[26]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
Players for the
- Alfred "Fredy" Bickel
- Thomas Bickel
- Stéphane Chapuisat
- Patrick de Napoli
- Ricardo Cabanas
- Diego Benaglio
- Christoph Spycher
- Christian Gross
- Marcel Koller
- Stephan Lichtsteiner
- Patrick Müller
- Boris Smiljanić
- Roman Bürki
- Pajtim Kasami
- Ciriaco Sforza
- Alain Sutter
- Kubilay Türkyilmaz
- Johann Vogel
- Eldin Jakupović
- Blaise Nkufo
- Yann Sommer
- Hakan Yakin
- Murat Yakin
- Reto Ziegler
- Raimondo Ponte
- Claudio Sulser
- Stéphane Grichting
- Haris Seferovic
- Philippe Senderos
- Bernt Haas
Players with World Cup appearances for their national teams
Coaching staff
Current coaching staff
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Academy Coaches and Staff
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List of Coaches (since 1925)
- Izidor "Dori" Kürschner (1925–34)
- Karl Rappan (1935–48)
- Gerhard "Hardy" Walter (1948–50)
- Willi Treml (1950–55)
- Willi Hahnemann (1955–58)
- Svetislav Glišović (1958)
- Antun Pogačnik and Alfred "Fredy" Bickel (1958–60)
- Branislav Vukosavljević (1960–63)
- Alfred "Fredy" Bickel (1963–64)
- Albert Sing (1964–66)
- Walter Brunner and Werner Schley (1966–67)
- Henri Skiba (1967–69)
- Walter Brunner and Werner Schley (1969–70)
- René Hüssy (1970–73)
- Erich Vogel and István Szabó(1973–76)
- Helmuth Johannsen (1 July 1976 – 30 June 1979)
- Jürgen Sundermann (1 July 1979 – 30 June 1980)
- Friedhelm Konietzka (1980–82)
- Hennes Weisweiler (1 July 1982 – 5 July 1983)
- Miroslav Blažević (1983 – 30 June 1985)
- Friedhelm Konietzka (1985–86)
- Kurt Jara (1 November 1986 – 30 June 1988)
- Ottmar Hitzfeld (1 July 1988 – 30 June 1991)
- Oldrich Svab (1991–92)
- Leo Beenhakker (1 July 1992 – 30 June 1993)
- Christian Gross (1 July 1993 – 23 November 1997)
- Hanspeter Latour (interim) (1997)
- Rolf Fringer (1 January 1998 – 17 December 1998)
- Roger Hegi (1 January 1999 – 1 August 1999)
- Roy Hodgson (1 July 1999 – 30 June 2000)
- Piet Hamberg (interim) (2000)
- Hanspeter Zaugg(22 June 2000 – 8 January 2002)
- Marcel Koller (1 January 2002 – 2 October 2003)
- Carlos Bernegger (interim) (3 October 2003 – 22 December 2003)
- Alain Geiger (23 December 2003 – 4 October 2004)
- Carlos Bernegger (interim) (4 October 2004 – 31 December 2004)
- Krassimir Balakov(16 January 2006 – 21 May 2007)
- Carlos Bernegger (interim) (2007)
- Hanspeter Latour (1 July 2007 – 30 June 2009)
- Ciriaco Sforza (1 July 2009 – 15 April 2012)
- Uli Forte(16 April 2012 – 30 June 2013)
- Michael Skibbe (1 July 2013 – 8 January 2015)
- Pierluigi Tami (15 January 2015 – 12 March 2017)
- Carlos Bernegger (12 March 2017 – 24 August 2017)
- Murat Yakin (28 August 2017 – 10 April 2018)
- Mathias Walther (10 April 2018 – 23 April 2018) (caretaker)
- Thorsten Fink (23 April 2018 – 4 March 2019)
- Tomislav Stipic(6 March 2019 – 9 April 2019)
- Uli Forte(9 April 2019 – 7 February 2020)
- Goran Djuricin (10 February 2020 – 15 May 2020)
- Zoltán Kádár (15 May 2020 – 5 August 2020) (caretaker)
- João Carlos Pereira (6 August 2020 – 5 May 2021)
- Zoltán Kádár (5 May 2021 – 9 June 2021) (caretaker)
- Giorgio Contini (9 June 2021 – 9 June 2023)[15]
- Bruno Berner (9 June 2023 – 9 April 2024)[21]
- Marco Schällibaum (10 April 2024 – present)[28]
Organisation
- As of 17 January 2024[36]
Board of Directors | ||
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Position | Name | Since |
President | Stacy Johns | 01/2024[1] |
Board member | Larry Freedman | 01/2024[1] |
Vice-president | András Gurovits | 07/2023 |
Management | ||
Sporting director | Stephan Schwarz | 03/2024[24] |
Director of Commerce & Sales | Andreas Schmocker | 03/2023 |
Head of Communication | Milica Ferreira da Silva | 07/2023[37] |
Head of Human Resources | Anna Tang | 01/2022 |
Head of Finance | Roland Gebhard |
References
- ^ a b c d "LAFC and Grasshopper Club Zürich form Partnership". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ a b "LAFC And Grasshopper Club Zürich Form Long-Term Strategic Partnership". Los Angeles FC. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ "Vilotić seals Swiss Cup success for Grasshoppers". UEFA. 20 May 2013. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ "The great Zurich divide". FIFA. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ "GESCHICHTE DES GRASSHOPPER CLUB ZÜRICH". GCZ. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ "Sektionen". GCZ. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ "Grasshopper Club Zürich". FIFA. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ "White Papers – Resource Library". TechRepublic. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2006.
- ^ "Soccer-Grasshoppers win Swiss Cup, end 10-year trophy drought". Reuters. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ "Soccer-Basel on verge of fourth successive title, Servette down". Reuters. 29 May 2013. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ Homewood, Brian (16 May 2019). "Relegation completes demise of most successful Swiss club". Reuters. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ Reidy, Paul (13 May 2019). "Relegated Grasshopper fans demand players surrender shirts". as.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- Tages Anzeiger. Archivedfrom the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ "Wolves loan manager Seyi Olofinjana to join Grasshoppers". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ a b Thomas Schifferle (9 June 2021). "Giorgio Contini neuer Cheftrainer bei GC". Grasshopper Club Zürich. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- ^ "GC ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO ITS MANAGEMENT". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 20 June 2022. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- ^ "BERNT HAAS APPOINTED NEW SPORTING DIRECTOR OF GC ZURICH". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 1 July 2022. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- ^ "PRÄSIDENT SKY SUN TRITT ZURÜCK". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 13 February 2023. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^ "Exklusiv: GC auf Trainersuche – Giorgio Contini hat gekündigt!". nau.ch. 19 March 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- ^ "UPDATE ON THE COACH SITUATION". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 19 March 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- ^ a b "BRUNO BERNER BECOMES THE NEW HEAD COACH". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 9 June 2023. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ "MATT JACKSON NEW PRESIDENT OF GFAG". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ a b "GC ZURICH APPOINTS STEPHAN SCHWARZ AS SPORTS DIRECTOR". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Zürich, Grasshopper Club. "Kader – Grasshopper Club Zürich". www.gcz.ch. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ "Kader". www.gcfrauenfussball.ch. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ Zürich, Grasshopper Club. "Squad – Grasshopper Club Zürich". www.gcz.ch. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Marco Schällibaum appointed new Head Coach at GC Zurich". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 10 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ a b "MIOCH AND FÄSSLER COMPLETE THE COACHING TEAM". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 19 June 2023. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ "Burim Kukeli joins 1st team coaching staff". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ "ERMINIO PISERCHIA AND JÖRG STIEL NEW AT GC". www.gcz.ch. Grasshopper Club Zürich. 18 June 2021.
- ^ Zürich, Grasshopper Club. "Youth Performance Center – Grasshopper Club Zürich". www.gcz.ch. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ a b "New faces in the Youth Department". www.gcz.ch. Grasshopper Club Zürich. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "SASCHA MÜLLER NEW TALENT MANAGER AT GC ZURICH". www.gcz.ch. Grasshopper Club Zürich. 22 March 2023. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
- ^ a b c "GC ZÜRICH STARTET SAISON MIT NEUEN NACHWUCHSTRAINERN". www.gcz.ch. Grasshopper Club Zürich. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "Organisation – Grasshopper Club Zürich". www.gcz.ch. Grasshopper Club Zürich. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "MILICA FERREIRA DA SILVA TAKES OVER AS HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS AT GCZ". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
Further reading
External links
Fan sites
- GCZForum – Bulletin Board (Forum) for Fans of GCZ (in German)
- GCZone – Fansite of GCZ (in German)
- Grassmokers – Oldest unofficial fanclub of GCZ Archived 8 March 2005 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
- Main fan page with organisation for away games (in German)