Letzigrund

Letzigrund (Swiss Standard German: [ˈlɛtsiɡrʊnd] ) is a stadium in Zürich, Switzerland, the home of the football clubs FC Zürich and Grasshopper Club Zürich, as well as the athletics club LC Zürich. The stadium was constructed by members of FC Zürich in 1925. Grasshopper Club has been using it as their home stadium since 2007. LC Zürich was spun off of FC Zürich in 1934. 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]

Stadion Letzigrund
Letzi
Interior panorama
LocationZürich, Switzerland
OwnerCity of Zurich
OperatorCity of Zurich
Capacity26,104 (football, domestic league),
24,061 (football, international matches),
30,930 (UEFA Euro 2008),
25,773 (athletics),
50,044 (concerts)[1]
Field size105 x 68 m
Construction
Broke ground15 November 2005
Built2006–2007
Opened30 August 2007
Construction costCHF 120 million (2007)
ArchitectBétrix & Consolascio, Frei & Ehrensperger[2]
General contractorImplenia
Tenants
FC Zürich
Grasshopper Club Zürich
FC Zürich Frauen
LC Zürich

Old stadium (1925–2006)

Letzigrund
(old stadium)
Letzi
Last athletics event (August 2006)
LocationZürich, Switzerland
Coordinates47°22′58″N 8°30′16″E
OwnerFC Zürich (1925–1937),
City of Zurich (1937–2006)
Capacity25,000 (football);
48,000 (concerts, 2006)
Construction
Opened22 November 1925
Expanded1947, 1958, 1973, 1984
Closed20 August 2006
Demolished2006
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.[5]

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
Date Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
9 June 2008 Romania Romania 0–0 France France Group C 30,585
13 June 2008 Romania Romania 1–1 Italy Italy Group C 30,585
17 June 2008 France France 0–2 Italy Italy Group C 30,585

International matches

International matches played at Letzigrund
Date Team #1 Result Team #2 Competition
13 October 2007 Switzerland  3–1  Austria Men's friendly
20 November 2007 0–1  Nigeria
6 February 2008 Portugal  3–1  Italy
10 September 2008 Switzerland  1–2  Luxembourg 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
1 June 2012 Italy  0–3  Russia Men's friendly
31 March 2015 Switzerland  1–1  United States
29 March 2016 0–2  Bosnia and Herzegovina
23 March 2018 Egypt  1–2  Portugal
27 March 2018 0–1  Greece
29 May 2018 Kosovo  3–0  Albania
22 October 2021 Switzerland  2–0  Romania 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
26 October 2021 5–0  Croatia
29 March 2022 Switzerland  1–1  Kosovo Men's friendly
30 June 2022 Switzerland  0–4  England Women's friendly
11 October 2022 Switzerland  2–1  Wales 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

Concerts

Concerts at Letzigrund
Date Artist Tour Attendance
23 June 1996 Bon Jovi These Days Tour
1 and 2 November 1996 Tina Turner Wildest Dreams Tour
26 June 1997 Céline Dion Falling Into You Around the World Tour
1 July 1999 Céline Dion Let's Talk About Love World Tour 42,040
30 June and 1 July 2000 Tina Turner Twenty Four Seven Tour Sold out
30 August 2000 Bon Jovi Crush Tour
20 June 2001 AC/DC Stiff Upper Lip World Tour
26 June 2001 Bon Jovi One Wild Night Tour
11 June 2003 Bon Jovi Bounce Tour
2 June 2004 Paul McCartney 2004 Summer Tour
18 June 2004 Metallica Madly in Anger with the World Tour
18 July 2005 U2 Vertigo Tour 44,260
11 and 12 September 2010 U2 U2 360° Tour 90,349
14 July 2011 Bon Jovi Bon Jovi Live 37,125
26 May 2012 Coldplay Mylo Xyloto Tour 48,826
9 July 2012 Bruce Springsteen Wrecking Ball World Tour 41,560
16 August 2012 Robbie Williams Take the Crown Stadium Tour 37,532
18 August 2012 Madonna The MDNA Tour 37,792
11 September 2013 Roger Waters The Wall Live 37,367
1 June 2014 Rolling Stones 14 On Fire 48,622
5 and 7 June 2015 AC/DC Rock or Bust World Tour
15 August 2015 Die Toten Hosen Am Anfang war der Lärm sold out
11 and 12 June 2016 Coldplay A Head Full of Dreams Tour 89,254
14 July 2016 Beyoncé The Formation World Tour 23,790
31 July 2016 Bruce Springsteen The River Tour 2016 36,728
12 August 2016 Rihanna Anti World Tour
7 June 2017 Guns N' Roses Not in This Lifetime Tour 42,425
18 June 2017 Depeche Mode Global Spirit Tour 29,575
2 September 2017 Robbie Williams The Heavy Entertainment Show Tour 45,000
20 September 2017 Rolling Stones No Filter Tour 48,000
3 and 4 August 2018 Ed Sheeran Divide Tour 95,458
10 May 2019 Metallica WorldWired Tour 46,349
10 July 2019 Bon Jovi This House Is Not for Sale Tour
30 July 2019 P!nk Beautiful Trauma World Tour 45,287
30 and 31 May 2022 Rammstein Europe Stadium Tour 94,000
17 July 2022 Die Toten Hosen Alles aus Liebe 45,000
19 and 20 August 2022 Gölä & Trauffer Büetzer Buebe
16 and 17 September 2022 Ed Sheeran Mathematics Tour
1 and 2 July 2023 Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour 95,055
9 and 10 July 2024 Taylor Swift The Eras Tour TBA

See also

References

  1. Stadium Letzigrund official website
  2. "Bauten - Frei & Ehrensperger". Archived from the original on 2009-02-16. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
  3. "10 Seconds Flat Race". Speed Endurance. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  4. "Reconstruction". City of Zurich administration, stadium management. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  5. Matthew, Allen (August 31, 2007). "Letzigrund opening". Swissinfo. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
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