Letzigrund
Letzigrund is a stadium in Zürich, Switzerland, and the home of the athletics club LC Zürich, and the football clubs FC Zürich and Grasshopper Club Zürich. LC Zürich is a spin-off of FC Zürich whose members constructed the stadium in 1925. Grasshopper-Club is using it as their home stadium since 2007. The annual track and field meet Weltklasse Zürich—part of the Diamond League—takes place at the Letzigrund since 1928, as well as 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]
Letzi | |
 | |
| |
| Location | Zürich, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°22′58.06″N 8°30′15.71″E |
| Owner | City of Zurich |
| Operator | City of Zurich |
| Capacity | 26,104 (football),[1] 30,930 (UEFA Euro 2008), 30,000 (athletics), 50,000 (concerts) |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 15 November 2005 |
| Built | 2006–2007 |
| Opened | 30 August 2007 |
| Construction cost | CHF 120 million (2007) |
| Architect | Bétrix & Consolascio, Frei & Ehrensperger[2] |
| General contractor | Implenia |
| Tenants | |
| FC Zürich Grasshopper Club Zürich FC Zürich Frauen LC Zürich | |
Old stadium
Letzi | |
 | |
| |
| Location | Zürich, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°22′58″N 8°30′16″E |
| Owner | FC Zürich (1925–1937), City of Zurich (1937–2006) |
| Capacity | 25,000 (football); 48,000 (concerts, 2006) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 22 November 1925 |
| Expanded | 1947, 1958, 1973, 1984 |
| Closed | 20 August 2006 |
| Demolished | 2006 |
| Tenants | |
| FC Zürich, LC Zürich | |
It opened November 22, 1925 owned by the FC Zürich football club. During the Great Depression, ownership changed to the city of Zurich in 1937 which has operated it since. It underwent extensive remodeling in 1947, 1958, 1973, and 1984. Lighting was added in 1973. The first open-air concert was in 1996.
The capacity was 25,000 and the main pitch was 105 by 68 meters with athletics facilities. There were also three other playing fields: 2 lawns, 1 artificial turf and a small packed sand field. The old Letzigrund also contained a bar and a restaurant within the stadium.
Concerts
| Concerts at Letzigrund | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Artist | Tour | Attendance |
| 23 June 1996 | Bon Jovi | These Days Tour | — |
| 1 & 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 & 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 | 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 | 100,000 |
| 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 | — |
| 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 | ÷ Tour (Divide) | Sold out |
| 10 May 2019 | Metallica | WorldWired Tour | — |
| 10 July 2019 | Bon Jovi | This House is not for Sale Tour | — |
| 30 July 2019 | P!nk | Beautiful Trauma World Tour | — |
Matches
UEFA Euro 2008
The stadium was one of the venues for the UEFA Euro 2008.
The following games were played at the stadium during the UEFA Euro 2008
| Date | Time (CEST) | Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 June 2008 | 18:00 |  Romania | 0–0 |  France | Group C | 30,585 |
| 13 June 2008 | 18:00 |  Italy | 1–1 | Romania | Group C | 30,585 |
| 17 June 2008 | 20:45 | France | 0–2 | Italy | Group C | 30,585 |
International matches
| Date | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 October 2007 | Switzerland  | 3–1 |  Austria | Friendly |
| 20 November 2007 | Switzerland | 0–1 |  Nigeria | Friendly |
| 6 February 2008 | Portugal  | 3–1 | Italy | Friendly |
| 10 September 2008 | Switzerland | 1–2 |  Luxembourg | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
| 1 June 2012 | Italy | 0–3 |  Russia | Friendly |
| 31 March 2015 | Switzerland | 1–1 |  United States | Friendly |
| 29 March 2016 | Switzerland | 0–2 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | Friendly |
| 23 March 2018 | Egypt  | 1–2 | Portugal | Friendly |
| 27 March 2018 | Egypt | 0–1 |  Greece | Friendly |
| 29 May 2018 | Kosovo  | 3–0 |  Albania | Friendly |
| 20 July 2018 | Sevilla  | Benfica | 2018 International Champions Cup | |
New stadium
In the Nineties, the athletics club Zürich was pushing 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 simultaneously, the city administration was 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 in a vote the reconstruction of the public stadium, plus in a separate vote, the costs of temporarily adjusting the stadium to the requirements of EURO 2008.
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]
Gallery
The Old Stadium viewed from the Uetliberg
Demolition of the old stadium
Building of the new stadium
Opening ceremony (August 30, 2007)
Interior view of the new Letzigrund
The new stadium
References
- UEFA Europa League - Season 2011/12: Group D
- "Bauten - Frei & Ehrensperger". Archived from the original on 2009-02-16. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- "10 Seconds Flat Race". Speed Endurance. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
- "Reconstruction". City of Zurich administration, stadium management. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
- Matthew, Allen (August 31, 2007). "Letzigrund opening". Swissinfo. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
External links
Media related to Letzigrund-Stadion, Zürich at Wikimedia Commons
- Official Website (in German)
- Stadion Letzigrund (in Russian)
- Weltklasse Zürich stadium information