Grasshopper Club Zurich

History

Main article: History of Grasshopper Club Zürich

Grasshopper Club Zurich was founded on 1 September 1886 by Tom E. Griffith, an English student. In 1893, the Grasshopper Club became the first Swiss team to play in (what was then) Germany, defeating Strasbourg 1–0. The first Swiss championships (then called "Serie A") were held in 1897–98 and were won by the Grasshoppers, as was the first championship played using a league system in 1899–1900.

Their biggest European success to date came in the 1977–78 UEFA Cup where they reached the semi-final against French side Bastia. After a 3–2 win at home, they traveled to Corsica for the second leg but lost 0–1 and were eliminated due to the away goal rule.

In 1997, the Grasshopper Club 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.

Their to date last Swiss championship title was won in 2003. In 2013, the Grasshoppers ended a ten-year trophy drought with a penalty shoot-out victory over Basel in the Swiss Cup final. It would be the last trophy won for over a decade.

In 2019, the Grasshoppers were relegated to the second division for the first time in 68 years.

In April 2020, it was revealed that the Hong Kong–based Champion Union HK Holding Limited had acquired 90% of GC shares.

On 17 January 2024, a long-term partnership with American Major League Soccer (MLS) side Los Angeles FC was announced, with LAFC acquiring over 90% of the shares from the previous owners, Champion Union.

Stadium and grounds

Main article: Hardturm, Letzigrund

Since September 2007, Grasshopper Club Zurich has played all of its home matches in the Letzigrund stadium which is the regular home ground of FC Zurich. After the completion of the new Stadion Zurich (currently in planning stage), both teams are expected to play there.

From 1929 to 2007, the Grasshopper Club had their own home ground in the Hardturm stadium, however, this was demolished in December 2008. Before 1929, home matches were played at various other venues.

Training facilities and their football academy 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 Zurich

Main article: Zürich Derby

FC Zurich 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 GC leading with 121 wins to FC Zurich's 90, leaving 39 draws.

The 2 October 2011 Swiss league match between the two teams is known by Swiss media as the "Disgrace of Zurich", due to rioting by FC Zurich fans. The violence followed Grasshopper supporters stealing FC Zurich fan banners and displaying them in their own section with a message mocking FC Zurich.

Basel

Basel has long been a rival to GC, owing largely to the rivalry between the two cities. As a result, games between Grasshoppers 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

National

League

• Swiss Championship
  • Champions (27): 1897–98, 1899–1900, 1900–01, 1904–05, 1920–21, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1930–31, 1936–37, 1938–39, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1944–45, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1970–71, 1977–78, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2002–03 (record)
  • Runner-up (21): 1925–16, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1937–38, 1953–54, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1967–68, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1993–94, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2012–13, 2013–14
• Nationalliga B/Challenge League
  • Winners (2): 1950–51, 2020–21

Cups

• Swiss Cup
  • **Winners (19): **1925–26, 1926–27, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1939–40, 1940–41, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1945–46, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1982–83, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94, 2012–13 (record)
  • Runner-up (13): 1927–28, 1930–31, 1932–33, 1948–49, 1952–53, 1957–58, 1962–63, 1977–78, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2003–04
• Swiss League Cup
  • Winners: 1973, 1974–75
  • Runner-up: 1977–78, 1979–80
• Swiss Super Cup
  • Winners: 1989
  • Runner-up: 1988, 1990

European

Main article: Grasshopper Club Zürich in European football

• 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

Academy players with first-team contracts

Out on loan

Women's team

Main article: Grasshopper Club Zürich (women), Swiss Women's Super League

The women's division was founded in 2009, when GC/Schwerzenbach (originally FFC Schwerzenbach) was absorbed into the club.

Notable former players

Players for the Swiss national football team

• Switzerland Alfred "Fredy" Bickel
• Switzerland Thomas Bickel
• Switzerland Stéphane Chapuisat
• Switzerland Patrick de Napoli
• Switzerland Ricardo Cabanas
• Switzerland Diego Benaglio
• Switzerland Christoph Spycher
• Switzerland Christian Gross
• Switzerland Marcel Koller
• Switzerland Stephan Lichtsteiner
• Switzerland Patrick Müller
• Switzerland Boris Smiljanić
• Switzerland Roman Bürki
• Switzerland Pajtim Kasami
• Switzerland Ciriaco Sforza
• Switzerland Alain Sutter
• Switzerland Kubilay Türkyilmaz
• Switzerland Johann Vogel
• Switzerland Eldin Jakupović
• Switzerland Blaise Nkufo
• Switzerland Yann Sommer
• Switzerland Hakan Yakin
• Switzerland Murat Yakin
• Switzerland Reto Ziegler
• Switzerland Raimondo Ponte
• Switzerland Claudio Sulser
• Switzerland Stéphane Grichting
• Switzerland Haris Seferovic
• Switzerland Philippe Senderos
• Switzerland Bernt Haas

Players with World Cup appearances for their national teams

• Austria Kurt Jara
• Bosnia and Herzegovina Izet Hajrović
• Bosnia and Herzegovina Senad Lulić
• Germany Günter Netzer
• Iran Daniel Davari
• Italy Vittorio Pozzo
• New Zealand Wynton Rufer
• Nigeria Efan Ekoku
• Nigeria Femi Opabunmi
• Peru Franco Navarro
• Poland Tomasz Rząsa
• Romania Viorel Moldovan
• Scotland Tosh McKinlay
• Senegal Papa Bouba Diop
• Senegal Henri Camara
• Sweden Ove Grahn
• Sweden Mats Gren
• Sweden Kim Källström
• China Li Lei
• Albania Ermir Lenjani
• Albania Amir Abrashi
• Portugal André Santos
• Kosovo Shkelqim Demhasaj
• Ecuador Leonardo Campana
• Macedonia Nikola Gjorgjev
• Guinea-Bissau Nadjack
• Hungary Bendegúz Bolla
• Japan Hayao Kawabe
• Japan Ayumu Seko --

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

Academy Coaches and Staff

List of coaches (since 1925)

• Hungary Izidor "Dori" Kürschner (1925–34)
• Austria Karl Rappan (1935–48)
• Switzerland Gerhard "Hardy" Walter (1948–50)
• Germany Willi Treml (1950–55)
• Austria Willi Hahnemann (1955–58)
• Yugoslavia Svetislav Glišović (1958)
• Yugoslavia Antun Pogačnik and Switzerland Alfred "Fredy" Bickel (1958–60)
• Yugoslavia Branislav Vukosavljević (1960–63)
• Switzerland Alfred "Fredy" Bickel (1963–64)
• Germany Albert Sing (1964–66)
• SUI Walter Brunner and Switzerland Werner Schley (1966–67)
• France Henri Skiba (1967–69)
• SUI Walter Brunner and Switzerland Werner Schley (1969–70)
• Switzerland René Hüssy (1970–73)
• Switzerland Erich Vogel and Hungary István Szabó (1973–76)
• Germany Helmuth Johannsen (1 July 1976 – 30 June 1979)
• Germany Jürgen Sundermann (1 July 1979 – 30 June 1980)
• Germany Friedhelm Konietzka (1980–82)
• Germany Hennes Weisweiler (1 July 1982 – 5 July 1983)
• Yugoslavia Miroslav Blažević (1983 – 30 June 1985)
• Germany Friedhelm Konietzka (1985–86)
• Austria Kurt Jara (1 November 1986 – 30 June 1988)
• Germany Ottmar Hitzfeld (1 July 1988 – 30 June 1991)
• Czechoslovakia Oldrich Svab (1991–92)
• Netherlands Leo Beenhakker (1 July 1992 – 30 June 1993)
• Switzerland Christian Gross (1 July 1993 – 23 November 1997)
• Switzerland Hanspeter Latour (interim) (1997)
• Austria Rolf Fringer (1 January 1998 – 17 December 1998)
• Switzerland Roger Hegi (1 January 1999 – 1 August 1999)
• England Roy Hodgson (1 July 1999 – 30 June 2000)
• Netherlands Piet Hamberg (interim) (2000)
• Switzerland Hanspeter Zaugg (22 June 2000 – 8 January 2002)
• Switzerland Marcel Koller (1 January 2002 – 2 October 2003)
• Argentina Carlos Bernegger (interim) (3 October 2003 – 22 December 2003)
• Switzerland Alain Geiger (23 December 2003 – 4 October 2004)
• Argentina Carlos Bernegger (interim) (4 October 2004 – 31 December 2004)
• Bulgaria Krassimir Balakov (16 January 2006 – 21 May 2007)
• Argentina Carlos Bernegger (interim) (2007)
• Switzerland Hanspeter Latour (1 July 2007 – 30 June 2009)
• Switzerland Ciriaco Sforza (1 July 2009 – 15 April 2012)
• Switzerland Uli Forte (16 April 2012 – 30 June 2013)
• Germany Michael Skibbe (1 July 2013 – 8 January 2015)
• Switzerland Pierluigi Tami (15 January 2015 – 12 March 2017)
• Argentina Carlos Bernegger (12 March 2017 – 24 August 2017)
• Switzerland Murat Yakin (28 August 2017 – 10 April 2018)
• Switzerland Mathias Walther (10 April 2018 – 23 April 2018) (caretaker)
• Germany Thorsten Fink (23 April 2018 – 4 March 2019)
• Croatia Tomislav Stipic (6 March 2019 – 9 April 2019)
• Switzerland Uli Forte (9 April 2019 – 7 February 2020)
• Austria Goran Djuricin (10 February 2020 – 15 May 2020)
• Romania Zoltán Kádár (15 May 2020 – 5 August 2020) (caretaker)
• Portugal João Carlos Pereira (6 August 2020 – 5 May 2021)
• Romania Zoltán Kádár (5 May 2021 – 9 June 2021) (caretaker)
• Switzerland Giorgio Contini (9 June 2021 – 9 June 2023)
• Switzerland Bruno Berner (9 June 2023 – 9 April 2024)
• Switzerland Marco Schällibaum (10 April 2024 – 5 November 2024)
• Switzerland Giuseppe Morello (5 November 2024 – 19 November 2024) (caretaker)
• Germany Tomas Oral (19 November 2024 – 1 July 2025)
• Austria Gerald Scheiblehner (1 July 2025 – present)

Organisation

References

References

1. (17 January 2024). "LAFC and Grasshopper Club Zürich form Partnership". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
2. (17 January 2024). "LAFC And Grasshopper Club Zürich Form Long-Term Strategic Partnership". [[Los Angeles FC]].
3. (20 May 2013). "Vilotić seals Swiss Cup success for Grasshoppers". UEFA.
4. "The great Zurich divide". FIFA.
5. "GESCHICHTE DES GRASSHOPPER CLUB ZÜRICH". GCZ.
6. "Sektionen". GCZ.
7. "Grasshopper Club Zürich". FIFA.
8. "White Papers – Resource Library".
9. Homewood, Brian. (16 May 2019). "Relegation completes demise of most successful Swiss club". Reuters.
10. Thomas Schifferle. (2020-04-09). "Chinesen übernehmen GC". [[Tages Anzeiger]].
11. Zürich, Grasshopper Club. "Kader – Grasshopper Club Zürich".
12. "Staff – Grasshopper Club Zürich". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
13. (24 June 2025). "Gerald Scheiblehner ist neuer Trainer beim Grasshopper Club Zürich". [[Grasshopper Club Zurich]].
14. (19 June 2024). "START OF TRAINING & COACHING STAFF & COMPLETION". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
15. Zürich, Grasshopper Club. "Youth Performance Center – Grasshopper Club Zürich".
16. (29 May 2024). "New management structure for the youth division". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
17. (2023-03-22). "SASCHA MÜLLER NEW TALENT MANAGER AT GC ZURICH". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
18. (9 August 2024). "Saisonauftakt für den Nachwuchs des GC Zürich". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
19. (4 June 2024). "Dominik Probst appointed as new U19 head coach". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
20. (2023-07-04). "GC ZÜRICH STARTET SAISON MIT NEUEN NACHWUCHSTRAINERN". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
21. Thomas Schifferle. (2021-06-09). "Giorgio Contini neuer Cheftrainer bei GC". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
22. (2023-06-09). "BRUNO BERNER BECOMES THE NEW HEAD COACH". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
23. (10 April 2024). "Marco Schällibaum appointed new Head Coach at GC Zurich". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
24. (5 November 2024). "GC Zurich parts ways with Marco Schällibaum". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
25. (19 November 2024). "GC Zurich verpflichtet Cheftrainer Tomas Oral". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
26. "Organisation – Grasshopper Club Zürich". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
27. (5 May 2024). "Alain Sutter wird neuer Sportchef beim GCZ". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
28. (4 June 2025). "GC Zürich setzt auf nachhaltige Investitionen und Swissness". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
29. (2 October 2025). "GC Zürich verpflichtet Ramin Pandji als Director of Football Operations". Grasshopper Club Zürich.
30. (30 June 2023). "MILICA FERREIRA DA SILVA TAKES OVER AS HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS AT GCZ". Grasshopper Club Zürich.