Grasshopper Club Zurich facts for kids
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| Full name | Grasshopper Club Zurich | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Grasshoppers or Hoppers | ||
| Short name | GC, GCZ, Grasshoppers | ||
| Founded | 1 September 1886 | ||
| Ground | Letzigrund | ||
| Capacity | 26,104 | ||
| Owner | Los Angeles FC | ||
| President | Stacy Johns | ||
| Sporting director | Stephan Schwarz | ||
| Coach | Tomas Oral | ||
| League | Swiss Super League | ||
| 2023–24 | Swiss Super League, 11th of 12 | ||
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Grasshopper Club Zurich (also known as GCZ, Grasshopper Club, or just GC) is a famous sports team from Zurich, Switzerland. They are often called the Grasshoppers or Hoppers.
Their most well-known part is their amazing football team. The Grasshoppers have won more national championships (27 times) and Swiss Cups (19 times) than any other club in Switzerland! They are the oldest football team in Zurich and have a big rivalry with FC Zurich.
Nobody knows exactly why they are called "Grasshoppers." One idea is that their early players celebrated goals with lots of energy, like jumping grasshoppers! Their playing style was also seen as quick and lively.
The Grasshopper Club has played in big tournaments like the UEFA Champions League. This has made them one of Switzerland's most recognized football clubs. Besides football, the club also has professional and youth teams in many other sports. These include rowing, ice hockey, handball, lawn tennis, field hockey, curling, basketball, rugby, squash, floorball, and beach soccer.
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History of the Grasshoppers
The Grasshopper Club Zurich was started on September 1, 1886, by an English student named Tom E. Griffith. In 1893, they became the first Swiss team to play a match in Germany, beating Strasbourg 1–0.
The Grasshoppers won the very first Swiss championship in 1897–98. They also won the first championship played in a league format in 1899–1900.
One of their biggest achievements in Europe was reaching the semi-finals of the 1977–78 UEFA Cup. They won the first game at home but lost the second game away. They were knocked out because of the away goal rule.
In 1997, the Grasshopper Club became a company. In 2005, it became the first Swiss sports club to be publicly owned.
Their last Swiss championship title was in 2003. In 2013, they won the Swiss Cup after beating Basel in a penalty shootout. This ended a ten-year wait for a trophy.
In 2019, the Grasshoppers moved down to the second division. This was the first time in 68 years they were not in the top league.
In 2020, a company from Hong Kong bought most of the club's shares. Then, in January 2024, Los Angeles FC, a team from the USA, bought over 90% of the shares. This started a new partnership for the club.
Home Stadium and Training Grounds
Since September 2007, Grasshopper Club Zurich has played its home games at the Letzigrund stadium. This stadium is also the home of their rivals, FC Zurich. Both teams plan to move to a new stadium called Stadion Zurich when it's built.
Before 2007, the Grasshoppers had their own stadium called Hardturm. It was torn down in 2008.
The club's training facilities and football academy are in Niederhasli. In 2005, they opened a big center there with five practice fields, apartments for young players, and offices.
Club Rivalries
Rivalry with FC Zurich
FC Zurich was founded ten years after GC, in 1896. The first game between these two Zurich clubs was in 1897–98, where GC won 7–2.
Over the years, they haven't always played in the same league. It took almost 70 years for them to play their 100th derby game. So far, they have played 251 official derby matches. GC has won 121 times, FC Zurich has won 90 times, and 39 games ended in a draw.
A game on October 2, 2011, is known as the "Disgrace of Zurich" by Swiss media. This was because of some unruly fan behavior from FC Zurich supporters. It happened after Grasshopper fans took FC Zurich banners and showed them in their own section with a message making fun of FC Zurich.
Rivalry with FC Basel
Basel has also been a long-time rival of GC. This is mainly because of the rivalry between the cities of Zurich and Basel. Games between these two teams are often very intense, and sometimes fans clash.
From the late 1960s to the early 1980s, both GC and Basel won many Swiss championships. However, in 1988, Basel moved down to a lower league. The rivalry became strong again in the 2000s when FC Basel started playing much better and became a top team. But as FC Basel got stronger, GC faced some challenges, making the rivalry less balanced.
The most recent big game between them was the Swiss Cup Final in 2013. The Grasshoppers beat Basel in a penalty shootout after the game ended 1–1.
Club Achievements
National Titles
League Championships
- 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
Cup Competitions
- 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, 1975
- Runner-up: 1977–78, 1979–80
- Swiss Super Cup
- Winners: 1989
- Runner-up: 1988, 1990
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 Football Squad
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Academy Players with First-Team Contracts
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Players Out on Loan
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Women's Team
The women's football team was started in 2009. This happened when GC/Schwerzenbach (which used to be FFC Schwerzenbach) joined the club. Grasshopper Club Zürich (women)
Famous Former Players
Players for the Swiss National Football Team
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
Kurt Jara
Izet Hajrović- Senad Lulić
Günter Netzer
Daniel Davari
Vittorio Pozzo
Wynton Rufer
Efan Ekoku- Femi Opabunmi
Franco Navarro
Tomasz Rząsa
Viorel Moldovan
Tosh McKinlay
Papa Bouba Diop- Henri Camara
Ove Grahn- Mats Gren
- Kim Källström
Coaching Staff
Current Coaching Staff
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Academy Coaches and Staff
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Club Organisation
| Board of Directors | ||
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| Position | Name | Since |
| President |  Stacy Johns |
01/2024 |
| Board member | Larry Freedman |
01/2024 |
| Vice-president | András Gurovits |
07/2023 |
| Management | ||
| Sporting director | Stephan Schwarz |
03/2024 |
| Director of Commercial | Mike-David Burkhard |
07/2024 |
| Head of Finance | Roland Gebhard |
02/2023 |
See also
In Spanish: Grasshopper Club Zúrich para niños
- History of Grasshopper Club Zurich
- Grasshopper Club Zurich in European football
- Zurich Derby
- Hardturm and Letzigrund
