Grasshopper-Club Zürich

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Full name

Grasshopper-Club Zürich

Nickname(s)

GC, GCZ

Founded

1886

Ground

Letzigrund, Zürich
(Capacity 26,500)

Chairman

Roger Berbig

Manager

Hanspeter Latour

League

Swiss Super League

2006-07

Swiss Super League, 6th





Home colours





Away colours

Grasshopper-Club Zürich commonly referred to as simply GC, GCZ, or Grasshopper is a Swiss multisports club based in Zürich. The oldest and most well known section of Grasshopper-Club Zürich is its football team. With 27 titles, Grasshopper-Club Zürich holds the record for winning the most national championship titles and with 18 victories also the one for the most successes in the Swiss Cup tournament.

The origins of Grasshopper's name is unknown, although the most common explanation is rooted in its early players' energetic post-goal celebrations.

1 History
2 Stadium and grounds
3 Current squad
- 3.1 Summer 2008 transfers
- 3.2 Coaching staff
4 Players and managers
- 4.1 Famous players
- 4.2 Managers since 1925
5 Honours
6 Affiliated Clubs
7 Famous supporters
8 References
9 External links
- 9.1 Official
- 9.2 Unofficial

[edit] History

Grasshopper was founded on September 1, 1886 by Tom E. Griffith, an English student. With a 20 Swiss franc donation, the club was able to import an English football and blue and white colours. Its first match came in October that year against ETH and ended in a goalless draw. In 1893, Grasshopper became the first Swiss team to play in Germany, defeating RC Strasbourg 1-0.

1896 saw the formation of Fussballclub Zürich and the beginning of a storied rivalry. The following year, Grasshopper won the first Swiss Championship, beginning a collection of 27 league championships and 18 Swiss Cup wins. In 1909, Grasshopper withdrew from the football federation until the end of World War I in 1919.

In 1997, Grasshopper 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.^[1]

After a number of high profile friendly and competitive Europe Cup and UEFA Champions League matches, Grasshopper has become Switzerland's most recognizable football club. Today, in addition to its marquee football squad, Grasshopper-Club Zürich maintains competitive professional and youth teams for rowing, ice hockey, handball, lawn tennis, court tennis, field hockey, curling, squash, and unihockey.

[edit] Stadium and grounds

Sihlhölzli
Stadion im Quartier Seefeld
Stadion Hardau
Stadion Hardturm

Grasshopper used to play its home matches at the Hardturm (Kreis 5 - Zürich). Starting on September 22nd 2007, Grasshopper-Club Zürich will play all of its home matches in the Letzigrund stadium, until the completion of Stadion Zürich Training facilities are located in Niederhasli, where the club opened comprehensive facility including five practice pitches, apartments for youth players and offices in 2005.

[edit] Current squad

(As of 20 February 2008)

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Eldin Jakupović (on loan from Lokomotiv Moscow)
3	MF	Bruce Lalombongo
4	DF	Guillermo Vallori
5	DF	Josip Colina
6	DF	Boris Smiljanić
7	FW	Demba Touré
9	FW	Gonzalo Zárate (on loan from SC Kriens)
11	DF	Yassin Mikari
15	MF	Ricardo Cabanas
16	MF	Rinaldo
18	GK	Manuel Huber
19	FW	Machado
20	FW	Luka Lapenda
21	MF	Gianluca Frontino

No.	Position	Player
24	DF	Fabio Daprelà
25	FW	Raúl Bobadilla
26	GK	Dragan Đukić
27	DF	Kay Voser
29	DF	Rolf Feltscher
30	MF	António Carlos dos Santos
31	FW	David Blumer
32	DF	Scott Sutter
35	MF	Vero Salatić
—	MF	Davide Callà
—	GK	Massimo Colomba
—	MF	Senad Lulic
—	MF	Leonel Romero
—	MF	Samel Šabanović

Out on loan

—

Wellington (at Málaga CF)

[edit] Summer 2008 transfers

In:

Davide Callà (from FC St. Gallen)
Massimo Colomba (from FC Aarau)
Senad Lulic (from AC Bellinzona)
Leonel Romero (loan return from FC Wohlen)
Samel Šabanović (from FC Wil)

Out:

Frank Feltscher (to U.S. Lecce)
Fabio Klinger (to FC Gossau)
Franck Madou (released)
Michel Renggli (to FC Lucerne)

[edit] Coaching staff

Manager: Hanspeter Latour
Assistant manager: Mats Gren
Assistant manager: Walter Grüter
Goalkeeping coach: Stefan Huber
Goalkeeping coach: Willi Weber

[edit] Players and managers

[edit] Famous players

Roger Berbig
Claudio Sulser
René Hüssy
Severino Minelli
André Meyer
Branislav Vukosavlijevic
Adrian De Vicente

[edit] Managers since 1925

Manager	Years	Record
Izidor "Dori" Kürschner	1925–1934	?-?-?
Karl Rappan	1935–1948	?-?-?
Hardy Walter	1948–1950	?-?-?
Willi Treml	1950–1955	?-?-?
Willi Hahnemann	1955–1958	?-?-?
Toni Pogacnik and Alfred "Fredy" Bickel	1958–1960	?-?-?
Branislav Vukosaljevic	1960–1963	?-?-?
Alfred "Fredy" Bickel	1963–1964	?-?-?
Albert Sing	1964–1966	?-?-?
Walter Brunner and Werner Schley	1966–1967	?-?-?
Henri Skiba	1967–1969	?-?-?
Walter Brunner and Werner Schley	1969–1970	?-?-?
René Hüssy	1970–1973	?-?-?
Erich Vogel and Istvan Szabo	1973–1976	?-?-?
Helmut Johannsen	1976–1979	?-?-?
Jürgen Sundermann	1979–1980	?-?-?
Timo Konietzka	1980–1982	?-?-?
Hennes Weisweiler	1982–1983	?-?-?
Miroslav Blazevic	1983–1985	?-?-?
Timo Konietzka	1985–1986	?-?-?
Kurt Jara	1986–1988	?-?-?
Ottmar Hitzfeld	1988–1991	?-?-?
Oldrich Svab	1991–1992	?-?-?
Leo Beenhakker	1992–1993	?-?-?
Christian Gross	1993–1997	?-?-?
Hanspeter Latour	1997 interim	?-?-?
Rolf Fringer	1998	?-?-?
Roger Hegi	1999	?-?-?
Roy Hodgson	1999–2000	?-?-?
Hanspeter Zaugg	2000–2001	?-?-?
Piet Hamberg	2000 interim	?-?-?
Marcel Koller	2002–2003	?-?-?
Carlos Bernegger	2003–2004	?-?-?
Alain Geiger	2004–2005	?-?-?
Hanspeter Latour	2005–2006	?-?-?
Krassimir Balakov	2006—2007	?-?-?
Hanspeter Latour	2007–	?-?-?

[edit] Honours

Swiss Super League
- Winners (27): 1898, 1900, 1901, 1905, 1921, 1927, 1928, 1931, 1937, 1939, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1952, 1956, 1971, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003