GRASSHOPPER-CLUB ZüRICH

'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 Swiss Super League champion titles. The team also holds the record for the most Swiss Cup victories, with 18.
The origins of Grasshopper's name is unknown, although the most common explanation is rooted in its early players' energetic post-goal celebrations.

Contents

History

Stadium and grounds

Current squad

Players and managers

Famous players

Honours

Famous supporters

External links

Official

Unofficial

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 uniforms. 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.

Stadium and grounds

★ Sihlhölzli

★ Stadion im Quartier Seefeld

★ Stadion Hardau

★ Stadion Hardturm
Grasshopper plays its home matches at the Hardturm (Kreis 5 - 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.

Current squad

(As of 31 August, 2007)
;Out on loan

★ Weligton

Players and managers

Famous players

★ Alfred "Fredy" Bickel ★ Thomas Bickel ★ Stéphane Chapuisat ★ Alain Sutter ★ Kubilay Türkyilmaz ★ Hakan Yakın ★ Murat Yakin ★ Reto Ziegler ★ Marcel Koller ★ Stephan Lichtsteiner ★ Patrick Müller ★ Walter Schoeller ★ Ciriaco Sforza ★ Johann Vogel

★ Giovane Elber ★ Aarón Galindo ★ Ove Grahn ★ Kurt Jara ★ Papa Bouba Diop ★ Günther Netzer ★ Wynton Rufer

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

Manager	Years	Record
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–	?-?-?

Honours

★ 'Swiss Championship'

★
★ '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

★ 'Swiss Cup'

★
★ 'Winners (18):'1926, 1927, 1932, 1934, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1952, 1956, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994

★ 'Swiss League Cup'

★
★ 'Winners (2):' 1973, 1975

★ 'Swiss Super Cup'

★
★ 'Winners (1):' 1989

★ 'UEFA Intertoto Cup'

★
★ 'Winners (1): '2006

Famous supporters

★ Maximilian Schell, Oscar winning actor

★ Friedrich Dürrenmatt, author of German literature

★ Michelle Hunziker, model and entertainer on Italian and German television

External links

Official

★ gcz.ch - Official website of GCZ in German

Unofficial

★ GCZForum - Bulletin Board (Forum) for Fans of GCZ (German)

★ GCZone - Fansite of GCZ (German)

★ Zone Romande - Fansite of GCZ (French)

★ Grassmokers - Oldest unofficial fanclub of GCZ (German)

★ Blue-Side - Unofficial fanclub of GCZ (German)

★ Grasshoppers Online - Fansite of GCZ (German)

★ GC Fanclub Ostschweiz - Official Fanclub of GCZ (German)