Grasshopper Club Zurich

Grasshopper Club Zurich, commonly referred to as Grasshopper Club or simply just GC, is a professional multisports club based in Zurich, Switzerland. The oldest and best-known department of the club is its football team. With 27 league titles, the Grasshoppers hold the records for winning the most national championships and the Swiss Cups, with 19 trophies in the latter. The club is the oldest football team in Zurich and maintains a substantial rivalry with FC Zurich.
The origin of Grasshoppers name is unknown, although the most common explanation refers to its early players' energetic post-goal celebrations and that their style of play was nimble and energetic.
After a number of appearances in European Cups and the UEFA Champions League, the Grasshopper Club has become one of Switzerland's most recognizable football clubs. Today, in addition to its main football squad, the club has competitive professional and youth teams in rowing, ice hockey, handball, lawn tennis, court tennis, field hockey, curling, basketball, rugby, squash, floorball and beach soccer.

History

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 Germany, defeating Strasbourg 1–0. The first Swiss championships 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 side Los Angeles FC was announced, with LAFC acquiring over 90% of the shares from the previous owners, Champion Union.

Stadium and grounds

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, 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

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

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 : 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
* Runner-up : 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 : 1950–51, 2020–21
Cups
Swiss Cup
* Winners : 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
* Runner-up : 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
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

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

Notable former players

Players for the Swiss national football team

Players with World Cup appearances for their national teams

Current coaching staff

Position

Name

Since

Head coach

Gerald Scheiblehner

07/2025

Assistant coach

Academy Coaches and Staff

Position	Name	Since
Technical Director	Remo Gaugler	05/2024
Technical Director	Sandro Chieffo	05/2024
Talent Manager	Sascha Müller	03/2023
Under 21	Gernot Messner Daniel Pavlović	10/2025 08/2024
Under 19	Dominik Probst Francesco Satalino	06/2024 08/2024
Under 17	Jacob Wolf Goran Petrovic	07/2023 08/2024
Under 16	Raffaele Cardiello Adriano Mazza	08/2024 08/2024
Under 15	Ufuk Üsküp Oliver Buff	08/2024 08/2024
Head Goalkeeping Coach	Andreas Hilfiker	08/2024
Goalkeeping Coach	Gustavo Steffanuto Moino	08/2024