The importance of a stadium to a club’s identity and its relationship with the local
community has grown in resonance over the past few years. West Ham fans complain that
the London Stadium doesn’t provide the same atmosphere as the Boleyn. Meanwhile, Tottenham
Hotspur supporters have grown frustrated at the delays in construction to their new ground.
However, those experiences pale in comparison to Grasshopper Club Zürich. The most successful
side in Swiss history, with 27 league titles, Grasshoppers are still waiting for construction
to start on their new stadium after their former home, the Hardturm, was demolished
in 2008.
On the 25th November 2018, the people of Zürich finally voted to approve the construction
of a new stadium on the Hardturm site. Switzerland uses a system of direct democracy, involving
frequent referenda. This was the third referendum on the Hardturm in the past fifteen years.
In a country renowned for its neutrality the topic has polarized the citizens of Zürich,
with the delay being a result of both local politics and international events, leaving
the home city of FIFA without a purpose-built football stadium.
The Hardturm was a venue with an illustrious history. While the 1954 World Cup is remembered
for ‘The Miracle of Bern’, it was in Zürich where eventual winners West Germany secured
their place in the knockout stages, with a 7-2 win over Turkey. The Swiss national team
also has fond memories, as it was where they secured qualification for the 1994 World Cup
with a 4-0 win over Estonia, marking their first appearance at the finals for 28 years.
In the early 2000s, plans were unveiled to modernize the Hardturm to a 30,000-seater
as a venue for the 2008 UEFA European Championships. The project, financed by Credit Suisse, was
approved in a referendum on the 7th September 2003 with 63.3% of the vote. However, it was
soon caught in legal limbo. The proposal included plans for a shopping center and the VCS (Swiss
Transport Club) claimed that the resulting traffic would violate environmental law. Meanwhile,
local residents filed objections concerning groundwater and the potential shadow cast
by the stadium’s pentagon design.
With these legal challenges delaying construction, Zürich faced losing its right to be a host
city. In response, they accelerated plans to upgrade the Letzigrund, home of Grasshoppers’
local rivals FC Zürich. As well as meeting UEFA regulations, the renovation aimed to
improve it as a venue for the Weltklasse Zürich, an annual athletics tournament. During construction,
FC Zürich moved into the Hardturm for its final season, winning the league there, much
to the displeasure of Grasshoppers supporters.
On the 1st September 2007, Grasshoppers played the final match at the Hardturm, a 2-1 defeat
to Neuchâtel Xamax. Both Zürich clubs then moved to the Letzigrund, where they would
play until construction on the new Hardturm was completed. Neither club was happy with
this arrangement. Similarly to the London Stadium, the Letzigrund was criticized for
its running track and lack of atmosphere. Attendances dipped, as both clubs started
to pay more in rent than they were making in match day revenue.
In June 2009, Credit Suisse pulled out of the project to redevelop the Hardturm, citing
delays and the global financial crisis. The land was sold back to the city, which proposed
a plan to rebuild the stadium using public money. Its plans included a number of social
housing units. However, due to the spiraling costs to the taxpayer, estimated at 216-million
francs, it was rejected in a referendum on the 22nd September 2013, by just 50.8% of
the vote.
In 2015, the city ran a competition for investors to put forward their proposals for the ground
and in July 2016 it was announced that ‘Projekt Ensemble’, led by HRS Investment AG, was
the winning bid. Its proposal consists of an 18,000-seater stadium, 174 social housing
units and two towers for commercial and residential use. These will stand at 137 meters, which
is higher than the current tallest building in Zürich, Prime Tower. The proceeds from
these will help finance the stadium, which once completed will host both Zürich clubs,
leaving the Letzigrund for athletics and concerts.
This was met with resistance from locals, who in the intervening decade have reclaimed
the ground upon which the Hardturm stood. An association called Stadionbrache Hardturm
was tasked with overseeing the temporary use of the land for non-commercial use. What was
a wasteland transformed into a flourishing public garden, including skate parks and food
stalls. Both the Green and Social Democratic parties campaigned for a NO vote in the November
2018 referendum, arguing that one of the last green spaces in the city should be protected.
While football clubs are seen as inextricably linked to their communities, the demolition
of the Hardturm removed that pretense. For many locals, the land now serves far more
communal value than it would as a football stadium. However, on the 25th November 2018,
Grasshoppers celebrated as 53.8% voted in their favour. The result came through just
before their match against FC St. Gallen at the Letzigrund, which they then won 2-1.
Grasshoppers have been here before, though. After the vote, FC Zürich President Ancillo
Canepa, expressed his hope that it won’t be dogged by delays. Of particular concern
are the two towers, with the 10th district of Höngg being the only one to vote against
the project, out of opposition to their height. As a result, there are doubts whether Grasshoppers
will meet their target of 2022. Given the cost of playing at the Letzigrund, failure
to do so could see the club’s very future at stake. Prior to the November 2018 vote,
Grasshoppers President Stephan Anliker suggested that if it didn’t go their way, they might
have to withdraw from the league. While Grasshoppers would see a successful return as an overdue
homecoming, considering how the land has been used in their absence, they may find the neighbours
far less welcoming than they used to be.