Letzigrund
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Letzigrund is a stadium in Zürich, Switzerland, with a maximum capacity of 23,605. It is the home of the football club FC Zürich. The annual athletics meet Weltklasse Zürich—part of the IAAF Golden League—takes place at the Letzigrund, as well as frequent open air concerts.
It opened February 22, 1925 owned by the FC Zürich football club. During the Great Depression, ownership changed to the city of Zürich in 1937 which has operated it since. It underwent extensive remodelling in 1947, 1958, 1973, and 1984. Lighting was added in 1973. The first open air concert was in 1996.
Of the 23,605 places, 11,605 have seats (9,167 covered) and 12,000 are covered standing area. The main pitch is 105 by 68 metres with athletics facilities. There are also three other playing fields: 2 lawns, 1 artificial turf and a small packed sand field. A bar and a restaurant are within the stadium.
In January 2005, UEFA approved plans to rebuild the stadium for use as a EURO 2008 venue. It is set to host 3 matches in the 2008 European Football Championship. It should be opened in September 2007 after reconstruction.[1]
Because of the construction, the football team which plays there, FC Zurich will be moving out to the Hardturm, the stadium of Grasshopper-Club Zürich, for one season.
