The annual track and field meet Weltklasse Zürich, part of the Diamond League, has taken place at the Letzigrund since 1928, as have frequent open-air concerts.

On the Letzigrund track on 21 June 1960, Armin Hary was the first human to run the 100 metres in 10.0 seconds.

[3] The old Letzigrund stadium was opened on 22 November 1925 and was owned by FC Zürich.

In 1937, during the Great Depression, ownership was transferred to the city of Zurich, which has operated the Letzigrund ever since.

In 2003, the new Hardturm stadium was approved by the city population in a public vote, but subsequently, legal objections by neighbourhood and environmental groups put the timely realisation for the EURO 2008 tournament, for which it was chosen by UEFA in 2002 as one of eight venues, in jeopardy.

This incited a violent reaction from the Grasshopper Club Zürich fans, several dozen of whom rushed towards the fence separating the two groups and attempted to fight back with flagpoles.

Also dubbed the "Disgrace of Zürich" (German: Skandal/Schande von Zürich) by Swiss media,[6] this incident represented a second major episode of hooligan violence in Switzerland within five years, after a hooligan incident of similar significance occurred in Basel in 2006.