Grasshopper Club Zürich, founded in 1886, holds the most ever Swiss Championship titles (27) and Swiss Cups (19). I added to that collection of silverware, albeit virtually, having set up this nom de plume to manage the club in FM16. 11 years feels like a lifetime ago and the real-life downward trajectory since the that FM16 save has been painful to witness:
Thirteen permanent managers.
Three separate changes in ownership.
An outright relegation from the Swiss Super League in 2019 (and a later promotion back to Super League in 2021).
An ongoing run of three consecutive relegation playoff finishes in a row (2024, 2025 and 2026).
Given how badly the club has been managed, there is a certain amount of trepidation about returning and ruining the previous FM16 memories if it was to go wrong. But it is something I have previously thought about. The original plan was to make Grasshoppers my ten-year anniversary save for FM26, but having seen the state of the game on release I knew the levels of immersion were not going to be there to justify a romantic return. But I believe Football Manager 27 has enough immersion now to warrant a long term one-club-save with the greatest Swiss club ever.
The immediate challenge at Grasshoppers is survival, perhaps even for the first couple of seasons of the save. The long term ambition though, and the main motivator for my return, is a potential stadium move. This is something I was unable to achieve in my ten virtual years in FM16, and something the real life club seems to be progressing with at a snail’s pace too. There is also an ambition to develop youth prospects in the same vein as Marco Simon and Remo Mahrer, two Grasshopper Newgens who came through the Grasshoppers youth setup (read their incredible story here). 11 years later, I am yet to experience a youth intake that matches those two in Football Manager.
This save starts on Tuesday 10 November 2026, once the full retailed version of FM27 is released. I then hope to regularly write about in-game events and my approach to building this club back up to where it belongs: the summit of Swiss football. I hope you can join me.
Hopp GC.
Tony | FM Grasshopper