Curtain goes down at Charmilles

When Servette FC and BSC Young Boys meet in the Swiss National league on Sunday, they will at the same time be bidding farewell to the Charmilles stadium.

New Stade de Genève
The 18th smallest of the 22 football stadiums in Switzerland was built in 1930 and has a capacity of 9,250, which is well below the level acceptable to host UEFA matches. At the same time it no longer offers the proper conditions of comfort and security needed for matches of a European standard and consequently it will give way to a newly developed Stade de Genève which will open its gates on 14 March 2003.

Proud arena
Charmilles has seen a host of well-known players step on to its historic pitch over the years including Martin Chivers, Olivier Neuville, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Christophe Ohrel, and Sonny Andersson. Servette enjoyed their most glorious days at the beginning of the 1960s when the club won the Swiss title in two successive seasons under Jean Snella.

Charmilles lives on
Different generations of players have been invited to Sunday's match and a piece of the pitch will be dug up afterwards to be placed at the new stadium on its inauguration in March.