Uhrencup

Template:Infobox International Football Competition Template:Use dmy dates The Uhrencup is a club football tournament, held annually in Grenchen and Biel in Switzerland. The Uhrencup is seen as a testament to the major influence that is exercised by the local watchmaking industry on the cultural lives of the area's residents ( is German for "watches"). The tournament usually features four teams (sometimes more), each playing two matches, and is held in July as a friendly tournament, the format of which tends to be fluid. For the teams taking part, the tournament is a welcome opportunity to prepare for the upcoming football season.

Origin

Founded in 1962 by representatives of Grenchen's watchmaking industry, the first Uhrencup was held to celebrate the inauguration of the new grandstand at the local Brühl stadium. Due to the tournament's reverberating success it was repeated the following year and, thanks to the sponsoring from the local watch industry, it continues to be held annually (with the exception of 1967, 1974 and 2012).

History

Established as an international tournament (1962–1968)

The first Uhrencup in 1962 already featured an international line-up. Together with the two local clubs FC Grenchen and FC Biel-Bienne, the Belgian team Cercle Brügge and Italian team AC Como also took part in the tournament. Due to its success and because it attracted about 20,000 spectators, it was repeated the following year.

The English side Ipswich Town won the tournament in 1963 and the Dutch team Sparta Rotterdam was the second international representative. A year later German club Karlsruher SC and the French team Nîmes Olympique competed in the Uhrencup. In 1965 Lanerossi Vicenza won the competition, Maccabi Tel Aviv also took part. In 1966 and again in 1968 FC Sochaux took part, winning the first of the two competitions, but not being at all successful two years later. In 1967 the competition was not held.

Uhrencup as regional event (1969–2002)

At the end of the 1967–68 Nationalliga A season Grenchen were relegated and therefore the tournament lost its international significance. From here on it was mainly Swiss sides that took part in the Uhrencup and it turned into a regional event. FC Basel took part for the first time in 1969 and won the cup 5–3 in the final against Biel-Bienne, Wenger, Hauser (twice), Balmer and Odermatt scoring the Basel goals. A year later Basel defended the title with an 8–7 win after penalties following a 5–5 at full-time.

The next year the home team Grenchen won the cup for the second time, winning 3–1 against reigning Swiss Champions Basel, local boy Serge Muhmenthaler scoring one of the Grenchen goals. Neuchâtel Xamax won the Uhrencup 1972. Young Boys won the title 1973, Serge Muhmenthaler scoring a goal and winning his second Uhrencup title this time with his new team. In 1974 the competition was not held. Young Boys (1975) and Zürich (1976) were the next two cup winners. Serge Muhmenthaler reached his third Uhrencup Final with his third club in 1977 but was unable to repeat the success, the final ended in a 6–1 defeat against Neuchâtel Xamax. However reaching the final again in the next year Muhmenthaler won the 1978 Uhrencup with FC Basel 2–1 against the same finalists.

Basel won the title six times (1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1986, 1988), Grenchen won it three times (1981, 1982, 1985), Servette (1984) and Young Boys (1987) during the following years. As international teams were again invited to participate Partizan Belgrade (1989), Górnik Zabrze (1990) and 1. FC Köln (1991) competed and won the tournament.

During the following years (1992 to 2002) the Uhrencup returned to being a Swiss-Internal tournament. The winners being FC Zürich (three times), Grenchen (twice) and FC Solothurn, Grasshoppers and Sevette each once. FC Subingen, a team from the 2. Liga (then fourth tier of the Swiss Football League) won Uhrencup in 1997.

New edition as an international tournament (2003–2011)

In 2003 a new organising committee took over the marketing of the Uhrencup and with added financial help it was again possible to invite international teams. Casino SW Bregenz, FC Schalke 04, 1. FC Kaiserslautern (twice), 1. FC Köln, Bayer Leverkusen, FC Red Bull Salzburg, Celtic Glasgow, Borussia Dortmund, Legia Warsaw and Panathinaikos Athens have participated during this period, but only Trabzonspor (2005) and Shakhtar Donetsk (2009) were able to win the title.

2010 was a truly international affair, with only one club (Young Boys) originating from Switzerland. The remaining competitors were Deportivo de La Coruña from Spain, the Dutch side Twente Enschede and the eventual winner VfB Stuttgart from Germany.

Basel won the competition for the twelfth time. In the 2011 event, they beat Hertha Berlin 3–0, and then went on to defeat West Ham 2–1 in their second game. The second Swiss team, Young Boys Bern, also won both matches against the international teams, but had a lower overall goal score with 6–3. To celebrate the 50th edition of the tournament, the current German champion Borussia Dortmund played a friendly game against the Swiss vice champion FC Zürich, which ended with a 1–1 tie.

Since 2013

In 2012 the tournament was not held, but was held in 2013 between 5 and 9 July with Basel and Grasshopper Club Zürich taking part. For Basel it was the 29th time that they would take place; they have won the competition thirteen times. The tournament again took a hiatus, this time of two years before returning in 2015.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

Uhrencup winners by year

Year	Placements
	Winner	2nd Place	3rd Place	4th place
1962	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon Cercle Brugge K.S.V.	Template:Flagicon Calcio Como	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne
1963	Template:Flagicon Ipswich Town	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	Template:Flagicon Sparta Rotterdam
1964	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon Karlsruher SC	Template:Flagicon Nîmes Olympique	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen
1965	Template:Flagicon Lanerossi Vicenza	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.
1966	Template:Flagicon FC Sochaux-Montbéliard	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon Lanerossi Vicenza	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne
1967	Not held
1968	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon FC Sochaux-Montbéliard	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen
1969	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Lausanne-Sport
1970	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen
1971	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Lausanne-Sport	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne
1972	Template:Flagicon Neuchâtel Xamax	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Basel
1973	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	Template:Flagicon Neuchâtel Xamax	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen
1974	Not held
1975	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	Template:Flagicon FC La Chaux-de-Fonds
1976	Template:Flagicon FC Zurich	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne
1977	Template:Flagicon Neuchâtel Xamax	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen
1978	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon Neuchâtel Xamax	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne
1979	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC La Chaux-de-Fonds	Template:Flagicon FC Luzern
1980	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	Template:Flagicon FC Luzern
1981	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Luzern	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne
1982	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Aarau	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne
1983	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Zurich	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne
1984	Template:Flagicon Servette FC	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen
1985	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	Template:Flagicon Servette FC
1986	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon Grasshopper Club Zürich	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne
1987	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon Górnik Zabrze	Template:Flagicon FC Basel
1988	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Nitra	Template:Flagicon FC Twente
1989	Template:Flagicon FK Partizan	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Zurich
1990 0 0	Template:Flagicon Górnik Zabrze	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Lugano	Template:Flagicon FC Aarau
	Eliminated (with the other two) as the last of group 1: Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen
	Eliminated as severed bottom of Group 2: Template:Flagicon FC Zurich
1991	Template:Flagicon 1. FC Köln	Template:Flagicon FC Sion	Template:Flagicon Olimpia Poznań	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen
1992	Template:Flagicon FC Zurich	Template:Flagicon SR Delémont	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen
1993	Template:Flagicon FC Zurich	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon SR Delémont
1994	Template:Flagicon FC Zurich	Template:Flagicon SR Delémont	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Schaffhausen
1995	Template:Flagicon FC Aarau	Template:Flagicon FC Solothurn	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen
1996	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Solothurn	Template:Flagicon SV Lyss	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne
1997	Template:Flagicon FC Subingen	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon SV Lyss
1998	Template:Flagicon FC Solothurn	Template:Flagicon SR Delémont	Template:Flagicon FC Subingen	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen
1999	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	Template:Flagicon FC Solothurn	Template:Flagicon FC Langenthal	Template:Flagicon FC Thun
2000	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon Neuchâtel Xamax	Template:Flagicon FC Solothurn	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen
2001	Template:Flagicon Grasshopper Club Zürich	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon FC Solothurn	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen
2002	Template:Flagicon Servette FC	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon FC Aarau	Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen
2003	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon Grasshopper Club Zürich	Template:Flagicon SC Bregenz
2004	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon 1. FC Kaiserslautern	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Schalke 04
2005	Template:Flagicon Trabzonspor	Template:Flagicon 1. FC Kaiserslautern	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon FC Basel
2006	Template:Flagicon FC Zürich/FC Basel	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Template:Flagicon 1. FC Köln (both third)
2007	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon FC Red Bull Salzburg	Template:Flagicon Celtic F.C.
2008	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon Borussia Dortmund	Template:Flagicon FC Luzern	Template:Flagicon Legia Warsaw
2009	Template:Flagicon FC Shakhtar Donetsk	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon Panathinaikos F.C.
2010	Template:Flagicon VfB Stuttgart	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon FC Twente	Template:Flagicon Deportivo de La Coruña
2011	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon West Ham United	Template:Flagicon Hertha BSC
2012	Not held
2013	Template:Flagicon FC Basel	Template:Flagicon Red Star Belgrade	Template:Flagicon Fortuna Düsseldorf	Template:Flagicon Grasshopper Club Zürich
2014	Not held
2015	Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	Template:Flagicon B. Mönchengladbach	Template:Flagicon FC Sion	Template:Flagicon A. Salzburg
2016	Template:Flagicon Galatasaray	Template:Flagicon FC Zurich	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon B. Mönchengladbach
2017	Template:Flagicon Stoke City	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon S.L. Benfica	Template:FlagiconNeuchâtel Xamax
2018	Template:Flagicon Wolverhampton Wanderers	Template:Flagicon Feyenoord	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon FC Basel
2019	Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	Template:Flagicon Eintracht Frankfurt	Template:Flagicon Crystal Palace	Template:Flagicon FC Luzern

Titles by team

Team	Years won	Titles
Template:Flagicon FC Basel	1969, 1970, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1986, 1988, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2013	13
Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	1964, 1973, 1975, 1987, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2019	8
Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	1962, 1971, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1996, 1999	7
Template:Flagicon FC Zurich	1976, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2006	5
Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	1968, 2015	2
Template:Flagicon Neuchâtel Xamax	1972, 1977	2
Template:Flagicon Servette FC	1984, 2002	2
Template:Flagicon 1. FC Köln	1991	1
Template:Flagicon FC Aarau	1995	1
Template:Flagicon FC Shakhtar Donetsk	2009	1
Template:Flagicon FC Sochaux-Montbéliard	1966	1
Template:Flagicon FC Solothurn	1998	1
Template:Flagicon FC Subingen	1997	1
Template:Flagicon FK Partizan	1989	1
Template:Flagicon Galatasaray	2016	1
Template:Flagicon Grasshopper Club Zürich	2001	1
Template:Flagicon Górnik Zabrze	1990	1
Template:Flagicon Ipswich Town	1963	1
Template:Flagicon Lanerossi Vicenza	1965	1
Template:Flagicon Stoke City	2017	1
Template:Flagicon Trabzonspor	2005	1
Template:Flagicon VfB Stuttgart	2010	1
Template:Flagicon Wolverhampton Wanderers	2018	1

Participation by club

Team	Participant
Template:Flagicon FC Grenchen	39
Template:Flagicon FC Basel	30
Template:Flagicon BSC Young Boys	24
Template:Flagicon FC Biel-Bienne	23
Template:Flagicon FC Zurich	10
Template:Flagicon FC Solothurn	6
Template:Flagicon Neuchâtel Xamax	6
Template:Flagicon FC Luzern	5
Template:Flagicon FC Aarau	4
Template:Flagicon Grasshopper Club Zürich	4
Template:Flagicon SR Delémont	4
Template:Flagicon Servette FC	3
Template:Flagicon 1. FC Kaiserslautern	2
Template:Flagicon 1. FC Köln	2
Template:Flagicon Borussia Dortmund	2
Template:Flagicon Borussia Mönchengladbach	2
Template:Flagicon FC La Chaux-de-Fonds	2
Template:Flagicon FC Lausanne-Sport	2
Template:Flagicon FC Sion	2
Template:Flagicon FC Sochaux-Montbéliard	2
Template:Flagicon FC Subingen	2
Template:Flagicon FC Twente	2
Template:Flagicon Górnik Zabrze	2
Template:Flagicon Lanerossi Vicenza	2
Template:Flagicon Template:Ill	2
Template:Flagicon Bayer 04 Leverkusen	1
Template:Flagicon Calcio Como	1
Template:Flagicon Celtic F.C.	1
Template:Flagicon Cercle Brugge K.S.V.	1
Template:Flagicon Crystal Palace	1
Template:Flagicon Deportivo de La Coruña	1
Template:Flagicon Eintracht Frankfurt	1
Template:Flagicon FC Langenthal	1
Template:Flagicon FC Lugano	1
Template:Flagicon FC Nitra	1
Template:Flagicon FC Red Bull Salzburg	1
Template:Flagicon FC Schaffhausen	1
Template:Flagicon FC Schalke 04	1
Template:Flagicon FC Shakhtar Donetsk	1
Template:Flagicon FC Thun	1
Template:Flagicon Feyenoord	1
Template:Flagicon FK Partizan	1
Template:Flagicon Fortuna Düsseldorf	1
Template:Flagicon Galatasaray	1
Template:Flagicon Hertha BSC	1
Template:Flagicon Ipswich Town	1
Template:Flagicon Karlsruher SC	1
Template:Flagicon Legia Warsaw	1
Template:Flagicon Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.	1
Template:Flagicon Nîmes Olympique	1
Template:Flagicon Olimpia Poznań	1
Template:Flagicon Panathinaikos F.C.	1
Template:Flagicon Red Star Belgrade	1
Template:Flagicon SC Bregenz	1
Template:Flagicon S.L. Benfica	1
Template:Flagicon Sparta Rotterdam	1
Template:Flagicon Stoke City	1
Template:Flagicon SV Austria Salzburg	1
Template:Flagicon Trabzonspor	1
Template:Flagicon VfB Stuttgart	1
Template:Flagicon West Ham United	1
Template:Flagicon Wolverhampton Wanderers	1

See also

• Swiss Super League
• List of football (soccer) competitions

External links

• Official site