Thun

The Case For Them

Thun work as a second team because they come with their own geography: Switzerland, Stockhorn Arena, and a set of rivalries you will absorb faster than you expect.

• Old enough to matter

  1898 is the founding date, old enough that the club has survived a war, a rebuild and at least one financial scare, young enough that the good years are still in living memory.

• Something to defend

  The cabinet is not empty: Swiss Super League and Swiss Challenge League/Nationalliga B. Small enough to recite from memory, big enough to argue about in a pub.

• Close to the pitch

  Stockhorn Arena holds about 10,000. You can hear the defenders shouting at each other, which is the single best argument for lower-capacity football.

• You get a nickname

  Known as | founded =. That is your new shorthand, your search term and your excuse for buying a scarf.