Nyon is the home of UEFA’s headquarters and location of the draws for all their competitions and while it’s been six years since Everton last competed in Europe, the picturesque town on the shores of Lake Geneva provides the backdrop to the start of Sean Dyche’s first pre-season as Blues boss.
Nestled by the Jura Mountains, a sub-Alpine range on the border with France, Nyon has a population of 21,192 – little over half of Goodison Park’s capacity – with three-quarters of residents speaking French as their first language. As well as boasting UEFA’s HQ, Nyon is also the base for the European Club Association, a body representing the interests of professional football clubs in UEFA, formed in 2008 after a merger between G-14 and the European Club Forum which now has 220 members, including the Blues themselves.
The local football club themselves, Everton’s opponents FC Stade Nyonnais are rather less prominent but they’re currently on the up having just been promoted from the third to second tier of the Swiss pyramid. Formed in 1905 as Bluet, they took their current name two years later but have always played in yellow and black (hence their nickname ‘Les Jaune et noir’), as a tribute to BSC Young Boys, a team from this Swiss capital of Bern who Roberto Martinez’s Blues side defeated home and away 7-2 on aggregate in the last 32 of the Europa League in 2015.
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Stade Nyonnais’ Stade de Colovray ground holds 7,200 with 860 seats and Everton have been given an allocation of 500 for the fixture. Its record attendance was 6,800 for the visit of Real Madrid’s ‘Galacticos’ in 2001 when Zinedine Zidane played for the visitors while the Turkish national team used the venue as their base camp for the 2008 European Championships.
Nyon is located in the canton (county) of Vaud, which is often referred to as being the “culinary capital of Switzerland,” given that it is renowned for its many cheeses, wines and charcuterie (meat products). Papet Vaudois is a popular local dish, consisting of regional sausages, potatoes and leeks; Taille aux greubons are a salted bakery speciality consisting of crackling encased in puff pastry while another speciality is carac, a tart consisting of a sweetcrust pastry case (pate sucree) filled with chocolate ganache while covered by a characteristic green icing or fondant layer topped with a dot of chocolate... they sound delicious but Everton players better not over-indulge ahead of Dyche's infamous 'Gaffer's Day', a gruelling staple of pre-season without a football in sight that he would always start each summer with at Burnley.
The region boasts a high number of gourmet restaurants and the Hotel de ville in Crissier – 23 miles along the lake on the edge of Lausanne – was founded by renowned chef Fredy Girardet and earned three Michelin stars before his retirement in 1996 to often be called the greatest restaurant in the world. In Nyon itself, Tigellabella Nyon, which serves Italian cuisine is the highest-rated restaurant on Trip Advisor with Brasserie Le Rive top for local dishes.
Chateau de Nyon, a beautiful ‘castle’ located on top of a small hill, providing impressive views of both the town and lake is a popular tourist site along with the ancient ruins of Nyon’s Roman columns. Meanwhile, thirsty Evertonians can also head to Nyon’s lakeside La Jetee Bar Lounge or The Fisherman’s Pub for a more traditional pint if all that sightseeing and culture leaves them in need of some liquid refreshment on a summer’s day.
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