Stamford Bridge is a
footballAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
stadiumA modern stadium is a place, or venue, for outdoor sports, concerts or other events, consisting of a field or stage partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.-History of the stadium:The word originates from the Greek word...
on the border of
FulhamFulham is an area of west London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, located south west of Charing Cross. It is situated in between Putney and Chelsea...
and
ChelseaChelsea is an area of south-west London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe...
, in the
London Borough of Hammersmith and FulhamThe London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London, and forms part of Inner London. Traversed by the east-west main roads of the A4 Great West Road and the A40 Westway, many international corporations have offices in the borough.-History:The borough was formed in 1965...
that is home to
Chelsea Football ClubChelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club (are a professional English football club based in West London. The team, founded in 1905, play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football...
. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as
Walham GreenWalham Green is an area located on the border of Fulham and Chelsea , West London, United Kingdom. To the south is Parsons Green, south-west Fulham, north West Brompton, east Chelsea and south-east is Sands End....
. It is nicknamed "The Bridge" by the club's supporters. The capacity is 42,055, making it the seventh largest ground in the Premier League and the smallest amongst the
big four clubs. KSS Design Group (architects)designed the complete redevelopment of Stamford Bridge Stadium and its hotels, megastore, offices and residential buildings.
History
18th century maps show a 'Stanford Creek' running along the route of what is now a railway line at the back of the East Stand as a tributary of the Thames.
The stream had two local bridges: Stanford Bridge on the
Fulham RoadFulham Road is a street in London, England, that runs from the A219 road in right in the centre of Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, through Chelsea to Brompton Road Knightsbridge and the A4 in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.Fulham Road runs parallel...
(also recorded as Little Chelsea Bridge) and Stanbridge on the
Kings RoadKing's Road or Kings Road, known popularly as The King's Road or The KR, is a major, well-known street in west London, England...
, now known as Stanley Bridge.
Stanford Creek, Stanford Bridge and Stanbridge no doubt all contributed in some uncertain way to the eventual name of Stamford Bridge, which must have been further suggested by the well known
Battle of Stamford BridgeThe Battle of Stamford Bridge took place at the village of Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire in England on 25 September 1066. This was shortly after an invading Norwegian army under King Harald Hardråde defeated the army of the northern earls Edwin of Mercia and Morcar of Northumbria at...
in
YorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the British Isles. Because of its great size, functions were increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have been subject to periodic reform. Throughout these changes, Yorkshire has continued to be recognised as...
, a famous victory by King
Harold GodwinsonHarold Godwinson or Harold II was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England before the Norman Conquest. Harold reigned from 5 January 1066, until his death at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October of that same year, fighting the Norman invaders, led by William the Conqueror...
over King Harald Hardråde of Norway in 1066, which took place shortly before Harold's defeat at the hands of the Normans at the
Battle of HastingsThe Battle of Hastings was the decisive Norman victory in the Norman Conquest of England. It was fought between the Norman army of Duke William of Normandy, and the English army led by Harold II...
.
Early history
Stamford Bridge opened in 1877 as a home for the London Athletics Club and was used almost exclusively for that purpose until 1904, when the lease was acquired by brothers
GusHenry Augustus "Gus" Mears was an English businessman, most notable for founding Chelsea Football Club.He was born in 1873, the son of Joseph and Charlotte Mears....
and
Joseph MearsJoseph Theophilus "JT" Mears , was an English businessman, most notable for co-founding Chelsea Football Club.Joseph Mears was born in 1872 in Hammersmith, London, the elder son of Joseph Mears, a builder. In 1896, Mears and his brother Gus purchased the Stamford Bridge Athletics Ground. They went...
, who wanted to stage high-profile professional
footballAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
matches there. However, previous to this, in 1898, Stamford Bridge played host to the World Championship of
shintyShinty is a team sport played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played almost exclusively in the Highlands of Scotland, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other...
between
Beauly Shinty ClubBeauly Shinty Club is a shinty club from Beauly, Scotland. The club was founded in 1892. The club has two sides, the first team competing in Marine Harvest North Division One and the second team in North Division Two....
and
London CamanachdLondon Camanachd is the only shinty club in England. They do not play league matches but do compete at present in the Bullough Cup. They have historically been attached to the South District. They went into abeyance in 1992 but were reconstituted in 2005...
.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17713141&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=it-s-the-theatre-of-drams--name_page.html. Stamford Bridge was built close to Lillie Bridge, an older sports ground which had hosted the 1873 FA Cup Final and the first ever amateur boxing matches (among other things). It was initially offered to
Fulham Football ClubFulham Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004, and are in the top tier of English football, the Premier League...
, but they turned it down. They considered selling the land to the
Great Western Railway CompanyThe Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835, and ran its first trains three years later...
, but ultimately decided to found their own football club instead, Chelsea, to occupy the ground as a rival to Fulham. Noted football ground
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
Archibald LeitchArchibald "Archie" Leitch was a Scottish architect, most famous for his work designing football stadia throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland....
, who had also designed
IbroxIbrox Stadium, originally Ibrox Park, is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow...
,
Celtic ParkCeltic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow in Scotland. It is the home ground of Celtic Football Club. The all-seater stadium is also known as Parkhead and occasionally nicknamed Paradise by Celtic fans....
,
Craven CottageCraven Cottage is the name of a sports stadium in the Hammersmith and Fulham area that has been the home ground of the association football team Fulham F.C. since 1896.The capacity of the stadium was increased to 26,678 following cosmetic repairs...
and
Hampden ParkHampden Park in Glasgow is Scotland's national stadium. Its primary use is as the home to Queen's Park F.C. and the Scotland national football team. It is also used for music concerts and other sporting events....
, was hired to construct the stadium.
As originally constructed, Stamford Bridge was an athletics track and the
pitchA football pitch is the playing surface for the game of association football made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play"....
was initially located in the middle of the running track. This meant that spectators were separated from the field of play on all sides by the width of running track and, on the north and south sides, the separation was particularly large because the long sides of the running track considerably exceeded the length of the football pitch. The stadium had a single stand for 5,000 spectators on the east side. Designed by
Archibald LeitchArchibald "Archie" Leitch was a Scottish architect, most famous for his work designing football stadia throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland....
, it is an exact replica of the
Johnny HaynesJohn Norman Haynes , better known as Johnny Haynes, was an English footballer who played a club-record 658 games and scored 158 goals for Fulham Football Club between 1952 and 1970...
stand he had previously built at the re-developed
Craven CottageCraven Cottage is the name of a sports stadium in the Hammersmith and Fulham area that has been the home ground of the association football team Fulham F.C. since 1896.The capacity of the stadium was increased to 26,678 following cosmetic repairs...
(and the main reason why Fulham had chosen not to move into the new ground). The other sides were all open in a vast bowl and thousands of tons of material excavated from the building of the
Piccadilly LineThe Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the third busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
provided high terracing for standing spectators exposed to the elements on the west side.
Stamford Bridge had an official capacity of around 100,000, making it the second largest ground in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
after
Crystal PalaceThe National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics track. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was one...
, the
FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association. The name "FA Cup" usually refers to the English men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held...
final venue. Stamford Bridge itself hosted the final for the first three years after the First World War from 1920 to 1922, after which it was replaced by Wembley.
Results of FA Cup Finals at Stamford Bridge
| Year |
Attendance |
Winner |
|
Runner-up |
|
| 1920 The 1920 FA Cup Final, the first since the end of the First World War, was contested by Aston Villa and Huddersfield at Stamford Bridge. Aston Villa won 1–0, with the goal coming in extra time from Billy Kirton.-Match details:-Aston Villa:...
|
50,018 |
Aston VillaAston Villa Football Club is an English professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, who play in the Premier League. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of Football League in 1888...
|
1 |
Huddersfield TownHuddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
|
0 |
1921The 1921 FA Cup Final was contested by Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge. Spurs won by a single goal, scored by Jimmy Dimmock, eight minutes into the second half...
|
72,805 |
Tottenham HotspurTottenham Hotspur Football Club, , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English professional football club based in Tottenham, North London which currently plays in the Premier League...
|
1 |
Wolverhampton WanderersWolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is a professional football club representing the city of Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands region of England, and currently playing in the Premier League. Commonly referred to by their nickname Wolves, the club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 have played...
|
0 |
| 1922 The 1922 FA Cup Final was contested by Huddersfield Town and Preston North End at Stamford Bridge. Huddersfield won by a single goal, a penalty scored by Billy Smith....
|
53,000 |
Huddersfield TownHuddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
|
1 |
Preston North EndPreston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the second tier of English league football, The Championship...
|
0 |
Expansion
In 1930, a new terrace was built on the south side for more standing spectators. Only part of this was roofed and it became known as "The Shed". This became the favoured spot for the loudest and most die-hard support until the terrace was demolished in 1994 (when all-seater stadiums became compulsory by law as a safety measure in light of the
Taylor ReportThe Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Taylor of Gosforth, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. An interim report was published in August 1989, and the final report was published in January 1990...
following the
Hillsborough disasterThe Hillsborough Disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, all fans of Liverpool F.C. It remains the deadliest stadium-related disaster in British...
). The seated stand which replaced it is still known as the Shed End (see above).
In 1939, a small two storied North Stand including seating was erected. It was originally intended to span the entire northern end, but the outbreak of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and its aftermath compelled the club to keep the stand small. It was demolished and replaced by open terracing for standing supporters in 1975. The North Terrace was closed in 1993 and the present North Stand of two tiers (the
Matthew HardingMatthew Harding was a British businessman, vice-chairman of Chelsea football club and a major financial supporter of New Labour .-Early years:...
Stand) was then constructed at that end.
In
1964-65The 1964-65 season was the 85th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* After a three-way tussle for the League title between Manchester United, Leeds United and Chelsea, Manchester United came out on top and were crowned champions....
, a seated West Stand was built to replace the existing terracing on the west side. Most of the West Stand consisted of rising ranks of wooden tip up seats on iron frames, but seating at the very front was on concrete forms known as "the Benches". The old West Stand was demolished in 1998 and replaced by the current West Stand.
A vast new East Stand was built in 1973, originally intended as the start of a comprehensive redevelopment of the stadium which was abandoned when the football club ran into financial difficulties. The East Stand essentially survives in its 1973 three tiered cantilevered form, although it has been much refurbished and modernised since.
Crisis
The cost of building the East Stand escalated out of control after shortages of materials and a builders' strike. The increase in the cost, combined with other factors, sent the club into decline. As a part of financial restructuring in the late 1970s, the
freeholdA fee simple is an estate in land. It is the most common way real estate is owned in common law countries, and is ordinarily the most complete ownership interest that can be had in real property short of allodial title, which is often reserved for governments...
was separated from the club and when new Chelsea chairman
Ken BatesKenneth William "Ken" Bates is a British businessman and football executive. The current chairman of Leeds United Football Club Limited and Leeds United A.F.C., Bates was previously chairman and major shareholder of Chelsea F.C. from 1982 until 2003...
bought the club for £1 in 1982, he didn't buy the stadium. A large chunk of the Stamford Bridge freehold was subsequently sold to property developers Marler Estates. The sale resulted in a long and acrimonious legal fight between Bates and Marler Estates. Marler Estates was ultimately forced to
bankruptcyBankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring...
after a market crash in the early 1990s, allowing Bates to do a deal with its banks and re-unite the freehold with the club.
The re-building of the stadium commenced again and successive building phases during the 1990s have eliminated the original running track. The construction of the 1973 East Stand started the process of eliminating the track. All stands, now roofed and
all-seaterAll-seater stadium is the terminology applied to those sports stadia in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands....
, are immediately adjacent to the pitch. This structure has the effect of concentrating and capturing the noise of supporters. Paradoxically, the noise sounds louder now than when supporters was dispersed at a distance from the pitch on open terraces, although the stadium capacity is approximately half of what it was. The pitch, the
turnstileA turnstile, also called a baffle gate, is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. It can also be made so as to enforce one-way traffic of people, and in addition, it can restrict passage only to people who insert a coin, a ticket, a pass, or similar...
s, and the
naming rightsNaming rights are the right to name a piece of property, either tangible property or an event, usually granted in exchange for financial considerations. Institutions like schools, places of worship and hospitals have a tradition of granting donors the right to name facilities in exchange for...
of the club are now owned by
Chelsea Pitch OwnersChelsea Pitch Owners plc a is a non-profit organisation that owns both the freehold of the Stamford Bridge stadium and the naming rights of the Chelsea Football Club.-History:...
, an organization set up to prevent the stadium from being purchased by property developers again.
Miscellaneous
Stamford Bridge
speedwayMotorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway or flat track motorcycle racing , is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit...
team operated from the stadium from 1929 until 1932, winning the Southern League in their opening season. Initially open meetings were held there in 1928. A nineteen year old junior rider, Charlie Biddle, was killed in a racing accident. In 1931, black cinders were laid onto the circuit suitable for use by speedway and athletics.
Greyhound racingGreyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
was first held at the stadium on 31 July 1937 and continued until 1 August 1968. A midget car meeting reportedly attracted a crowd of 50,000 people in 1948.
In 1945, Stamford Bridge staged one of the most notable matches in its history.
SovietThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
side
FC Dynamo MoscowDynamo Moscow is a Russian football club based in Moscow, which currently plays in the Russian Premier League. The team's home ground is Dynamo Stadium. Dynamo's traditional kit colours are blue and white...
were invited to tour the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
at the end of the Second World War and Chelsea were the first side they faced. An estimated crowd of over 100,000 crammed into Stamford Bridge to watch an exciting 3-3 draw, with many spectators on the dog track and on top of the stands.
The stadium was also one of the home venues for the
London XIThe London XI was an association football representative team, specially created to take part in the 1955-58 edition of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the precursor of today's UEFA Cup....
team that played in the original
Inter-Cities Fairs CupThe first Inter-Cities Fairs Cup took place over three seasons from 1955 to 1958. The competition began with a group stage with each team playing home and away against each other. Due to the competition rules which stated only one side from each city was allowed to compete, many cities with several...
, today called the
UEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is a competition for eligible European football clubs; the second most prestigious European football contest after the UEFA Champions League. It is an annual football cup competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations...
. Having played at various other stadia in London in the group and knockout stages, the team played the home leg of the two-legged final at Stamford Bridge, drawing 2-2 with
FC BarcelonaFútbol Club Barcelona , also known simply as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça , is a football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The team was founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Spanish men led by Joan Gamper. The club has become a Catalan institution, hence the motto "Més que...
; they lost the away leg 6-0, however.
The ground was used in 1980 for the first major day-night floodlit
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
match between Essex and West Indies (although organised by Surrey) which was a commercial success; the following year it hosted the final of the inaugural Lambert & Butler county cricket competition. It, however, failed and the experiment of playing cricket on football grounds was ended.
Stamford Bridge also briefly hosted
American footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
- despite not being long enough for a regulation-size gridiron field - when the
London MonarchsThe London Monarchs were a professional American football team in NFL Europe and its predecessor league, the World League of American Football . The Monarchs played their final season in 1998 as the England Monarchs. In 1999, they were replaced by the new Berlin Thunder.-Early years:The WLAF...
were based there in 1997.
The nearest tube station is
Fulham Broadway tube stationFulham Broadway is a London Underground station on the Wimbledon branch of the District Line. It is between West Brompton and Parsons Green stations and is in Travelcard Zone 2. The station is located on Fulham Broadway . It is notable as the nearest station to Stamford Bridge stadium, the home of...
.
Matthew Harding Stand
Capacity: 10,884
The Matthew Harding Stand, previously known as the North Stand, is along the north edge of the pitch. It is named after former Chelsea director
Matthew HardingMatthew Harding was a British businessman, vice-chairman of Chelsea football club and a major financial supporter of New Labour .-Early years:...
, who transformed the club in the early 1990s before his death in a
helicopterA helicopter is an aircraft that is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors, each rotor consisting of two or more rotor blades. Helicopters are classified as rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft to distinguish them from fixed-wing aircraft because the helicopter achieves lift with the...
accident on October 22, 1996. His considerable investment in the club enabled construction of the stand which was completed during the
1997-98 seasonThe 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
. It has two tiers and accommodates most season-ticket holders, giving it an enthusiastic atmosphere, especially in the lower tier. Any proposal to enlarge the facility would necessitate demolition of the adjacent 'Chelsea World of Sport' museum.
For some
Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...
matches, this stand operates at reduced capacity, some entrances being obstructed by the presence of TV outside-broadcast vehicles.
East Stand
Capacity: 10,925
The oldest stand, the East Stand is located along the east side of the pitch. Previously it was the home to away supporters on the bottom tier, however at the start of the 2005/2006 season then-manager
José MourinhoJosé Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho,
GOIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is the current manager of Italian Serie A team Internazionale, to whom he is contracted for the following three seasons....
requested the move of the family section to this part of the stand to boost team morale. The stand has three tiers and is the heart of the stadium, housing the tunnel, dugout, dressing rooms, conference room, press centre, AV and commentary box. The middle tier is occupied by facilities, clubs, and executive suites. The upper tier provides spectators with one of the best views in the stadium.
Shed End
Capacity: 7,814
The Shed End is located along the south side of the pitch. The stand has two tiers. The lower tier used to be home to the family centre, however for the 2005/2006 season and beyond the club has moved the away fans to the East corner of the stand (Gates 1-3 of the Upper Tier and around half of the Lower). The Shed also contains the centenary museum and a memorial wall where families of deceased fans are able to leave a permanent memorial of their loved ones indicating their eternal support for the club.
This stand was built during the mid 1990s.
West Stand
Capacity: 13,500
The West Stand, recently updated, is located along the west side of the pitch. It has three tiers, in addition to a row of
executive boxesLuxury box or luxury suite is the North American term for a special seating section in arenas, stadiums and other sports venues. In the United Kingdom and Australia the terms used are corporate box, executive box, sky box and private box. They are typically in the mid-section of the stadium,...
that stretches the length of the stand.
The construction of the stand was almost responsible for Chelsea's financial crisis, which would've seen the club fall into administration but for the intervention of Abramovich. In borrowing some £70m from Eurobonds to finance the project, Ken Bates put Chelsea into a perilous financial position, primarily because of the repayment terms.
Now complete, the stand is the main external 'face' of the stadium, being the first thing fans see when entering the primary gate on
Fulham RoadFulham Road is a street in London, England, that runs from the A219 road in right in the centre of Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, through Chelsea to Brompton Road Knightsbridge and the A4 in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.Fulham Road runs parallel...
. The Main Entrance is flanked by the Spackman and Speedie hospitality entrances, named after former Chelsea players
Nigel SpackmanNigel James Spackman is an English football manager and former player. He was formerly a midfield player who was an integral part of the much-admired Liverpool team of 1988.-Playing career:...
and
David SpeedieDavid Robert Speedie is a retired Scottish footballer who played for several clubs in England during the 1980s and 1990s, most notably Chelsea, Coventry City, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers. He accumulated more than 500 football league appearances and scored almost 150 goals in a 14 year...
. The stand also features the largest concourse area in the stadium.
The aforementioned executive boxes are also known as the Millennium Suites and are the home of the majority of matchday hospitality guests. Each box is also named after a former Chelsea player (names in brackets):
- Tambling Suite (Bobby Tambling
Robert Victor 'Bobby' Tambling is a retired English footballer, who played most notably for Chelsea and Crystal Palace in the 1960s and 1970s...
)
- Clarke Suite (Steve Clarke
Stephen "Steve" Clarke is a retired Scottish international footballer and the current assistant First Team Coach of West Ham United.-Playing career:...
, Ex-Assistant Manager at Chelsea)
- Harris Suite (Ron Harris
Ronald Edward Harris , better known as Ron "Chopper" Harris, is a former English footballer who played for Chelsea in the 1960s and 1970s. Harris is widely regarded as one of the toughest defenders of his era - along with players such as Tommy Smith MBE and Norman Hunter - hence the nickname...
)
- 'Drakes' (Ted Drake
Edward Joseph "Ted" Drake was an English football player and manager. As a player, he first played for Southampton but made his name playing for Arsenal in the 1930s, winning two league titles and an FA Cup, as well as five caps for England. He was also a cricketer, but only ever played sparingly...
)
- Bonetti (Peter Bonetti
Peter Phillip Bonetti was a football goalkeeper for Chelsea, the St. Louis Stars, Dundee United and England. Bonetti was known for his safe handling, lightning reflexes and his graceful style, for which he was given the nickname, "The Cat"...
)
- Hollins (John Hollins
John William Hollins MBE is an English former football player and coach. He was initially a midfield player who, later in his career, became an effective central defender....
)
Other features
When Stamford Bridge was redeveloped in the
Ken BatesKenneth William "Ken" Bates is a British businessman and football executive. The current chairman of Leeds United Football Club Limited and Leeds United A.F.C., Bates was previously chairman and major shareholder of Chelsea F.C. from 1982 until 2003...
era many additional features were added to the complex including two hotels, apartments, bars, restaurants, the Chelsea Megastore, and an interactive visitor attraction called Chelsea World of Sport. The intention was that these facilities would provide extra revenue to support the football side of the business, but they were less successful than hoped and before the
AbramovichRoman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian billionaire and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC. According to Forbes magazine, as of 11 March 2009, he had a net worth of US$8.5 billion, ranking him as the 51st richest person in the world...
takeover in 2003 the debt taken on to finance them was a major burden on the club. Soon after the takeover a decision was taken to drop the "Chelsea Village" brand and refocus on Chelsea as a football club. However, the stadium is sometimes still referred to as part of Chelsea Village or "The Village".
Centenary Museum
2005 saw the opening of a new club museum, known as the Chelsea Museum or the Centenary Museum, to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the club. The museum is located in the former Shed Galleria. Visitors are able to visit the
WAGsWAGs is an acronym used particularly by the British tabloid press to describe the wives and girlfriends of high-profile football players, originally the England national football team....
lounge and then watch an introductory video message from the vice-president
Richard AttenboroughRichard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, CBE is an English actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur. Attenborough has won two Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes...
. They are then guided decade by decade through the club's history seeing old programmes, past shirts,
José MourinhoJosé Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho,
GOIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is the current manager of Italian Serie A team Internazionale, to whom he is contracted for the following three seasons....
's coat and other memorabilia.
The future
Under
Roman AbramovichRoman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian billionaire and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC. According to Forbes magazine, as of 11 March 2009, he had a net worth of US$8.5 billion, ranking him as the 51st richest person in the world...
's control, the club has announced that it wants to extend Stamford Bridge to around 55,000 seats; however, its location in a heavily built-up part of
Inner LondonInner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. The area was first officially defined in 1965 and for purposes such as statistics, the definition has changed over time. The terms Inner London and Central...
near a main road and two
railway lineFor the article about the rails that trains run on see rail tracksRailway line is a term applied to railways with various meanings which lead to confusion in Wikipedia.It may mean...
s makes this very difficult. The dispersal of an additional 13,000 fans into the residential roads of the Moore Park Estate would undoubtedly create congestion and conflict.
Alternative possibilities include moving from Stamford Bridge to a location such as London Olympic Stadium, the
Earls Court Exhibition CentreThe Earls Court Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre, conference and event venue located in West London, England on the boundary between the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham. It is the second largest exhibition venue in London...
,
White CityWhite City is a place in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, to the north of Shepherd's Bush. Today, White City is home to the BBC Television Centre and BBC White City, and Loftus Road stadium, the home of football club Queens Park Rangers FC....
,
Battersea Power StationBattersea Power Station is a now unused coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames, near Battersea in London. The station comprises two individual power stations, built in two stages in the form of a single building. Battersea A Power Station was built first in the...
, the Imperial Road Gasworks (off the Kings Road on the
FulhamFulham is an area of west London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, located south west of Charing Cross. It is situated in between Putney and Chelsea...
and
ChelseaChelsea is an area of south-west London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe...
border) and the
Chelsea BarracksChelsea Barracks was a British Army barracks located in the City of Westminster, London, adjacent to Chelsea, on Chelsea Bridge Road.-History:...
. But, under the
Chelsea Pitch OwnersChelsea Pitch Owners plc a is a non-profit organisation that owns both the freehold of the Stamford Bridge stadium and the naming rights of the Chelsea Football Club.-History:...
articles of associationThe Continental Association, often known simply as the "Association", was a system created by the First Continental Congress in 1774 for implementing a trade boycott with Great Britain...
, the club would relinquish the name 'Chelsea Football Club' should it ever move from Stamford Bridge.
- Ground improvements at English football Stadia
Records
Record Attendance: 82,905 v
ArsenalArsenal Football Club are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London...
on October 12, 1935 (note this is for a Chelsea 'domestic' game, there have been many events at Stamford Bridge exceeding 100,000)
Lowest Attendance: 3,000 attended at a
ChelseaChelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club (are a professional English football club based in West London. The team, founded in 1905, play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football...
v
LincolnLincoln City F.C. is an English football team which play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.The team play at the 10,127 capacity Sincil Bank in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, and are nicknamed the Imps after the legend of the Lincoln Imp. More recently, they have...
match in 1906
Average attendances
- Premier League
- 1992-93: 18,754
- 1993-94: 19,211
- 1994-95: 21,062
- 1995-96: 25,598
- 1996-97: 27,617
- 1997-98: 33,387
- 1998-99: 34,571
- 1999-00: 34,532
- 2000-01: 34,700
- 2001-02: 38,834
- 2002-03: 39,784
- 2003-04: 41,234
- 2004-05: 41,870
- 2005-06: 41,902
- 2006-07: 41,909
- 2007-08: 41,397
- 2008-09: 41,464
Premier League 1992-2009: 33,736
Total PL 22,198,208 (658 games)
International matches
- December 11, 1909 - England Amateurs
The England national amateur football team was the amateur representative team for England at football. It was formed in 1906, due to the growth of the professional game which meant that amateur players could no longer easily find places in the main England national team.The team played many...
9-1 NetherlandsThe Netherlands national football team is the national football team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football Association. It won Euro 88 and reached two consecutive World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978 but lost both finals to their respective host nations, West Germany...
- April 5, 1913 - England
The English national football team represents England in international association football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football in England...
1-0 ScotlandThe Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
- November 20, 1929 - England 6-0 Wales
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international men's football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales, the governing body for football in Wales and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team has not qualified for a major international...
- December 7, 1932 - England 4-3 Austria
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
- May 11, 1946 - England 4-1 Switzerland
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland and is controlled by the Swiss Football Association....
(Victory International)
- March 20, 1987 - England 5-0 Brazil
The Brazil national football team is the national team of Brazil and is managed by the Brazilian Football Confederation that represents Brazil in international football competitions. They are the most successful national football team in the history of the World Cup, with five championships...
External links