Chelsea

Many non-Brits may not realize this, but the Chelsea we know today is a largely modern phenomenon. Chelsea was founded in 1905, in a pub just across Fulham Road that’s still there. It’s called the Butcher’s Hook now, and is probably a fair bit nicer than in those days. Chelsea have played at Stamford Bridge ever since—one of very few clubs in England to still play in the exact original location.

They basically didn’t win anything until 1955, though, and that was the second-tier championship. They bagged a few Cups in the late 1960s, but they nearly lost their stadium in the 1980s and were sold in 1982 for £1(!). As recently as the early 1990s, Chelsea was kind of a joke.

They got it together to make the FA Cup final in 1994 and won it in 1997. Then in 2003, Roman Abramovich arrived. The Russian oil billionaire spent $100 million on players and then hired José Mourinho. Since 2004, Chelsea have won five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, two Community Shields, two Champions Leagues (and lost another final to Manchester United), and two Europa Leagues. Chelsea is the only London club to win the Champions League and one of five clubs (and the first British club) to have won all three of Europe’s major club competitions.

All of that since 2004! They like to sing “We’ve Won It All,” to which opponents often respond, “You Bought It All.”

However, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sanctions forced Abramovich to sell the club, and the new North American owners, to borrow an American phrase, have more dollars than sense. They splashed the cash on players, only to finish sixth and sack their manager after just one season. Last season they at least got back into this season’s Championship League.

The statue outside the stadium is of Peter Osgood, who played back in the 1960s and early ’70s, scoring 105 goals in 289 games. He was on the team that won the FA Cup in 1970, and he scored a goal in every round—the last player ever, for any team, to do so. The next year, they beat Real Madrid to win the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. He is known as the King of Stamford Bridge, and his ashes are buried under the penalty spot near the Shed End.

2024–25 SEASON: 4th in Premier League, 4th Round FA Cup, 4th Round League Cup, UEFA Conference League Winners

2025–26 SEASON: Premier League (in the top tier since 1989), UEFA Champions League

Technically, their local rivals would be nearby neighbors Fulham, Brentford, and Queens Park Rangers. In truth, though, none of those clubs has provided real competition for years. Chelsea’s attention is much more focused on Arsenal, West Ham and mainly Tottenham, although since they started playing for titles, Manchester United has gotten in there as well. Historically, going back to the ’60s and ’70s, they don’t get along with Leeds United.

Tottenham-Chelsea is, Almost Quietly, One of the Top Derbies in English Football

When you think about the top derbies in English football, Chelsea vs Tottenham might not be the first to come to mind. But if you consider the factors that make up a proper derby – proximity, long history, controversies, and...

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Chelsea FC Women play in the FA Women’s Super League, the highest level of women’s football. They are the giants of the country. Last season, they won the WSL for the third year in a row-going undefeated-as well as the League Cup and the Women’s FA Cup for the second year in a row. Most home games are at Kingsmeadow in the London borough of Kingston, but some of the bigger ones are at Stamford Bridge.

Groundhopping at Chelsea FC Women

Although Chelsea FC Women are the biggest and best women’s soccer team in the English leagues these days, seeing one of their games in person is easy, casual, and old-fashioned in a family-friendly kind of way. As big as Chelsea...

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Perhaps their most famous is a simple, rising and falling chant of “Chelsea” over and over. You’ll hear it a lot. There is also one about keeping the blue flag “flying high up in the sky.” Another classic is “Carefree,” in which they sing, “We don’t give a fuck who you may be / We are the famous CFC.” And pregames there’s a fun little reggae song to which the fans sing, “We hate Tottenham—Chelsea!”

You will also hear, if you listen carefully before each half and after victories, a recorded sing-along called “Blue Is the Color.” It seems nobody ever sings along, but in the U.S., a few MLS clubs have adapted it. It was originally released in 1972 for the club’s run to the League Cup final, and it’s actually the 1972 team singing on the Chelsea recording. In those days all the clubs had a Cup song, but most were terrible and are lost to history.

Stamford Bridge—named for a long-buried bridge over a long-buried creek—has been the home of Chelsea FC since 1905. It has had several incarnations over the years and has looked as it does now since the West Stand was completely redeveloped in 2001.

The end where the away fans sit, along with the traditionally most rowdy Chelsea fans, is the Shed End, so named because in 1933 the old Fulham Road End got a roof built over it and fans took to calling it The Shed. It came down in the early ’90s when Chelsea Village, a development that includes two hotels on the site, was built. Part of the original wall is still there.

Today the Bridge holds 41,623 but somehow feels smaller. In the old terracing days, they once packed in 82,000 fans for a 1935 game against Arsenal. They have wanted for years to have a bigger home and at one point hoped to purchase the Battersea Power Station, the one whose smokestacks the pig flew between on that Pink Floyd album cover. That fell through, though, and a recent plan would have completely replaced this one with a 60,000-seater. Those plans were shelved in 2018, with no current plans to bring them back.

TOURS: Offered virtually all non-match days, a tour costs £28 for adults and £18 for kids. It includes a trip through their rather impressive and trophy-filled museum. They also have a hospitality package that includes a mini tour of the stadium on game days. Here’s a photo gallery from the Chelsea stadium tour.

Tour of Stamford Bridge, Chelsea FC in London

When I am in England researching The Groundhopper Guide to Soccer in England, I always try to tour the stadiums. It’s cool to go into the locker rooms, stand on the touchline, meet supporters, and hear stories. Here, then, are images from a tour...

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GETTING THERE: Getting to Stamford Bridge is simple. You just take the District line Tube to Fulham Broadway – make sure it’s a Wimbledon-bound train, though – then come out of the station and turn left. You can also take an Overground train to West Brompton and walk about 15 minutes through a beautiful historic cemetery if it’s a day game and you’re into that sort of thing. Getting out, they handle crowds quite well at Fulham Broadway; hang around the stadium maybe 30 minutes after the final whistle, and you’ll probably walk right onto a train. Otherwise, walk to Earls Court.

PUBS: Stamford Bridge is in a very happening neighborhood filled with pubs and restaurants. If you want to check in on the away fans, they won’t be allowed into these pubs, but last year they favored the Courtfield Tavern across from the Earl’s Court Tube station.

The Chelsea Gate (formerly Chelsea Pensioner) is an old-fashioned place with decent food and good pregame atmosphere. Near the ground, McGettigan’s looks a little neon and clubby. Broadway Kitchen and Bar says it’s famous for beers and burgers. The Cock Tavern looks a bit more traditional with a full menu. The Imperial Arms and The Rose call themselves gastropubs with outdoor seating, but I haven’t been to them yet. You might also check out Frankie’s at Chelsea Village, where you can book a table (presumably well ahead) for game day. And of course the Butcher’s Hook is where the club was founded; it is a lot of fun pregame, with lots of singing from deep in the Chelsea catalog, but it has a long queue and you will need to show a home-section ticket to get in.

GRUB: Aside from all these pubs, the Fulham Broadway station has a food court. The local chippy is Fishy Delishy on Fulham Broadway. Otherwise, check out the nearby Earl’s Court area.