Stamford Bridge

Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, West London. It stands on the site of an old creek called Counter’s Creek, once the boundary between Kensington and Fulham parishes. The name comes from a brick bridge built there in the 1860s. In 1877 the ground opened for the London Athletic Club and had a running track around the pitch. A single stand held 5,000 spectators on the east side, designed by Archibald Leitch. The stadium became home to Chelsea Football Club in 1905 after Gus Mears founded the club when Fulham turned down the ground. It hosted the 1935 league match between Chelsea and Arsenal that drew 82,905 fans, the highest official attendance. In 1945 over 100,000 watched Dynamo Moscow play Chelsea in a famous friendly after the Second World War. The ground also staged cricket, rugby, greyhound racing and even shinty in 1898. Today Stamford Bridge is an all-seater stadium with every stand close to the pitch to hold noise from supporters. The running track has been removed and the ground rebuilt in stages since the 1990s. Chelsea Pitch Owners now own the pitch and turnstiles to protect the stadium from developers. Chelsea Women play selected matches here, including Champions League games, showing the ground’s continuing role in the club’s life.