86-533: Matthew Charles Harding (26 December 1953 – 22 October 1996) was a British businessman, vice-chairman of Chelsea Football Club and a major financial supporter of New Labour . Harding was born in Haywards Heath , Sussex , the son of Paul Harding, an insurance executive. He attended Abingdon School in Abingdon-on-Thames from 1964 until 1971. He was a member of the badminton first team, for which he
172-401: A rivalry with Liverpool has grown following repeated clashes in cup competitions. Fellow West London clubs Brentford , Fulham and Queens Park Rangers are considered rivals, but less so in recent times as matches have only taken place intermittently due to the teams often being in separate divisions. List of English football champions The English football champions are
258-439: A 9% win percentage. Lampard's win percentage was the worst for any Chelsea manager who managed three games or more. Chelsea scored a record-low 38 goals across the entire season and finished in the bottom half of the table for the first time since 1995–96. Mauricio Pochettino was announced as Lampard's replacement on 1 July 2023 on a two-year contract. He led Chelsea to a 6th-place finish after winning their final five games of
344-599: A large market garden) with the aim of staging football matches on the now 12.5 acre (51,000 m ) site. Stamford Bridge was designed for the Mears family by the noted football architect Archibald Leitch , who had designed Ibrox , Craven Cottage and Hampden Park . Most football clubs were founded first, and then sought grounds in which to play, but Chelsea were founded for Stamford Bridge. Starting with an open bowl-like design and one grandstand with seating, Stamford Bridge had an original capacity of around 100,000, making it
430-438: A new IT centre where one of the rooms was named ”The Matthew Harding Careers Room" after his particular interest in offering careers advice to the pupils. He returned to the school just weeks before his death to speak to a small group of sixth formers about his road to success. He left school and went to London . Through his father's friendship with Ted Benfield, he joined the insurance brokers Benfield, Lovick & Rees and it
516-457: A new ownership group, led by Todd Boehly , Clearlake Capital , Mark Walter and Hansjörg Wyss , to acquire the club. The group was later known as BlueCo . The UK government approved the £4.25bn takeover, ending Abramovich's 19-year ownership of the club. Bruce Buck , who served as chairman since 2003, was replaced by Boehly, while long-serving club director and de facto sporting director Marina Granovskaia left, as did Petr Čech from
602-562: A new team around the group of talented young players emerging from the club's youth set-up, and Chelsea challenged for honours throughout the 1960s, enduring several near-misses. They were on course for a treble of League, FA Cup and League Cup going into the final stages of the 1964–65 season, winning the League Cup but faltering late on in the other two. In three seasons the side were beaten in three major semi-finals and were FA Cup runners-up. Under Docherty's successor, Dave Sexton , Chelsea won
688-561: A profit in the first nine years of Abramovich's ownership, and made record losses of £140m in June 2005. I am a fan of special nature. I'm excited before every single game. The trophy at the end is less important than the process itself. —Abramovich discussing two trophy-laden years at Chelsea (2006). In 2009, under caretaker manager Guus Hiddink , Chelsea won another FA Cup . In 2009–10 , his successor Carlo Ancelotti led them to their first Premier League and FA Cup Double , becoming
774-651: A shift of power towards bigger clubs with more financial means. Financial considerations became an even bigger influence from 1992, when the teams then in the First Division defected to form the FA Premier League. This supplanted the Football League First Division as the highest level of football in England , and due to a series of progressively larger television contracts, put unprecedented wealth into
860-599: A strong start to the 2024-25 season with 22 points in 12 match's in the Premier League . Chelsea have only had one home ground, Stamford Bridge, where they have played since the team's foundation. The stadium was officially opened on 28 April 1877 and for the next 28 years it was used by the London Athletic Club as an arena for athletics meetings. In 1904, the ground was acquired by businessman Gus Mears and his brother Joseph , who had purchased nearby land (formerly
946-624: Is a professional football club based in Fulham , West London, England. They compete in the Premier League , the top tier of English football . Founded in 1905, the team play their home games at Stamford Bridge . The club won their first major honour, the League championship , in 1955 . They won the FA Cup for the first time in 1970 , won their first European honour, the Cup Winners' Cup , in 1971 , and became
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#17328517367171032-577: Is among the most widely supported football clubs in the world. It has the sixth-highest average attendance in the history of English football , and regularly attract over 40,000 fans to Stamford Bridge; they were the ninth best-supported Premier League team in the 2023–24 season, with an average gate of 39,700. Chelsea's traditional fanbase comes from all over the Greater London area including working-class parts such as Hammersmith and Battersea , wealthier areas like Chelsea and Kensington , and from
1118-578: Is located in Cobham, Surrey . Chelsea moved to Cobham in 2004. Their previous training ground in Harlington was taken over by QPR in 2005. The new training facilities in Cobham were completed in 2007. Stamford Bridge hosted the FA Cup final from 1920 to 1922, has held 10 FA Cup Semi-finals (most recently in 1978 ), ten FA Charity Shield matches (the last in 1970 ), and three England international matches,
1204-462: Is the fifth-most successful club in English football . The club has rivalries with neighbouring teams Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur , and a historic rivalry with Leeds United . In terms of club value, Chelsea is the ninth-most-valuable football club in the world (as of 2024 ), worth $ 3.13 billion, and is the ninth-highest-earning football club in the world. In 1904, Gus Mears acquired
1290-604: Is the Colour"). Chelsea released the song " No One Can Stop Us Now " in 1994 for reaching the 1994 FA Cup final . It reached number 23 in the UK Singles Chart. In the build-up to the 1997 FA Cup final , the song " Blue Day ", performed by Suggs and members of the Chelsea squad, reached number 22 in the UK chart. In 2000, Chelsea released the song " Blue Tomorrow ". It reached number 22 in
1376-457: The 2005–06 season and marked a return to the older design, used from 1953 to 1986, featuring a blue heraldic lion holding a staff. For the centenary season this was accompanied by the words '100 Years' and 'Centenary 2005–2006' on the top and bottom of the crest respectively. Chelsea have always worn blue shirts, although they originally used the paler eton blue , which was taken from the racing colours of then club president, Earl Cadogan , and
1462-400: The 2009–10 season, the third highest in the division, and 27 banning orders were issued, the fifth-highest in the division. Chelsea have long-standing rivalries with North London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur . A strong rivalry with Leeds United dates back to several heated and controversial matches in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the 1970 FA Cup final . More recently
1548-463: The 2021 FIFA Club World Cup (the first for the club) in Abu Dhabi after beating Brazilian Palmeiras 2–1. On 18 April 2021, Chelsea announced it would be joining a new European Super League , a league competition comprising the biggest European clubs. After a backlash from supporters, the club announced their withdrawal days later. The club opted against furloughing their non-matchday staff during
1634-573: The COVID-19 pandemic , with the decision reportedly coming from Abramovich himself. Chelsea, one of the first clubs to help the National Health Service , lent the club-owned Millennium Hotel for the NHS staff. "[Chelsea] have been a success machine for the last 10–20 years. That doesn't just come with money, we've seen at Manchester United and Arsenal where they've put billions into the team and not had
1720-475: The FA Cup in 1970 , beating Leeds United 2–1 in a final replay. The following year, Chelsea took their first European honour, a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph, with another replayed win, this time over Real Madrid in Athens. The late 1970s through to the '80s was a turbulent period for Chelsea. An ambitious redevelopment of Stamford Bridge threatened the financial stability of the club, star players were sold and
1806-595: The Fulham Road , which places constraints on expansion due to health and safety regulations. The club have consistently affirmed their desire to keep Chelsea at their current home, but have nonetheless been linked with a move to various nearby sites, including the Earls Court Exhibition Centre , Battersea Power Station and the Chelsea Barracks . In October 2011, a proposal from the club to buy back
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#17328517367171892-586: The League Cup final , which they lost on penalties to Manchester City and won the Europa League for a second time, beating Arsenal 4–1 in the final. Sarri then left the club to become manager of Juventus and was replaced by former Chelsea player Frank Lampard . In Lampard's first season , he guided Chelsea to fourth place in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final , losing 2–1 to Arsenal. Lampard
1978-504: The London Monarchs American Football team for the 1997 season . The previous owner Abramovich and the club's then executive board determined that a larger stadium is necessary in order for Chelsea to stay competitive with rival clubs who have significantly larger stadia, such as Arsenal and Manchester United . Owing to its location next to a main road and two railway lines, fans can only enter Stamford Bridge via
2064-506: The Stamford Bridge athletics stadium in Fulham with the aim of turning it into a football ground. An offer to lease it to nearby Fulham F.C. was turned down, so Mears opted to found his own club to use the stadium. As there was already a team named Fulham in the borough, the name of the adjacent borough of Chelsea was chosen for the new club; names like Kensington FC , Stamford Bridge FC and London FC were considered. Chelsea F.C.
2150-586: The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup in 1998 , and the FA Cup in 2000 . They mounted a strong title challenge in 1998–99, finishing four points behind champions Manchester United, and made their first appearance in the UEFA Champions League . Vialli was sacked in favour of Claudio Ranieri , who guided Chelsea to the 2002 FA Cup final and Champions League qualification in 2002–03. With
2236-557: The home counties . There are numerous official supporters clubs in the United Kingdom and all over the world. Between 2007 and 2012, Chelsea were ranked fourth worldwide in annual replica kit sales, with an average of 910,000. As of 2023, Chelsea has 118.9 million followers on social media, the fourth highest among football clubs. During the 1970s and 1980s in particular, Chelsea supporters were associated with football hooliganism . The club's " football firm ", originally known as
2322-523: The pitch , the turnstiles and Chelsea's naming rights are now owned by Chelsea Pitch Owners , a non-profit organisation in which fans are the shareholders. The CPO was created to ensure the stadium could never again be sold to developers. As a condition for using the Chelsea FC name, the club has to play its first team matches at Stamford Bridge, which means that if the club moves to a new stadium, they may have to change their name. Chelsea's training ground
2408-421: The 1930s, but success eluded the club in the inter-war years. Former Arsenal and England centre-forward Ted Drake was appointed manager in 1952 and proceeded to modernise the club. He removed the club's Chelsea pensioner crest, improved the youth set-up and training regime, rebuilt the side with shrewd signings from the lower divisions and amateur leagues, and led Chelsea to their first major trophy success –
2494-511: The 1966 FA Cup semi-final they wore blue and black stripes, based on Inter Milan 's kit. In the mid-1970s, the away strip was a red, white and green kit inspired by the Hungarian national side of the 1950s. Other away kits include an all jade strip worn from 1986 to 1989, red and white diamonds from 1990 to 1992, graphite and tangerine from 1994 to 1996, and luminous yellow from 2007 to 2008. The graphite and tangerine strip has appeared in lists of
2580-456: The 2010s and 2020s. Everton are fifth with nine titles. Aston Villa (seven) and Sunderland (six) secured the majority of their titles before the 1920s. Chelsea (six) won the majority of their titles in the 21st century (between 2005 and 2017). Manchester City became the first men's team to win the league title in four consecutive seasons in 2024. All figures are correct as of the end of the 2023–24 season . There are 24 clubs which have won
2666-489: The 2023–24 season, which earned the club a Conference League play-off round qualification . After clashing with the sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley over strategy and management of the young squad, Pochettino agreed to leave the club at the end of the season. On 3 June 2024, Enzo Maresca was announced as Pochettino's replacement, with the Italian set to start his activity on 1 July 2024. Chelsea had
Matthew Harding - Misplaced Pages Continue
2752-531: The Chelsea Shed Boys, and subsequently as the Chelsea Headhunters , were nationally notorious for football violence, alongside hooligan firms from other clubs such as West Ham United 's Inter City Firm and Millwall 's Bushwackers , before, during and after matches. The increase of hooligan incidents in the 1980s led chairman Ken Bates to propose erecting an electric fence to deter them from invading
2838-878: The English top level title, including 7 which have won the Premier League (1992–present). The most recent to join the list were Leicester City (2015–16 champions) and before that, Nottingham Forest (1977–78) and Derby County (1971–72). Seven teams have at some point held first or joint first place in the number of titles won: Preston North End (1889–1895), Sunderland (1893–1899 and 1936–1953), Aston Villa (1897–1953), Arsenal (1948–1976), Liverpool (1966–1971 and 1973–2011), Manchester United (1967–1971 and 2009–present) and Everton (1970–1971). Eight teams have finished as runners-up without ever finishing top: Bristol City (1906–07), Oldham Athletic (1914–15), Cardiff City (1923–24), Charlton Athletic (1936–37), Blackpool (1955–56), Queens Park Rangers (1975–76), Watford (1982–83) and Southampton (1983–84). Of these, Cardiff City came closest to winning
2924-428: The First Division in 1920, the club's best league campaign to that point. Chelsea had a reputation for signing star players and attracted large crowds. The club had the highest average attendance in English football in ten separate seasons including 1907–08 , 1909–10 , 1911–12 , 1912–13 , 1913–14 and 1919–20 . They were FA Cup semi-finalists in 1920 and 1932 and remained in the First Division throughout
3010-526: The League championship – in 1954–55 . The following season saw UEFA create the European Champions' Cup , but after objections from The Football League , Chelsea were persuaded to withdraw from the competition before it started. Chelsea failed to build on this success, and spent the remainder of the 1950s in mid-table. Drake was dismissed in 1961 and replaced by player-coach Tommy Docherty . Docherty built
3096-493: The Second Division championship in 1988–89. After a long-running legal battle, Bates reunited the stadium freehold with the club in 1992 by doing a deal with the banks of the property developers, who had been bankrupted by a market crash. In the mid-1990s Chelsea fan and businessman Matthew Harding became a director and loaned the club £26 million to build the new North Stand and invest in new players. Chelsea's form in
3182-695: The Stamford Bridge freehold had been sold to property developers, meaning the club faced losing their home. On the pitch, the team had fared little better, coming close to relegation to the Third Division for the first time, but in 1983 manager John Neal put together an impressive new team for minimal outlay. Chelsea won the Second Division title in 1983–84 and established themselves in the top division with two top-six finishes, before being relegated again in 1988. The club bounced back immediately by winning
3268-459: The UK Singles Chart. At matches, Chelsea fans sing chants such as " Carefree " (to the tune of " Lord of the Dance ", whose lyrics were probably written by supporter Mick Greenaway), "Ten Men Went to Mow", "We All Follow the Chelsea" (to the tune of " Land of Hope and Glory "), "Zigga Zagga", and the celebratory "Celery". The latter is often accompanied by fans throwing celery at each other, although
3354-508: The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy had requested that the US government not levy sanctions against Abramovich given his importance to war relief efforts. We're all in – 100% – every minute of every match. Our vision as owners is clear: we want to make the fans proud. —Todd Boehly, addressing the press after the takeover. On 7 May 2022, Chelsea confirmed that terms have been agreed for
3440-410: The club facing an apparent financial crisis, Bates unexpectedly sold Chelsea F.C. in June 2003 for £60 million. In so doing, he reportedly recognised a personal profit of £17 million on the club he had bought for £1 in 1982 (his stake had been diluted to just below 30% over the years). The club's new owner was Russian oligarch and billionaire Roman Abramovich , who took on responsibility for
3526-423: The club released a statement saying that the new stadium project had been put on hold indefinitely, citing "the current unfavourable investment climate." In July 2022, it was reported that the club's new owner Todd Boehly had appointed American architect Janet Marie Smith to oversee the renovation of the stadium. Chelsea has had four main crests , which all underwent minor variations. The first, adopted when
Matthew Harding - Misplaced Pages Continue
3612-479: The club was founded, was the image of a Chelsea Pensioner , the army veterans who reside at the nearby Royal Hospital Chelsea . This contributed to the club's original "pensioner" nickname, and remained for the next half-century, though it never appeared on the shirts. When Ted Drake became Chelsea manager in 1952, he began to modernise the club. Believing the Chelsea pensioner crest to be old-fashioned, he insisted that it be replaced. A stop-gap badge which comprised
3698-414: The club were under threat of eviction from the stadium. Following a long legal battle, it was not until the mid-1990s that Chelsea's future at Stamford Bridge was secured and renovation work resumed. The north, west and southern parts of the ground were converted into all-seater stands and moved closer to the pitch, a process completed by 2001. The East Stand was retained from the 1970s development. In 1996,
3784-414: The club's £80 million of debt, quickly paying some of it. Sergei Pugachev alleged Chelsea was bought on Putin's orders, an allegation Abramovich has denied. Bates mentioned that Abramovich was in talks to buy Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur before he bought Chelsea in a deal sealed in a day. Over £100 million was spent on new players, but Ranieri was unable to deliver any trophies, and
3870-600: The club, including £7.5m towards construction of the North Stand (now the Matthew Harding Stand), £16.5m to buy the Stamford Bridge freehold and transfer funds. He would frequently ask players for autographs and other signed items. However, his time there was marked by frequent clashes with Bates, club chairman and majority shareholder , over the direction to be taken by the club. Bates feared that Harding would try to oust him from his position, although in reality Harding
3956-517: The first English top-flight club to score 100 league goals in a season since 1963 . In 2012, Roberto Di Matteo led Chelsea to their seventh FA Cup , and their first UEFA Champions League title , beating Bayern Munich 4–3 on penalties, the first London club to win the trophy. The following year the club won the UEFA Europa League , making them the first club to hold two major European titles simultaneously and one of five clubs to have won
4042-497: The first club to be crowned champions after completing their fixtures unbeaten. The league's early years were dominated by teams from the North and Midlands, where professionalism had been embraced more readily than in the South of England. It was teams such as Preston North End, Aston Villa and Sunderland that held the league title in monopoly. Its status as the country's pre-eminent league
4128-430: The forepaws a crozier or all within an annulet azure "). In 1986, with Ken Bates owner of the club, Chelsea's crest was changed again as part of another attempt to modernise and because the old rampant lion badge could not be trademarked. The new badge featured a more naturalistic non-heraldic lion, in white and not blue, standing over the C.F.C. initials. This lasted for the next 19 years, with some modifications such as
4214-539: The freehold to the land on which Stamford Bridge sits was voted down by Chelsea Pitch Owners shareholders. In May 2012, the club made a formal bid to purchase Battersea Power Station , with a view to developing the site into a new stadium, but lost out to a Malaysian consortium. The club subsequently announced plans to redevelop Stamford Bridge into a 60,000-seater stadium, and in January 2017 these plans were approved by Hammersmith and Fulham council. However, on 31 May 2018,
4300-450: The hands of top flight clubs. The first five champions in the Premier League era – Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United – had all won the title at least once prior to 1992. Leicester City were champions for the first time in 2016, becoming the first team to win the Premier League without having previously won the First Division. Other than inaugural league champions Preston North End, Ipswich Town remain
4386-636: The helicopter Harding was travelling on crashed near Middlewich , Cheshire , killing Harding along with the pilot and three other passengers, including journalist John Bauldie . He was 42. The crash of the Eurocopter AS355 Écureuil 2 aircraft took place at night and in poor weather. An investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch found that the pilot did not have the experience or qualifications necessary to safely pilot by instruments in such conditions. An inquest found that
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#17328517367174472-649: The initials C.F.C. was adopted for a year. In 1953, the club crest was changed to an upright blue lion looking backwards and holding a staff . It was based on elements in the coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea with the "lion rampant regardant" taken from the arms of then club president Viscount Chelsea and the staff from the Abbots of Westminster , former Lords of the Manor of Chelsea. It featured three red roses, to represent England, and two footballs. This
4558-538: The last in 1932; it was the venue for an unofficial Victory International in 1946. The 2013 UEFA Women's Champions League final was played at Stamford Bridge as well. The stadium has been used for a variety of other sports. In October 1905 it hosted a rugby union match between the All Blacks and Middlesex, and in 1914 hosted a baseball match between the touring New York Giants and the Chicago White Sox . It
4644-506: The most of any club. United's rivals Liverpool are second with nineteen. Liverpool dominated during the 1970s and 1980s (winning eleven league titles between 1973 and 1990), while Manchester United dominated in the 1990s and 2000s under manager Alex Ferguson (eleven league titles between 1993 and 2009). Arsenal are third with thirteen titles, having dominated during the 1930s (five league titles between 1931 and 1938). Manchester City are fourth with ten titles, of which eight have been won in
4730-402: The new Premier League was unconvincing, although they did reach the 1994 FA Cup final . The appointment of Ruud Gullit as player-manager in 1996 began an upturn in the team's fortunes. He added several top international players to the side and led the club to their first major honour since 1971, the FA Cup . Gullit was replaced by Gianluca Vialli , whose reign saw Chelsea win the League Cup ,
4816-613: The north stand was renamed the Matthew Harding stand, after the club director and benefactor who was killed in a helicopter crash earlier that year. When Stamford Bridge was redeveloped in the Bates era many additional features were added to the complex including two Millennium & Copthorne hotels , apartments, bars, restaurants, the Chelsea Megastore, and an interactive visitor attraction called Chelsea World of Sport. The intention
4902-612: The only London club to have won the Champions League and the Club World Cup. Domestically, the club has won six league titles , eight FA Cups , five League Cups , and four FA Community Shields . Internationally, they have won the UEFA Champions League , the UEFA Europa League , the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup twice each, and the FIFA Club World Cup once. In terms of overall trophies won, Chelsea
4988-618: The only club to win the top flight division at their first attempt in the 1961–62 season . All the clubs which have ever been champions are still in existence today and all take part in the top four tiers of the English football league system . Sheffield Wednesday are the only club who have ever changed their name after winning a league title, having been known as The Wednesday for the first three of their four titles. The name change took place in 1929. Manchester United have won twenty titles (both English First Division and Premier League titles),
5074-525: The pilot was likely to have become disorientated due to the poor visibility, and called for the introduction of new safety regulations. Harding's death came months before Chelsea’s FA Cup triumph and the general election victory of the Labour Party which he had backed financially near the end of his life. Harding's son Patrick went on to become a semi-professional footballer who played for Burgess Hill Town F.C. Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club
5160-626: The pitch, a proposal that the Greater London Council rejected. Since the 1990s, there has been a marked decline in crowd trouble at matches, as a result of stricter policing, CCTV in grounds and the advent of all-seater stadia . In 2007, the club launched the Back to the Shed campaign to improve the atmosphere at home matches, with notable success. According to Home Office statistics, 126 Chelsea fans were arrested for football-related offences during
5246-497: The role of technical and performance advisor. The club brought in Graham Potter from Brighton & Hove Albion to replace Tuchel on 8 September 2022. Chelsea won six of the first 11 games of the 2022–23 season , but only five of the remaining 27. Potter would be sacked on 2 April 2023 and eventually be replaced by Frank Lampard as caretaker manager. Under Lampard the club would only win one of their last 11 matches resulting in
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#17328517367175332-482: The second biggest stadium in England after Crystal Palace . The early 1930s saw the construction of a terrace on the southern part of the ground with a roof that covered around 20% of the stand. As the roof resembled that of a corrugated iron shed, the stand eventually became known as the "Shed End", although it is unknown who first coined this name. From the 1960s, it became known as the home of Chelsea's most loyal and vocal supporters. In 1939, another small seated stand
5418-445: The success that Chelsea have had. Chelsea can feel comfortable that they'll have rich owners, but will they have football-smart owners? Because that's what Abramovich has been. — Gary Neville on Abramovich's legacy. "I don't want to throw my money away but it's really about having fun and that means success and trophies." —Roman Abramovich, in an interview with the BBC following
5504-571: The takeover. Amidst financial sanctions leveled at Russian oligarchs by Western governments in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , Abramovich stated on 26 February that he would hand over the stewardship of Chelsea to the trustees of the Chelsea Foundation. The trustees did not immediately agree, due to legal concerns regarding the rules of the Charity Commission for England and Wales . A week later, Abramovich wrote-off
5590-521: The team were relegated. Further problems were caused by a notorious hooligan element among the support, which was to plague the club throughout the decade. In 1982, at the nadir of their fortunes, Chelsea were acquired by Ken Bates from Mears' great-nephew Brian Mears , for the nominal sum of £1. Bates bought a controlling stake in the club and floated Chelsea on the AIM stock exchange in March 1996 although by now
5676-538: The third English club to win the Club World Cup in 2022 . Chelsea is one of five clubs and the first English club to have won all three pre-1999 main European club competitions, the "European Treble" of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League , European/UEFA Cup Winners' Cup , and UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League . They are the only club to have won all three major European competitions twice. They are
5762-482: The three main UEFA trophies. Mourinho returned as manager in 2013 and led Chelsea to League Cup success in March 2015, and the Premier League title two months later. Mourinho was sacked after four months of the following season after a poor start. In November 2012, Chelsea announced a profit of £1.4 million for the year ending 30 June 2012, the first time the club had made a profit under Abramovich's ownership. This
5848-400: The use of different colours, including red from 1987 to 1995, and yellow from 1995 until 1999, before the white returned. With the new ownership of Roman Abramovich , and the club's centenary approaching, combined with demands from fans for the popular 1950s badge to be restored, it was decided that the crest should be changed again in 2005. The new crest was officially adopted for the start of
5934-420: The vegetable was banned inside Stamford Bridge after an incident involving midfielder Cesc Fàbregas at the 2007 League Cup final . Popular fan chants include, "Super Chelsea", "Super Frank" (dedicated to all-time leading goal scorer Frank Lampard ), "We love you Chelsea" and "Come on Chelsea". There are situation-specific or team-specific chants meant to rile up opposition teams, managers or players. Chelsea
6020-527: The winners of the top-level league in English men's football, which since the 1992–93 season has been called the Premier League . Following the codification of professional football by the Football Association in 1885, the Football League was established in 1888, after meetings initiated by Aston Villa director William McGregor . At the end of the 1888–89 season , Preston North End were
6106-623: The worst football kits ever. The song " Blue is the Colour " was released as a single in the build-up to the 1972 League Cup final , with all members of Chelsea's first team squad singing; it reached number five in the UK Singles Chart . The song has since been adopted by a number of other sports teams around the world, including the Vancouver Whitecaps (as "White is the Colour") and the Saskatchewan Roughriders (as "Green
6192-637: The £1.5 billion the club owed him, and put the club up for sale, pledging to donate net proceeds from it to the victims of the war in Ukraine. On 10 March 2022, the British government announced sanctions on Abramovich with Chelsea allowed to operate under a special license until 31 May. In the following weeks, reports emerged of Abramovich's involvement in brokering a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia and securing safe evacuation corridors in besieged Ukrainian cities. An American government official revealed that
6278-480: Was added, the North Stand, which remained until its demolition in 1975. In the early 1970s, the club's owners announced a modernisation of Stamford Bridge with plans for a state-of-the-art 50,000 all-seater stadium. Work began in 1972 but the project was beset with problems and ultimately only the East Stand was completed; the cost brought the club close to bankruptcy. The freehold was sold to property developers and
6364-465: Was awarded half-colours, in addition to being a cricket first XI player, captain of the colts cricket team and a member of the hockey second XI. Although he enjoyed the sport, he did not enjoy the school ethos, earning a single 'A' Level in Latin. In June 1995, he was appointed a "Steward" of Abingdon School and presented the awards at "Leavers' Day". He donated £500,000 towards the school's "Mercers Court",
6450-531: Was dismissed in January 2021 and replaced with Thomas Tuchel . Under Tuchel, Chelsea reached the FA Cup final , losing 1–0 to Leicester City , and won their second UEFA Champions League title with a 1–0 win over Manchester City in Porto. The club subsequently won the 2021 UEFA Super Cup for the second time by defeating Villarreal 6–5 in a penalty shootout, after it had ended 1–1 in Belfast after extra time, and
6536-452: Was first worn during the 1964–65 season. Since then Chelsea have always worn white socks with their home kit apart from a short spell from 1985 to 1992, when blue socks were reintroduced. Chelsea's away colours are usually all yellow or all white with blue trim. More recently, the club have had a number of black or dark blue away kits which alternate every year. As with most teams, they have had some more unusual ones. At Docherty's behest, in
6622-439: Was followed by a loss in 2013 and then their highest ever profit of £18.4 million for the year to June 2014. In 2018 Chelsea announced a record after-tax profit of £62 million. In 2017, under new coach Antonio Conte , Chelsea won their sixth English title and the following season won their eighth FA Cup. In 2018 Conte was sacked after a fifth-place finish and replaced with Maurizio Sarri , under whom Chelsea reached
6708-575: Was founded on 10 March 1905 at The Rising Sun pub (now The Butcher's Hook), opposite the present-day main entrance to the ground on Fulham Road , and were elected to the Football League shortly afterwards. Chelsea won promotion to the First Division in their second season, and yo-yoed between the First and Second Divisions in its early years. The team reached the 1915 FA Cup final , where they lost to Sheffield United at Old Trafford, and finished third in
6794-464: Was in the insurance industry that he made his fortune, starting out by making the tea and going on to be a director. By 1980, he had acquired a 32% stake in the company, becoming one of Britain's 100 richest men. A lifelong fan of Chelsea Football Club , Harding responded to Chelsea chairman Ken Bates ' call for new investment in the club in 1993. In October 1993, he was appointed as a Chelsea Football Club director. He invested £26.5 million in
6880-461: Was only interested in the success of the club. Bates eventually banned Harding from the Chelsea boardroom and effectively limited his input and influence over the club. Dispute between Bates and Harding was continual and only stopped after Harding's death in 1996. Bates received widespread criticism after calling Harding "evil" just a year after his death. On 22 October 1996, while flying back from Chelsea’s League Cup defeat away to Bolton Wanderers ,
6966-546: Was replaced by José Mourinho . Under Mourinho, Chelsea became the fifth English team to win back-to-back league championships since the Second World War ( 2004–05 and 2005–06 ), in addition to winning an FA Cup ( 2007 ) and two League Cups ( 2005 and 2007 ). After a poor start to the 2007–08 season, Mourinho was replaced by Avram Grant , who led the club to their first UEFA Champions League final , which they lost on penalties to Manchester United . The club did not turn
7052-436: Was strengthened in 1892, when the rival Football Alliance was absorbed into the Football League. Former Alliance clubs comprised the bulk of a new Second Division , from which promotion to the top level could be gained. It was not until 1931 that a Southern club were crowned champions, when Herbert Chapman 's Arsenal secured the title. Rules stipulating a maximum wage for players were abolished in 1961. This resulted in
7138-563: 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 Abramovich 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" . The Stamford Bridge freehold ,
7224-515: Was the first Chelsea crest to appear on the shirts, in the early 1960s. In 1975, a heraldic badge was granted by the College of Arms to the English Football League for use by Chelsea. The badge took the form of the familiar lion and staff encircled by a blue ring but without lettering and without the red roses and red footballs ( blazoned as " A lion rampant reguardant azure supporting with
7310-467: Was the venue for a boxing match between world flyweight champion Jimmy Wilde and Joe Conn in 1918. The running track was used for dirt track racing between 1928 and 1932, greyhound racing from 1933 to 1968, and Midget car racing in 1948. In 1980, Stamford Bridge hosted the first international floodlit cricket match in the UK, between Essex and the West Indies . It was the home stadium of
7396-402: Was worn with white shorts and dark blue or black socks. The light blue shirts were replaced by a royal blue version in around 1912. In the 1960s Chelsea manager Tommy Docherty changed the kit again, switching to blue shorts (which have remained ever since) and white socks, believing it made the club's colours more modern and distinctive, since no other major side used that combination; this kit
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