15 Chelsea Facts That You Might Not Know!
Here are some awesome pieces Chelsea football trivia that every fan should have lodged in their brain!
Their fans call them ‘the Pride of London’ and they’ve broken many records since 1905. This Stamford Bridge team has won many trophies and was home to lots of legendary footballers. Here’s 15 amazing facts that every Blues fan should know!
1. The club was founded in 1905!
This team were founded on March 10, 1905 by businessman Henry ‘Gus’ Mears. They’re based in Fulham in West London!
2. Fulham almost used Stamford Bridge as their home ground!
Stamford Bridge was an athletics ground and Fulham declined the chance to use the ground as their own, so Gus Mears started his own football team instead. That’s why you have two teams in Fulham!
3. They were almost called London FC!
When the team were formed, there were lots of different names suggested before settling on Chelsea. They included Kensington FC, Stamford Bridge FC and London FC! They’re named after smallest borough in London, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
4. They were one of the first teams to put numbers on their kit!
In 1928, the team decided to put numbers on their shirts. Along with Arsenal, they were the first team to do this and their fixture against Swansea Town marked this new look for their kit.
5. They’ve always had a lot of supporters!
From around 1910, Chelsea became the first team in the UK to get large average attendances, with home games attracting over 40,000! Stamford Bridge’s current capacity is 40,343.
6. Frank Lampard is the club’s top goalscorer!
Frank Lampard is one of Chelsea’s longest-serving players and from his career at Stamford Bridge, which lasted from 2001 to 2014, he scored a total of 211 goals. He later became their manager for two years in 2019 and returned briefly in 2023 as a caretaker manager, before Mauricio Pochettino took over.
7. They’re nicknamed the Pensioners!
Chelsea are known as The Blues, because of the colour of their home kit (obviously). But from 1692 until the mid 1950s, all army pensioners were paid from the Royal Hospital in Chelsea and the war veterans were nicknamed Chelsea Pensioners. The club has set aside a number of seats for them to enjoy the home matches! They were depicted on the team’s crest until the early 1950s, then opted for a simple ‘CFC’ before a lion formed the main part of their badge in 1953.
8. Someone bought the club for £1 in 1982!
In the 1980s, the club were struggling financially and were in debt, so a businessman called Ken Bates purchased the team for £1. He transformed the club and later sold the club for £140 million in 2003.
9. They’ve had four different badges during their history!
The team has had five different badges throughout their history. The ‘Pensioners’ badge lasted until 1952, then the team used the blue initials for just one year until adopting the lion badge in the centre. This was updated in 1986 to a simple ‘CFC’ with a yellow lion. Chelsea then updated their badge in 2005, which still adorns their shirts to this day!
10. Sam Kerr is one of the world’s highest ranking players!
Australian striker Sam Kerr joined Chelsea WFC in 2020 from Chicago Red Stars, and has been included in the Top 10 players by The Guardian newspaper.
11. Their motto is ‘Pride of London’
Along with The Pensioners and The Blues, their fans have dubbed the team as ‘The Pride of London’. Fans of teams like Spurs, Arsenal, Fulham, QPR, Brentford, West Ham, Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace may disagree with this.
12. They made their most expensive signing in 2023!
Enzo Fernández signed from Portuguese side Benfica in 2023 for approximately £105 million pounds, a record amount of money at the time.
13. Stamford Bridge is owned by the fans!
Chelsea Pitch Owners actually own the ground and belongs to a group of fans. The name of the team also belongs to them as well!
14. They hold a record for winning three major European competitions!
In 2021, Chelsea won the UEFA Europa League and became the first club to win all three main UEFA club competitions two times over!
15. They were once unbeaten at home for 86 matches!
Between March 2004 and October 2008, Chelsea did not lose a single League match at home – 86 in total! Their staggering run came to an end when Liverpool defeated them 1-0.
