Founding and early years
In 1904, Gus Mears acquired 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

Chelsea are among the most widely supported football clubs in the world. They have the sixth highest average attendance in the history of

Chelsea's highest appearance-maker is ex-captain Ron Harris, who played in 795 competitive games for the club between 1961 and 1980. Four other players made more than 500

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

Crest
Chelsea have had four main crests, which all underwent minor variations. The first, adopted when the club was founded, was the image of a

Ownership
On 26 February 2022, Abramovich handed over "stewardship and care" of Chelsea FC to the Chelsea Charitable

In 1930, Chelsea featured in one of the earliest football films, The Great Game. One-time Chelsea centre forward, Jack Cock, who by then was playing for Millwall, was the star of the film and several scenes were shot at Stamford Bridge, including on the pitch, the boardroom,