Stamford Bridge is the 41,837 capacity ground of Chelsea FC of the English Premier League
Like a lot of stadiums in the United kingdom, Stamford Bridge is surrounded by homes and stores. You take a left out of Fulham Broadway station, which is on the District Line, and a couple of hundred yards down the road is Stamford Bridge.
On game day Fulham Road is full of vendors selling scarves and Chelsea souvenir's which helps create the atmosphere in advance of you actually get to the ground.
Many of the pubs close to the ground will not permit away team supporters in before games, although alcohol is sold within Stamford Bridge for most matches.
Directly outside the West Stand is a statue of Peter Osgood who was part of the FA Cup winning side in 1970 and the Cup Winners Cup Final winning team a year later. He spent a total of 10 seasons at Stamford Bridge, scoring 105 goals in 289 appearances. He was capped four times by England. He passed away in March 2006.
On two sides of the ground there is also a collection of large pictures of part and present Chelsea greats.
Inside Stamford Bridge
What struck me about Stamford Bridge was how small and intimate the ground is. Most of the seats are really in close proximity to the pitch, and it feels more like a 25,000 seat stadium.
While Stamford Bridge is Chelsea's historic home, the ground has a modern feel to it as three of the stands have been built since the mid-1990's.
The most recent stand is the West Stand, which was opened in 2001. Located on one side of the pitch, it has 3 tiers, so it is rather steep and is quite a walk to the top. I sat in one of the top seats for a Champions League game last season, and you are a long way from the pitch.
Opposite is the older East Stand. Opened in 1973 this towering stand is also three tiered and has the team dugouts positioned at its front.
Both ends are smaller being two-tiered. One of these is the Matthew Harding Stand, named in memory of the man who did so much to transform the club. The Matthew Harding Stand is where the vast majority of the sound from the Chelsea supporters will come from.
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