Stamford Bridge is Chelsea's 41,837 capacity stadium.
Like lots of grounds in the United kingdom, Stamford Bridge is surrounded by homes and shops. You take a left out of Fulham Broadway station, which is on the District Line, and a few hundred yards down the street is Stamford Bridge.
On game day Fulham Road is full of vendors selling scarves and Chelsea souvenir's which helps develop the atmosphere before you actually get to the ground.
Many of the pubs close to the ground will not allow away team supporters in prior to games, although alcohol is sold inside Stamford Bridge for most matches.
Directly outside the West Stand is a statue of Peter Osgood who was part of the FA Cup winning team in 1970 and the Cup Winners Cup Final winning team a year later. He spent a total of Ten seasons at Chelsea, scoring 105 goals in 289 appearances. He made four apperances for England. Osgood died in March 2006.
On two sides of the ground there is also a collection of large pictures of part and present Chelsea legends.
Inside Stamford Bridge
What struck me about Stamford Bridge was how small and intimate the stadium is. Most of the seats are really close to the pitch, and it feels more like a 25,000 seat stadium.
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Chelsea FC Tickets have a look at our own webpage. While Stamford Bridge is Chelsea's historic home, the ground has a modern feel to it as 3 of the stands have been built since the mid-1990's.
The newest 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 situated at its front.
Both ends are more compact being two-tiered. One of these is the Matthew Harding Stand, named in memory of the man who did so much to change the club. The Matthew Harding Stand is where the majority of the noise from the Chelsea supporters will come from.
At the opposite end is the Shed End which is where the away fans have a section as well as Chelsea fans. Steeper than the Matthew Harding Stand, it still offers a superb view of the pitch.
