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• Ground Name: Stamford Bridge
• Capacity: 42,449
• Address: Fulham Road, London, SW6 1HS
• Pitch Size: 113 x 74 Yards
• Year Opened: 1905 (previously used as an athletics venue since 1877)
• Record Attendance: 82,905 v Arsenal, Division 1, October 12th, 1935.

Stamford Bridge was opened in 1877 as the home of the London Athletics club. When brothers Gus and Joseph Mears acquired the lease on the ground in 1904 they wanted to stage professional football there and constructed a stadium which they offered to Fulham F.C.

When their offer was declined the brothers decided to form their own club and Chelsea F.C. was born. They have played at "The Bridge" ever since.

The modern stadium is 42, 055 all-seater, making it the eighth largest club football ground in England.

There are four stands- East Stand, West Stand, Matthew Harding Stand and the Shed End.

The East Stand is the oldest stand in the ground. It has three tiers and is the heart of the stadium, housing the tunnel, dugout, dressing rooms, conference room, press centre, and commentary box.

The West Stand, has three tiers, in addition to executive boxes that stretch the length of the stand. This stand houses owner Roman Abramovich on match days.

The Matthew Harding Stand, is along the north edge of the pitch. It is named after former Chelsea director Matthew Harding who died tragically in a helicopter crash on 22 October 1996. It was due to considerable investment in the club by Harding that the stand was able to be completed, so the tribute is fitting.

The Shed End is located along the south side of the pitch. The stand has two tiers, and houses away fans on its East side.

The club has announced that it wants to extend the stadium to around 55,000 seats, however, due to its location in a heavily built-up area this will prove difficult, leading to constant speculation about a possible move away from Stamford Bridge.

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