Stamford Bridge (Stamford Bridge) - FootballChelsea Club Stadium, located in England. His story is no less interesting than the football team itself. About him we can say that the team was created for the stadium, and not vice versa. During its existence, the object has been reconstructed more than once.
Opening date and title
Officially, the stadium was opened in the XIX century, andit was April 28, 1877. The name of the stadium, according to many researchers, appeared more significant before him. A small river called Stamford flowed nearby. The road crossing it was called the “Sandy ford”, or “Sanford Bridge”. The bridge was called Stone, or "Stanbridge." Subsequently, according to many, of these words was made the name of the stadium - "Stamford Bridge". Initially, it was held exclusively athletics competitions, not football matches. So it was twenty-eight years. At the beginning of the 20th century (1904), the Mirs brothers purchased the stadium. In addition, they bought land plots located nearby to create a full-fledged complex. The brothers dreamed of organizing their own football club, and this required the acquisition of Stamford Bridge.
Moving FC Chelsea
Initially the stadium was supposed to go tosubmission to the "Fulham", but the club refused the offer. It was then that the stadium was transferred to the Chelsea club, which has been playing its games on it so far. At the time of the transfer of FC "Chelsea" was not as popular and formidable as it is today, but just started to form. Many could not even imagine what the club would be like in a hundred years. But, although there has been a lot of change, Stamford Bridge Stadium remains the venue.
Architect
Проектировал стадион знаменитый архитектор Англии Archibald Leitch. In addition, he has been developing many other arenas in the UK. Particularly famous are Old Trafford and Goodison Park. Initially, the stadium acquired one tribune - East. It had a length of one hundred and ten meters and accommodated five thousand fans. Only in the future, having spent a lot of time and labor, it turned out to build the rest of the stands. Initially, the treadmill at the stadium significantly distanced the audience from the field. For many years, the stadium remained without significant changes.
1930
Twenty-five years, "Stamford Bridge" remainedunchanged. In 1930, the owners of the club decided to build a shelter. The structure appeared above the South Stand. It was there that the most devoted fans of the team gathered. This tribune can be called the personification of the Chelsea club.
However, this stand of the stadium was forceddisappear in 1994. More precisely, it should have been dismantled. The tribune was intended only for standing places, and, according to the new rules, all seats in the stadium must be seated. In 1997, a new tribune was erected, which complied with all the rules.
1939
This year was the founding date of the North Standthe stadium. Initially, it was intended to create it fairly extensive, but the plans did not allow the outbreak of the Second World War. The tribune became a continuation of the Eastern part. It was quite different from its neighbors, but was often used to accommodate fans. The tribune lasted until 1975, and then was redone. But she was destined to survive the destruction and the second time, namely in 1993, when a full reconstruction of the Stamford Bridge was carried out.
1960
Некоторые перестройки стадиона проходили с damage to the team. In the period of the 60s-70s, the club flourished. Deciding that a more convenient field is needed for such a successful team, management attempted to completely reconstruct Stamford Bridge. However, to implement the plan, the team had to lease many players, as they could not collect the required amount. This idea almost led the team to a complete collapse, and it took two decades to recover.
In the years 1964-65, the West Stand was erected,but already with seating. Three quarters of it was occupied by separate chairs and one quarter by benches. It was demolished when a new Stamford Bridge was being built. Its reconstruction took place last and, although it was rather old, many fans were sad to part with it.
Nevertheless, the new tribune turned outgorgeous. Capacity was thirteen and a half thousand people, and each viewer could comfortably watch the game. The cost of construction cost the management of the club at thirty million pounds sterling.
1970
In 1973, the East Stand was erected.She became one of the best in England and was ultramodern. The tribune was the only part that managed to resist until today. Of course, it underwent some changes in the reconstruction process of the entire stadium in the 1990s.
70-е годы стали достаточно тяжелыми как для teams, and for the stadium. Because of their past decisions, Chelsea FC went bankrupt by the end of the decade, and management had to give it to the stadium to pay off the construction company.
The team began to train at the sitestogether with other clubs. Meanwhile, Stamford Bridge was being prepared for demolition. In its place, the company was going to build a residential area (houses, shops). The disappearance of the famous stadium was avoided thanks to team president Ken Bates. To return home the field, he spent a lot of effort and money. It was only possible to get the stadium back after almost ten years. Ironically, the construction company went bankrupt, which took the object. It can be said, the stadium in London then began a new life.
This period was the hardest in the history of the club, but the management and players were able to endure everything. Subsequently, the stadium began to recover, it took as long as seven years.
1990
The North Stand marked the beginning of a large-scalereconstruction in 1994. The old one was completely destroyed, and in its place a new one appeared, which was intended for the most notorious fans. The tribune was named in honor of Matthew Harding (one of the directors of the team), who died in a helicopter crash.
The West Stand was next, and in parallelshe was building a new hotel. Thanks to the work done, the fans were able to get as close as possible to the field, which allowed them to fully enjoy the team’s games.
Subsequently, the construction was prevented by disputes with the authorities, this postponed the reconstruction of the remaining tiers for two whole years.
The completion of the reconstruction is considered August 21, 2001. That day ended the erection of the Eastern stand, the reconstruction of which began in 1973.
Stadium today
Now "Stamford Bridge", which capacityIt is 41 841 people, is one of the most excellent stadiums, not only in the UK, but throughout the world. After the reconstruction, it was completely transformed. From oval turned into rectangular. Thanks to this, the fans are as close to the field as possible. In the past ten years, the stadium is constantly being improved and enhanced. During the reconstruction, not only the field, but also many complexes located nearby were changed. Around him there is a huge number of club complexes and shops. The stadium ranked ninth in terms of capacity in the UK. Rated by the UEFA organization, Stamford Bridge received five stars. The stadium is now on par with such famous arenas in England as the "Emirates" and "Wembley".
Interesting Facts
На стадионе проводились собачьи бега (1937-1968).In 1945, after the war, the Soviet team Dynamo took part in a tour of England, playing four friendly matches, including Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The first match just took place against them. The teams had an amazing game, and the final score was 3: 3. The audience at the end of the match demolished the fence and ran out onto the field. This meeting was one of the most interesting and exciting in the history of football.
In 1980, for the first time in England, a match was held onartificial lighting for cricket in this very stadium. In 1997, at Stamford Bridge, the first match of the American football was held. In 2005, in honor of the centenary of the club, the leadership opened a new museum team. The highest attendance was in 1935 - 82 905 people. The smallest attendance in 1906 - 3000 people. After World War I, the stadium hosted the country's Cup final for three years in a row. The stadium had the most iconic podium in England - "Shed End". Intensive Chelsea fans gathered here. Often they were called "bounty hunters."
Relatively recently, the club was bought by Russianbillionaire Roman Abramovich. Along with him came new financial opportunities, which allows the stadium to flourish. The management is constantly trying to expand it. The plans - to increase the number of seats to fifty-five thousand. However, there are problems with UEFA. Since the stadium is located close to the city’s transport communications, it is limited in expansion. Sometimes there were even ideas to build a new arena, but Chelsea still plays on its famous field. In addition, fans do not want to part with the usual and beloved stadium.
A few words can be said about the cost of tickets for the matches that are held at Stamford Bridge. The cost of cheap (lower levels of seats) - from 50 to 70 pounds. More expensive - from 60 to 90.
