Tour of Chelsea FC and Stamford Bridge

by alisonbergman

Yesterday I did the one thing I set out to do when coming to London: take a tour of Stamford Bridge. Located in Fulham, Stamford Bridge is the stadium/home for Chelsea Football Club. My family supports the team – even all the way from New Jersey – so I have been dying to visit the stadium and learn a little more about the club. I went by myself but there were plenty of other people on the tour so I wasn’t all by my lonesome. The first thing we did on the tour was head inside the stadium and sit in front row seats to the side. After going around and having everyone introduce themselves, our tour guide brought us the the press room. This is where the team manager, coach, owner, or some players will sit to be interviewed after a game. I totally geeked out and had the guide take a picture of me sitting in front of the back drop… Look for me making my managerial debut for Chelsea this coming season.

After the press room we went into the visiting team locker room and then the home team locker room. The home team’s was obviously much larger and luxurious, complete with an area for eating, a room with doctor’s beds and some medical equipment, and of course – the lockers themselves. The jersey of each member from the starting lineup was hanging in front of their own locker. I made sure to get a great panorama of all the jerseys after everyone started to clear out of room.

 

Next up was the player’s tunnel and their seats in the stadium. There was cheering and music playing on a loop through speakers in the tunnel to simulate what it’d be like to walk through as a player on game day. After walking through we came out to the best view of the pitch: right smack dab in the center. We got to sit in the soft and comfy chairs that the players do – they’re more like luxurious car seats than stadium seating. We talked a little bit more about the team and game day and then headed around the stadium to sit in the “Shed End” which is where the most dedicated and die hard fans like to be seated.

 

Lastly we got to go to the museum. Right outside of the stadium is a museum with a ton of Chelsea memorabilia, pictures, trophies, and facts about the team. They even had Chelsea’s two most prized trophies available to take a picture with: The 2012 Champions League championship cup and the 2013 Europa League championship cup. I of course had to get a picture with them, even if it did cost me. When they said I could touch them while posing I kind of panicked and just hovered my hands next to them because I was convinced I was going to knock them over or break them or something equally as horrifying.

 

The whole tour was amazing, and I would do it again and again in a heart beat. And I heavily recommend taking a stadium tour, if not of Stamford Bridge than whatever team you’re a fan of, because it was one of the coolest things I’ve done since being here and I will never forget it.