The Blues Staying At The Bridge
Chelsea have once again expressed their desire to remain at Stamford Bridge, despite being pressurized to find another home ground which would generate more revenues, matching the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal.
However, Chairman Bruce Buck said that it would be very difficult for the London club to move now. The club continues to look for other ways to build their income streams, hoping to match the revenues that other clubs receive from their gate receipts.
Buck did however; say that the Blues would not entirely rule out a move away from their current home. He mentioned how they were focusing on gaining revenues from commercial activity, new media and sponsorships. For that a move might be necessary, but other
options would be explored first.
Buck told reporters, “There is a lot of history and tradition at Stamford Bridge. The club has been here since 1905 and so it's very, very difficult for us to make the philosophical decision that we are going to move on.”
He added, “Certainly we wouldn't leave west London or thereabouts and there are very few sites available. We have to do things with our other commercial activities to make up the deficit that is created by the fact we don't have a 60,000-seat stadium.”
He said, “I can't say we will never move or have a new stadium but at the moment it's not at the front of our agenda. What's at the front of our agenda is increasing our commercial activities, increasing our sponsors and increasing how we use new media.”
The possible new homes for Chelsea could be Earls Court, Olympia and Battersea Power Station. These sites have the possibility of holding a big capacity stadium, while not being too far away from the original Blues home. Stamford Bridge has a capacity of
42,000, while the new stadiums will boast some 60,000 seats.
Ask any supporter and they would say they do not want a move away from Stamford Bridge, it has a historic significance and comparatively very few clubs can claim to be at their original home. But putting emotions aside, a move to a new, bigger home would
be better for the club, in terms of capacity available and ultimately the revenue generated.
However, Chelsea seem to be doing fine without that extra revenue, having a billionaire for an owner may have something to do with it. The Blues are among the richest clubs in the Premier League and despite not spending to buy any big players in the summer
transfer window, the Blues are going strong.
Ancelotti’s side are top of the Premier League, four points clear of all competition with 23 goals in 7 games. The Italian manager proved that money is really not everything and you do not need to spend big to win big. Chelsea won their first ever double
last season, the English Premier League and the FA Cup, last season and are looking to repeat their success this season.
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