Chelsea Football Tour Part 2

So there we were, a 12 year old Spurs fan posing as a Chelsea fan complete with team shirt and a thirty-something West Ham fan boldly admitting her allegiance to a rival team. Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC - one of the richest football clubs in the world – genuinely welcomes football fans of all persuasions. Our guide even went as far as thanking me (an unofficial West Ham rep for the day!!) for providing Chelsea with so many good players over the years… Joe Cole and Frank Lampard are just two of the current Chelsea squad who came from West Ham.

Elvis, our guide, made a point of finding out where everyone was from in the world and who we all supported. His football knowledge extended way beyond the realms of Chelsea FC though his passion for the club was unmistakeable. Having had the introductory tours from the stands where we could admire the grandeur of the stadium, we moved onto the press room (pictured above right with Elvis at the desk). Elvis kept the jokes running whilst continuing to give us stories and snippets of information about the club and the various areas we visited.

One thing that really impressed me was the number of photo opportunities given to visitors. In fact, there were no photo restrictions at all which was brilliant. Consequently, I do have photos of every conceivable view in the stadium which was maybe a little extreme! The visitor changing room (above left) was basic to say the least and reminiscent of a school changing room. Apparently it used to be much smaller and they purposely only provided 10 pegs and lockers for an 11-man team! There are just two treatment tables compared to 5 in the home changing room and the white board (used for pre and mid-match team talks) is stuck in the corner behind the door! Not surprisingly, Chelsea does nothing to assist their rivals with the exception of Molton Brown products in the showers so that their opponents smell nice!

We were in for a real treat when we arrived at the home changing room as the genuine kit had been laid out in preparation for the public training spectacle the following day. Usually, visitors will see player’s shirts in the dressing room and be able to have their photo taken next to it but, whilst we couldn’t stand right next to the kit for security reasons, we could see their shirts, shorts, tracksuits, boots, trainers and shin guards- everything they would need for a training session or game. My nephew and I were so excited by this that we took photos of every single player’s kit! We were amused to see that most of the players don't bother to undo the shoe laces of their trainers before taking them off! The facilities for the home players were much more luxurious with spacious showers, ice baths, drink machines and a physio area.

Elvis had chosen a home and visitor captain to lead us through the famous tunnel (left) to the ground and my nephew continued his web of deceit by leading the Chelsea “team” onto the pitch! By this stage he wasn’t even embarrassed by his deception and I wondered if he was about to swear his allegiance to Chelsea! To be honest, the tour does have this kind of effect on people and I wouldn’t have been entirely surprised if Spurs had been forgotten!

We had heard a rumour that Jose Mourinho (ex-Chelsea manager) had had a heated seat installed for himself at Stamford Bridge but could not see any sign of a special chair in the manager and players area. When I asked, we were told that it was Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich, who had had some extras installed in his personal box on the opposite side of the pitch, including heated seats and even carpeted stairs! We were also told though that “Mr” Abramovich is an incredibly generous man and paid for all of his staff (including the tour guides) to travel to Russia last season for the Champions League final. Very generous indeed!

The attention to detail at Chelsea is quite unexpected. Around and behind the manager and players seats are the “family seats” intended for younger fans (pictured right, my nephew sitting in the manager's unheated seat). At a cost of only £15 per seat compared to the average £50 seats, there is the added advantage for kids to get close to players in the squad who may be out injured or suspended and seeing the team arrive and leave through the tunnel. If the kids get bored during half-time then there are a number of X-Boxes provided at the back for further entertainment! They think of everything!

All in all, the Chelsea FC Stadium Tour is a wonderful experience. Regardless of who you support or even if you don’t follow football, it is a real eye-opener to visit such a high profile premiership football stadium and find out what goes on behind the scenes as well as on the pitch. I would thoroughly recommend this tour for families, sport-lovers and anyone who fancies doing something a little bit different in London. The London Pass includes this tour in its attraction list and, as well as free entry, you also receive 10% discount on merchandise in the megastore.

The Chelsea FC Stadium Tour is a well-deserved recipient of a Ding Dong Award for the excellent tour guides, access to most areas, numerous photo opportunities and general entertainment value!


Chelsea FC Stadium Tour is available every day except match days on the hour from 11am to 3pm.
Tip: Phone beforehand to check availability
Adult Entry: £15
Child Entry: £9

London Pass holders are offered free entry to the tour and museum and 10% discount on merchandise at the onsite megastore.

Chelsea FC Stadium Tour

It has been a while since I awarded a Ding Dong for something or somewhere in London, but the second that I glimpsed the impressive Chelsea Football Club stadium, I had a feeling that this would be one of my London top tips.

Stamford Bridge is surprisingly easy to reach- taking only about 20 minutes from Oxford Street and then a 2 minute walk from Fulham Broadway tube station. We arrived about half an hour before the tour began to ensure our place and were directed along to the museum to await our tour guide and get our first view of the stadium in all its glory.

Tours take place every day (except home match days) on the hour from 11am to 3pm and you can book in advance on the Chelsea website or take your chance and turn up around half an hour before the tour starts. It’s probably a good idea to check availability beforehand in case there is a last minute tour cancellation.

While waiting to be called by our tour guide, my nephew and I made ourselves comfortable in what was once known as the family box but is now referred to as the WAGs box (Wives and Girlfriends). It is not particularly luxurious but it does afford a fabulous view of the ground (right). It is many many years since I visited a football stadium and I was astounded at the size of the pitch. My nephew reliably informed me that football pitches vary in size so it’s possible I hadn’t seen one as big as this before.

As our group were gathered together our guide, Elvis, introduced himself and led us out to the stands. I should point out that I am a West Ham supporter and my nephew is a Tottenham Hotspur supporter. However, whereas I was happy to hold my head up high and admit to being a Hammers fan, my self-conscious nephew actually borrowed a Chelsea shirt for the day for fear of standing out in the crowd! When Elvis asked if there were any other premiership team fans in the group, my nephew was horrified when I waved my hand thinking I might give away his secret – I was oblivious to his fear while enjoying a little friendly banter with Elvis!

We had chosen a fantastic day for the tour. With under a week to go before the start of the new season and just 24 hours before the clubs big fan and press day, it was all hands on deck in preparation. The grounds men were painting fresh lines on the pitch, other staff were cleaning and polishing each individual seat in the stadium (above right) and, most importantly, the kit man had been getting things ready in the changing rooms. The tour included all areas of the stadium and, as this is receiving a Sparkly Songbird Ding Dong, I shall save the details for next time!