Historical Crests: Chelsea FC

Chelsea FC

The Blues

Founded 1905, Stadium: Stamford Bridge (London), Capacity: 40,834

Chelsea Football club is based in Fulham, London. Chelsea is one England’s most successful clubs. They won their first League Championship in 1955. They won the FA Cup for the first time in 1970 and their first European Cup, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1971. After a period of decline, the club had a revival in the 1990s. The past two decades have been the most successful in Chelsea’s history. Since 2003 the club has been owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. He invested hundreds of millions of pounds and by hiring some of the best players in the world Chelsea won the league title in 2005 (fifty years after their first). Next to this they won the Champions League trophy in 2012 and they are still the only London club to have won the Champions League. The club have rivalries with neighbouring teams Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur and a historic rivalry with Leeds United. The first crest was introduced with the club’s establishment in 1905, featuring a famous Chelsea Pensioner which gave rise to their early nickname. The 1953-54 season saw a new crest inspired by the civic coat of arms of the London borough the club resided in. Notable for the heraldic lion, this crest is the one most readily identified with Chelsea and became the first to adorn a club shirt in 1960. A new crest based around the club’s initials and a more realistic lion was established in 1986. Today the club’s crest features a ceremonial lion rampant holding a staff.

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