178-657: Stamford Bridge ( / ˈ s t æ m f ər d / ) is a football stadium in Fulham , adjacent to the borough of Chelsea in West London . It is the home of Premier League club Chelsea . With a capacity of 40,022, it is the ninth largest venue of the 2024–25 Premier League season and the eleventh largest football stadium in England. Opened in 1877, the stadium was used by London Athletic Club until 1905, when new owner Gus Mears founded Chelsea Football Club to occupy
356-611: A baseball match between the touring New York Giants and the Chicago White Sox . In 1924 the stadium hosted the 1924 Women's Olympiad , the first international event for women in track and field in the UK. A speedway team operated from the stadium from 1929 until 1932, winning the Southern League in their opening season. Initially open meetings were held there in 1928. A nineteen-year-old junior rider, Charlie Biddle,
534-400: A 13-acre site at the bottom of Seagrave Road to build a fever hospital, The Western Hospital , that later became an NHS centre of excellence for treating polio until its closure in 1979. Bar one ward block remaining in private occupation, it was replaced by a gated-flats development and a small public space, Brompton Park. Aside from the centuries-old brewing industry, exemplified by
712-416: A builders' strike and the remainder of the ground remained untouched. The new East Stand was finished, but most of the (unusable) running tracks remained, and the new stand was also displaced by approximately 20 metres, compared to the pitch. The idea was to move the entire stadium towards the north. But due to the financial situation in the mid-1970s the other stands were not rebuilt for another two decades. In
890-585: A controversial 80 acre high-rise redevelopment has been under way on the eastern borough boundary with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea , involving the dismantling of the two Earl's Court Exhibition Centres in RBKC and in Hammersmith and Fulham and the emptying and demolition of hundreds of commercial properties, thousands of both private and social housing units and including the demolition of
1068-457: A cost of £100 million. The intention was that these facilities would provide extra revenue to support the football side of the business, but they were less successful than hoped, and before the Abramovich takeover in 2003, the debt taken on to finance them was a major burden on the club. Soon after the takeover, a decision was taken to drop the "Chelsea Village" brand and refocus on Chelsea as
1246-641: A dance studio in the old Fulham Public Baths. The largest extant supermarket in Fulham, is located on the site of a cinema later converted to the iconic "Dicky Dirts" jean store with its sloping shop-floor, at the top of North End Road 's Street market . It started a new trend in how retail was done. The debut albums by 1970s new wave bands The Stranglers ( Rattus Norvegicus ) and Generation X ( Generation X ) were recorded at TW Studios, 211 Fulham Palace Road. The Greyhound music venue at 176 Fulham Palace Road hosted up and coming punk, post-punk and indie bands in
1424-671: A few weeks earlier than normal as an experiment; 2010–11 and 2012–13 when the FA Cup Final was played before the Premier League season had finished, to allow Wembley Stadium to be ready for the UEFA Champions League final, as well as in 2011–12 to allow England time to prepare for that summer's European Championships ; 2019–20 when the final was delayed until August due to the COVID-19 pandemic in
1602-487: A film and television studio, but was finally demolished in 1971. It too has been replaced by an office block in Fulham Broadway. The performing arts continue in Fulham, like the notable Fulham Symphony Orchestra and the successful Fulham Opera. St John's Parish Church, at the top of North End Road , stages choral and instrumental concerts as do other churches in the area. There is a cinema complex as part of
1780-589: A football club. However, the stadium is sometimes still referred to as part of Chelsea Village or "The Village". 2005 saw the opening of a new club museum, known as the Chelsea Museum or the Centenary Museum, to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the club. The museum is located in the former Shed Galleria. Visitors are able to visit the WAGs lounge and then watch an introductory video message from
1958-593: A great revival of interest in Fulham's earliest history, largely due to the Fulham Archaeological Rescue Group. This has carried out a number of digs, particularly in the vicinity of Fulham Palace, which show that approximately 5,000 years ago Neolithic people were living by the riverside and in other parts of the area. Excavations have also revealed Roman settlements during the third and fourth centuries AD. There are two not necessarily conflicting versions of how Fulham Manor came into
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#17327767244822136-406: A ground not being suitable to host popular teams. However, since 2003 , clubs cannot move grounds to the away side's for capacity or financial reasons. If any move has to be made, it has to be to a neutral venue and any additional monies earned by the move goes into the central pot. In the event of a draw , the replay is played at the ground of the team who originally played away from home . In
2314-522: A home for the London Athletic Club and was used almost exclusively for that purpose until 1904. Subsequently, with the opening of the football club, the need for a playing surface resulted in the construction of the pitch. In June 2015 significant upgrades were made to the undersoil-heating, drainage, and irrigation systems. Along with the installation a new hybrid grass pitch, this brought the pitch up to modern standards. The current pitch at
2492-500: A large mural by Solomon Souza on an outside wall of the West Stand of the stadium. The mural is part of Chelsea's 'Say No to Antisemitism' campaign funded by club owner Roman Abramovich. Included on the mural are depictions of footballers Julius Hirsch and Árpád Weisz , who were killed at Auschwitz concentration camp , and Ron Jones, a British prisoner of war known as the 'Goalkeeper of Auschwitz'. The Bridge opened in 1877 as
2670-521: A larger number of teams playing in Level 7–9. Consequently, for the FA Cup, entries equal the number in tiers 1–9 and is cut off to those below. Though still able to apply, Level 10 clubs are used as alternatives "subject to availability" in the event of a non/rejected applicant (with vacancies filled by Level 10 applicants with the best PPG in the previous league season). The total number of entries in
2848-719: A lasting, if largely unsung, contribution for well over a century to the development and maintenance of public transport in London and beyond. Next to the Lillie Bridge engineering Depot , the Midland Railway established its own coal and goods yard. In 1907 the engineering HQ of the Piccadilly Line in Richmond Place (16-18 Empress Place) oversaw the westward expansion of the line into the suburbs. At
3026-432: A lid and a base. There have been two designs of trophy in use, but five physical trophies have been presented. The original trophy, known as the "little tin idol", was 18 inches high and made by Martin, Hall & Co. It was stolen in 1895 and never recovered, and so was replaced by an exact replica, used until 1910. The FA decided to change the design after the 1909 winners , Manchester United, made their own replica, leading
3204-768: A loop on the north bank of the River Thames , bordering Hammersmith , Kensington and Chelsea , with which it shares the area known as West Brompton . Over the Thames Fulham faces Wandsworth , Putney , the London Wetland Centre in Barnes in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames . First recorded by name in 691, it was an extensive Anglo-Saxon estate, the Manor of Fulham , and then
3382-432: A market crash in the early 1990s, allowing Bates to do a deal with its banks and re-unite the freehold with the club. During the 1984–85 season , following a series of pitch invasions and fights by football hooligans during matches at the stadium, chairman Ken Bates erected an electric perimeter fence between the stands and the pitch – identical to the one which effectively controlled cattle on his dairy farm. However,
3560-563: A new world record for a piece of football memorabilia , surpassing the £254,000 paid for the Jules Rimet World Cup Trophy in 1997. The successful bidder was David Gold , the then joint chairman of Birmingham City ; claiming the FA and government were doing nothing proactive to ensure the trophy remained in the country, Gold stated his purchase was motivated by wanting to save it for the nation. Accordingly, Gold presented
3738-573: A parish. Its domain stretched from modern-day Chiswick in the west to Chelsea in the southeast; and from Harlesden in the northwest to Kensal Green in the northeast bordered by the littoral of Counter's Creek and the Manor of Kensington. It originally included today's Hammersmith. Between 1900 and 1965, it was demarcated as the Metropolitan Borough of Fulham , before its merger with the Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith to create
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#17327767244823916-472: A predominantly working-class area for the first half of the 20th century, with genteel pockets at North End, along the top of Lillie and New King's roads, especially around Parsons Green , Eel Brook Common , South Park and the area surrounding the Hurlingham Club . Essentially, the area had attracted waves of immigrants from the countryside to service industrialisation and the more privileged parts of
4094-467: A rare example in Fulham of mid-Victorian housing, designed by John Young , close to Grade I and II listed structures and to a number of conservation areas in both boroughs. It also involves the closure of the historic Lillie Bridge Depot, opened in 1872 and the dispersal of its operations by TfL Fulham is part of two constituencies: one, Hammersmith bounded by the north side of the Lillie Road,
4272-622: A replay was the 1875 final , between the Royal Engineers and the Old Etonians . The initial tie finished 1–1 but the Royal Engineers won the replay 2–0 in normal time. The last replayed final was the 1993 FA Cup Final , when Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday fought a 1–1 draw. The replay saw Arsenal win the FA Cup, 2–1 after extra time. The last quarter-final to go to a replay was Manchester United vs West Ham United in
4450-455: A row of executive boxes that stretches the length of the stand. The lower tier was built on schedule and opened in 1998. However, difficulties with planning permission meant that the stand was not fully completed until 2001. Construction of the stand almost caused another financial crisis, which would have seen the club fall into administration, but for the personal intervention of Roman Abramovich . In borrowing £70m from Eurobonds to finance
4628-543: A separate parish with a vicar (no longer a curate) and vestry for works was created. The two areas did not come together again until the commencement of the London Government Act in 1965. The parish boundary with Chelsea and Kensington was formed by the now culverted Counter's Creek river, the course of which is now occupied by the West London Line . This parish boundary has been inherited by
4806-505: A stadium suitable for the competition and The Association may reject applications at its discretion. Previously, Level 10 clubs were a prominent feature in early qualifying rounds. The gradual remodelling of the National League System to a 'perfect' 1–2–4–8–16 system, with a first phase in 2018–19, a final phase in 2021–22 (which included the promotion of 107 clubs), and played to a full quota in 2022–23 has resulted in
4984-449: A tie are replayed once only (from the 2024–25 campaign, this will be prior to the first round proper). The first six rounds are qualifiers, with the draws organised on a regional basis. The next six rounds are the "proper" rounds where all clubs are in one draw. All entrants from Level 9 begin the competition in the extra preliminary round, as well as any Level 10 team filling in for a vacancy. Teams from Level 8 are ranked on their PPG in
5162-615: A variety of other sporting events since Chelsea have occupied the ground. In October 1905 it hosted a rugby union match between the All Blacks and Middlesex, and in 1908, Stamford Bridge was the venue for a Rugby League international between Great Britain and the touring New Zealand All Golds, who won 18–6. Two New Zealanders George Smith and William "Massa" Johnston played and scored in both these games. Two further Rugby League games were held in 1952, British Empire XIII v New Zealand, and 1983, Fulham v Cardiff. In 1914 Stamford Bridge hosted
5340-596: Is 82,905, for a league match between Chelsea and Arsenal on 12 October 1935. "Stamford Bridge" is considered to be a derivative of "Samfordesbrigge" meaning "the bridge at the sandy ford". Eighteenth century maps show a "Stanford Creek" running along the route of what is now a railway line at the back of the East Stand as a tributary of the Thames . The upper reaches of this tributary have been known as Billingswell Ditch, Pools Creek and Counters Creek. In medieval times
5518-526: Is along the north edge of the pitch. In 1939, a small two storied North Stand including seating was erected. It was originally intended to span the entire northern end, but the outbreak of World War II and its aftermath compelled the club to keep the stand small. It was demolished and replaced by open terracing for standing supporters in 1976. The North Terrace was closed in 1993 and the present North Stand of two tiers (the Matthew Harding Stand)
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5696-667: Is open to clubs before entry lists, round byes and scheduling are announced in July. All clubs in the top four levels (the Premier League and the three divisions of the English Football League ) are automatically eligible. Clubs from Level 5–9 ( non-league football ) are also eligible provided they play in either the FA Trophy or FA Vase competitions in the current season. All participating clubs must also have
5874-641: Is represented by Andy Slaughter for Labour , the other, Chelsea and Fulham parliamentary seat is currently held by Greg Hands for the Conservatives . Fulham was formerly a part of the Hammersmith and Fulham parliamentary constituency which was dissolved in 2010 to form the current seats. However, parts of Fulham continue to score highly on the Jarman Index , indicating poor health outcomes due to adverse socio-economic factors. Fulham has in
6052-407: Is saved by engraving the year on during the match, and sketching the presumed winner. During the final, the trophy is decorated with ribbons in the colours of both finalists, with the loser's ribbons being removed at the end of the game. The tradition of tying ribbons started after Tottenham Hotspur won the 1901 FA Cup Final and the wife of a Spurs director decided to tie blue and white ribbons to
6230-417: Is the heart of the stadium, housing the tunnel, dugout, dressing rooms, conference room, press centre, Audio-Visual and commentary box. The middle tier is occupied by facilities, clubs, and executive suites. The upper tier provides spectators with one of the best views of the pitch and it is the only section to have survived the extensive redevelopment of the 90s. Previously, it was the home to away supporters on
6408-511: The 1882 final ; after the first final in 1872 the trophy was not presented to the winners, Wanderers, until a reception held four weeks later in the Pall Mall Restaurant in London. Under the original rules, the trophy was to be permanently presented to any club which won the competition three times, although when inaugural winners Wanderers achieved this feat by the 1876 final , the rules were changed by FA Secretary CW Alcock (who
6586-414: The 1939–40 season were cancelled for the duration of the war. Portsmouth's manager Jack Tinn was rumoured to have kept the FA Cup trophy 'safe under his bed' throughout the duration of the war, but this is an urban myth . Because the naval city of Portsmouth was a primary strategic military target for German Luftwaffe bombing , the FA Cup trophy was actually taken ten miles to the north of Portsmouth, to
6764-508: The 2005 General Election , Greg Hands won the Hammersmith and Fulham Parliamentary seat for the Conservatives, polling 45.4% against Labour's 35.2%, a 7.3% swing. In the 2010 General Election, he was re-elected this time for the newly formed Chelsea and Fulham constituency. In the 2015 General Election he was returned with an increased share of the vote. In the 2024 General Election Ben Coleman defeated Greg Hands by 151 votes to retake
6942-480: The 2013–14 season the first Channel Island club entered the competition when Guernsey F.C. competed. The first game played in the Channel Islands – and thus the southernmost FA Cup tie played – took place on 7 August 2021 between Jersey Bulls and Horsham YMCA . A third club, F.C. Isle of Man , was also eligible to play in 2022–23 , but in the end all Crown Dependency teams either did not appear on
7120-547: The 2015–16 FA Cup . The original game at Old Trafford ended in a 1–1 draw, while Manchester United won the replay at the Boleyn Ground , 2–1. It was also the last FA Cup game ever played at the Boleyn Ground. The last fifth round replay saw Tottenham Hotspur defeat Rochdale 6–1 at Wembley in the 2017–18 FA Cup after the first match at Spotland Stadium ended in a 2–2 draw. The FA Cup winners qualify for
7298-407: The 2024–25 competition, replays have been scrapped from the first round onwards. The decision to scrap replays received criticism from a number of lower-tier clubs and government officials. Until 1990–91 , further replays would be played until one team was victorious. In 1971–72 , a fourth qualifying round game between Alvechurch and Oxford City was played six times until Alvechurch won in
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7476-632: The Aetherius Society , still trades on Fulham Road . Allied to these developments, the postwar period saw the extensive demolition of Fulham's early 19th-century architectural stock, replaced by some Brutalist architecture — the current Ibis hotel — and the Empress State Building in Lillie Road that in 1962 replaced the declining Empress Hall. The London County Council and local council continued with much-needed council-housing development between World War II and up to
7654-502: The Airco company, producing De Havilland designs and components for the duration of the war. William Crathern , the composer, was organist at St Mary's Church, West Kensington, when it was still known as North End . Edward Elgar , the composer, lived at 51 Avonmore Road, W14, between 1890 and 1891. The notorious Italian tenor Giovanni Matteo Mario de Candia and his wife opera singer Giulia Grisi , made Fulham their home from 1852 until
7832-939: The Arts and Crafts movement , lived at 'the Grange' in North End , Georgiana Burne-Jones and her husband, Edward Burne-Jones , both couples were friends of William Morris . Other artists who settled along the Lillie Road , were Francesco Bartolozzi , a florentine engraver and Benjamin Rawlinson Faulkner , a society portrait painter. Henri Gaudier-Brzeska , the French expressionist painter and friend of Ezra Pound , lived in Walham Green till his early death in 1915. Glass production was, until recently, represented by
8010-482: The Bishops of London . The first written record of a church in Fulham dates from 1154, with the first known parish priest of All Saints Church, Fulham appointed in 1242. All Saints Church was enlarged in 1881 by Sir Arthur Blomfield . Hammersmith was part of the ancient parish of Fulham up until 1834. Prior to that time it had been a perpetual curacy under the parish of Fulham. By 1834 it had so many residents,
8188-680: The Bonhams auction house. In January 2021, it was revealed that the trophy had been purchased by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan , the owner of Manchester City , who stated that it would be returned on loan to the National Football Museum. The redesigned trophy first used in 1911 was larger at 61.5 cm (24.2 inches) high, and was designed and manufactured by Fattorini & Sons of Bradford, coincidentally being won by Bradford City in its first outing. On
8366-460: The Chelsea F.C. stadium at Stamford Bridge . Other sports facilities were opened at The Queen's Club for rackets and tennis and at the private members' Hurlingham Club , for a range of sporting activities in the south of the borough. Hurlingham Park 's tennis courts are used as netball courts and tennis nets are taken down and so restricting access to the courts for tennis. Hurlingham Park hosts
8544-406: The Empress State Building . The second, opened by Princess Diana , lasted just over 20 years until 2014. Along with the architecturally pleasing Mid-Victorian Empress Place, formerly access to the exhibition centre, it is destined for high rise re-development, but with usage as yet to be confirmed. No trace is left today of either of Fulham's two theatres, both opened in 1897. The 'Grand Theatre'
8722-487: The Grand Union Canal with the Thames. In reality, however, the project was over budget and delayed by contractor bankruptcies and only opened in 1828, when railways were already gaining traction. The short-lived canal concept did however leave a legacy: the creation on Lillie's land of a brewery and residential development, 'Rosa', and 'Hermitage Cottages', and several roads, notably, the Lillie Road connecting
8900-466: The National League System maintain the same number of teams via reprieves, inevitably entry-level divisions (typically at tier 10) have to be impacted when a club leaves the pyramid. Therefore, for example, 759 teams entered in 2010–11 , a record 763 in 2011–12 , 758 in 2012–13 , 737 in 2013–14 and 736 in 2014–15 . However, since 2021–22, The FA has cut off automatic eligibility to the 10th tier (to appear only subject to availability) and instead set
9078-591: The New King's Road , a short distance from Eel Brook Common until it gave way to an apartment redevelopment in 2017. It had produced works by Henry Moore , Elisabeth Frink , Barbara Hepworth and Jacob Epstein among others. Its work may be seen in public spaces all over the world. In 1926, the Church of England established the office of Bishop of Fulham as a suffragan to the Bishop of London. Fulham remained
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#17327767244829256-630: The Prince of Wales were forced to shut; only the Atlas , reconstructed after bomb damage in the Second World War , has been reprieved. FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup , more commonly known as the FA Cup , is an annual knockout football competition in domestic English football . First played during the 1871–72 season , it is the oldest national football competition in
9434-590: The alcohol-free phenomenon that was Kops Brewery founded in 1890 at a site in Sands End . In 1917 Kops Brewery closed and was converted into a margarine factory. Gin distilling came to the remnants of the North End Brewery in Seagrave Road after a brief period of service as a timber works in the 1870s and lasted for almost a century. The premises were taken over by distillers Vickers who at
9612-459: The inaugural Club World Championship . The club stated that entering both tournaments would overload their fixture schedule and make it more difficult to defend their Champions League and Premier League titles. The club claimed that they did not want to devalue the FA Cup by fielding a weaker side. The move benefited United as they received a two-week break and won the 1999–2000 league title by an 18-point margin, although they did not progress past
9790-548: The semi-final and final matches in 2000, from the quarter-finals in 2016–17, the fifth round in 2019–20 and the first round onwards from 2024 to 2025. Redevelopment of Wembley saw the final played outside of England for the first time, the 2001 – 2006 finals being played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff . The final returned to Wembley in 2007 , followed by the semi-finals from 2008. An application window
9968-704: The stained glass studio of the purpose-built and Grade II listed Glass House in Lettice Street and latterly, by the Aaronson Noon Studio, with the 'Zest' Gallery in Rickett Street, that was obliged to shut down in 2012, after 20 years by the developers of 'Lillie Square' and Earl's Court . Both glass businesses have now moved out of London. The Art Bronze Foundry, founded by Charles Gaskin in 1922 operated in Michael Road, off
10146-541: The 'North End Brewery' complex, run from 1832 to 1833 by a Miss Goslin. It was intended originally to service the Kensington Canal workers and bargees. Later, it was the watering hole of the new railway builders, motor and omnibus company staff and latterly Earl's Court exhibition and Chelsea F.C. visitors. Of the three popular neighbouring pubs acquired by developers during 2014–15, the Imperial Arms and
10324-485: The 17th century, most notably with the Fulham Pottery , followed by the establishment of tapestry and carpet production with a branch of the French 'Gobelins manufactory' and then the short-lived Parisot weaving school venture in the 1750s. William De Morgan , ceramicist and novelist, moved into Sands End with his painter wife, Evelyn De Morgan , where they lived and worked. Another artist couple, also members of
10502-551: The 1860s when British Amateur Athletics were introduced and the first codified Boxing under Marquess of Queensberry Rules matches were staged. The catalyst for sport in Fulham was the Cambridge rowing blue and sports administrator, Welshman John Graham Chambers . Later, with the destruction of the Lillie Bridge Grounds by a riot in 1889, they were replaced first by the Fulham F.C. stadium Craven Cottage and
10680-407: The 1900s at a lovely country-manor where their daughters and son were born, among them writer Cecilia Maria de Candia . Conductor and composer Hyam Greenbaum married the harpist Sidonie Goossens on 26 April 1924 at Kensington Registry Office and they set up home in a first floor flat on the Fulham Road, opposite Michelin House . With the accession of Boris Johnson to the mayoralty of London,
10858-510: The 1980s. Fulham's traditional population of working people has been partially displaced by affluent newcomers since the turn of the century. Geoffrey de Havilland , aviation pioneer, built his first aeroplane at his workshop in Bothwell Street, Fulham in 1909. Later, during the First World War , Cannon's Brewery site at the corner of Lillie and North End Road was used for aircraft manufacture. The Darracq Motor Engineering Company of Townmead Road, became aircraft manufacturers in Fulham for
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#173277672448211036-410: The 1997/98 season. Along with the Matthew Harding Stand, it is an area of the ground where many vocal fans congregate. The view from the upper tier is widely regarded as one of the best in the stadium. The Shed also contains the centenary museum and a memorial wall, where families of deceased fans are able to leave a permanent memorial of their loved ones, indicating their eternal support. A large chunk of
11214-412: The 19th century, there was glass-blowing and this resurged in the 21st century with the Aronson-Noon studio and the former Zest gallery in Rickett Street. Lillie Bridge Depot , a railway engineering depot, opened in 1872, is associated with the building and extension of the London Underground , the electrification of Tube lines from the nearby Lots Road Power Station , and for well over a century has been
11392-436: The 27 March 2016 episode of the BBC television programme Antiques Roadshow , this trophy was valued at £1 million by expert Alastair Dickenson , although he suggested that, due to the design featuring depictions of grapes and vines, it may not have been specifically produced for the FA, but was instead an off-the-shelf design originally meant to be a wine or champagne cooler. This was later disproved when Thomas Fattorini
11570-511: The 92 professional clubs. This followed approval two years previously for their use in the qualifying rounds only – if a team with a 3G pitch progressed to the competition proper, they had to switch their tie to the ground of another eligible entrant with a natural grass pitch. Having been strong proponents of the surface, the first match in the proper rounds to be played on a 3G surface was a televised first round replay at Maidstone United 's Gallagher Stadium on 20 November 2014. The winners of
11748-568: The East Stand had a gabled corrugated iron roof, with around 6,000 seats and a terraced enclosure. The stand remained until 1973, when it was demolished in what was meant to be the opening phase of a comprehensive redevelopment of the stadium. The new stand was opened at the start of the 1974–75 season, but due to the ensuing financial difficulties at the club, it was the only part of the development to be completed. The East Stand essentially survives in its 1973 three-tiered cantilevered form, although it has been much refurbished and modernised since. It
11926-455: The English football system, more commonly called non-League . 32 of these teams progress to the first round of the Competition Proper, meeting the first of the 48 professional teams from Leagues One and Two . The last entrants are the 20 Premier League and 24 Championship clubs, into the draw for the third round proper. In the modern era, only one non-League team has ever reached the quarter-finals, and teams below Level 2 have never reached
12104-509: The FA Cup has changed as Non-League football has gradually been expanded and reorganised over time. In the 2004–05 season, 660 clubs entered the competition, beating the long-standing record of 656 from the 1921–22 season . In 2005–06 this increased to 674 entrants, in 2006–07 to 687, in 2007–08 to 731 clubs, in 2008–09 and 2009–10 to 762. The total number of entries has also varied naturally from year-to-year as new clubs form and others dissolve at unequal rates. Though most leagues in
12282-419: The FA to realise they did not own the copyright. This new, larger design was by Fattorini and Sons , and was used from 1911. In order to preserve this original, from 1992 it was replaced by an exact replica, although this had to be replaced after just over two decades, after showing wear and tear from being handled more than in previous eras. This third replica, first used in 2014, was built heavier to withstand
12460-427: The Fulham Broadway Centre. Fulham Town Hall , built in 1888 in the classical renaissance , was used as a popular venue for concerts and dances, especially its Grand Hall. Behind Fulham Broadway, the heart of the original village of Walham Green has undergone pedestrianisation, including the spot once occupied by the village green and its pond next to St. John's Parish Church and bordered by a number of cafés, bars, and
12638-414: The GRA refused them permission to do so. The Bridge pitch is surrounded on each side by four covered all-seater stands, officially known as the Matthew Harding Stand (North), East stand, The Shed End (South) and West Stand. Each stand has at least two tiers and was constructed for entirely different reasons as part of separate expansion plans. The Matthew Harding Stand, previously known as the North Stand,
12816-660: The London Athletic Club to leave the venue. Totalisator turnover in 1946 was nearly £6 million (£5,749,592); to put this in perspective to football, the British transfer record at the same time in 1946 was £14,500. On 1 August 1968 the GRA closed Stamford Bridge to greyhound racing quoting the fact that Stamford Bridge had to race on the same days as White City . An attempt by Chelsea to bring back greyhound racing to Stamford Bridge in 1976, to alleviate debts, failed when
12994-544: The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (known as the London Borough of Hammersmith from 1965 to 1979). The district is split between the western and south-western postal areas. Fulham industrial history includes pottery, tapestry-weaving, paper-making and brewing in the 17th and 18th centuries in Fulham High Street , and later the automotive industry, aviation, food production, and laundries. In
13172-553: The Matthew Harding stand. It is the largest football museum in London. The club merchandise shop, known as the Megastore, is situated on the south-west corner of the stadium. The shop has two floors; the ground floor mainly consists of souvenirs and children's gear, and the first floor offers mainly apparel, including training jerseys, jackets, coats, and replica team jerseys. There are also two smaller shops, one located at
13350-425: The Premier League who has not yet qualified for a European Competition. The FA Cup winners also qualify for the following season's single-match FA Community Shield , the traditional season opener played against the previous season's Premier League champions (or the Premier League runners-up if the FA Cup winners also won the league – the double ). Fixtures in the 12 rounds of the competition are usually played at
13528-524: The Shed End penalty spot in 2006. In 1964–65 , a seated West Stand was built to replace the existing terracing on the west side. Most of the West Stand consisted of rising ranks of wooden tip up seats on iron frames, but seating at the very front was on concrete forms known as "the Benches". The old West Stand was demolished in 1997 and replaced by the current West Stand. It has three tiers, in addition to
13706-484: The Stamford Gate entrance and the other inside the new museum building behind the Matthew Harding stand. Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich sanctioned redevelopment of Stamford Bridge to around 55,000 to 60,000 seats. Its location in a heavily built-up part of Inner London , in between a main road and two railway lines complicates the logistics of the redevelopment. Additionally, dispersing 60,000 fans into
13884-765: The Swan Brewery on the Thames, the main industrial activities involved motoring and early aviation — Rolls-Royce , Shell-Mex & BP , Rover , the London General Omnibus Company — and rail engineering ( Lillie Bridge Depot ), laundries — the Palace Laundry is still extant — and the building trades. Later there developed distilling, Sir Robert Burnett's White Satin Gin , food processing, e.g. Telfer's Pies, Encafood and Spaghetti House , and Kodak 's photographic processing. This encouraged
14062-533: The United Kingdom , and the 2021-22 when the final was held a week before the end of the league. The 2025 Final is also scheduled to take place the week before the end of the league. The draws for the Extra Preliminary, Preliminary, and first qualifying rounds used to all occur at the same time. Thereafter, the draw for each subsequent round is not made until after the scheduled dates for
14240-504: The United Kingdom at the end of the Second World War and Chelsea were the first side they faced. An estimated crowd of over 100,000 crammed into Stamford Bridge to watch a 3–3 draw, with many spectators on the dog track and on top of the stands. In the early 1970s the club's owners initiated a project to renovate Stamford Bridge. However, the cost of building the East Stand escalated out of control after shortages of materials and
14418-595: The Virgin Active-operated Fulham Pools swimming facilities and neighbouring tennis courts. Fulham has five active Bowls clubs: The Bishops Park Bowls club, The Hurlingham Park Bowls Club, Normand Park Bowls Club, The Parson's Green Bowls club and The Winnington in Bishops Park. The historic entertainment destinations in Fulham, have included Earl's Court Pleasure Gardens , the brain-child of John Robinson Whitley , straddling
14596-545: The World Championship of shinty between Beauly Shinty Club and London Camanachd . Stamford Bridge was built near the Lillie Bridge Grounds , an older sports ground which had hosted the 1873 FA Cup Final and the first ever amateur boxing matches (among other things). It was initially offered to Fulham Football Club , but they turned it down for financial reasons. After considering the sale of
14774-580: The annual Polo in the Park tournament, which has become a recent feature of the area. The Hurlingham club is the historic home of polo in the United Kingdom and of the world governing body of polo. Public tennis courts are located in Bishops Avenue, off Fulham Palace Road and on Eel Brook Common. Rugby is played on Eel Brook Common and in South Park . Normand Park in Lillie Road is the entry into
14952-648: The away leg 6–0, however. On 23 May 2013, the stadium hosted the final of the 2012–13 UEFA Women's Champions League . On 5 August 2023, Stamford Bridge hosted charity match Game4Ukraine to raise money for the United24 initiative, a fundraiser to help in Ukraine 's rebuilding of facilities and infrastructure that suffered damage from the Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War . In 2019 and 2024, Stamford Bridge has also been used as
15130-532: The bid was not accepted, and the Battersea Power Station site was redeveloped for residential and commercial uses. On 17 June 2014, the club announced that it had commissioned a study of the area from Fulham Broadway to Stamford Bridge and beyond, by architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands .In December 2015, Chelsea announced intention to build a 60,000-seater stadium at Stamford Bridge. On 5 January 2017, Hammersmith and Fulham council approved
15308-511: The border with Kensington since 1879, then the 1894 Great Wheel and the 6,000-seater Empress Hall, built in 1894 at the instigation of international impresario, Imre Kiralfy — the scene of his spectacular shows and later sporting events and famous ice shows — and latterly, Earl's Court II, part of the Earl's Court Exhibition Centre in the neighbouring, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea . The first closed in 1959, replaced by an office block,
15486-516: The bottom tier. However, at the start of the 2005–06 season, then-manager José Mourinho requested that the family section move to this part of the stand, to boost team morale. Away fans were moved to the Shed End. The Shed End is along the south side of the pitch. In 1930, a new terrace was built on the south side, for more standing spectators. It was originally known as the Fulham Road End, but supporters nicknamed it 'The Shed' and this led
15664-463: The canal bridge, ( Lillie Bridge ) at West Brompton with North End Lane and the eventual creation of two railway lines, the West London Line and the District line connecting South London with the rest of the capital. This was done with the input of two noted consulting engineers, Robert Stephenson in 1840 and from 1860, Sir John Fowler . It meant that the area around Lillie Bridge was to make
15842-601: The capital. With rapid demographic changes there was poverty, as noted by Charles Dickens (1812-1870) and Charles Booth (1840-1916). Fulham had its poorhouses , and attracted several benefactors, including: the Samuel Lewis (financier) Housing Trust, the Peabody Trust and the Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation to provide low-cost housing. The Metropolitan Asylums Board acquired in 1876
16020-532: The club to officially change its name. It became the most favoured spot for the loudest and most die-hard support, until the terrace was demolished in 1994, when all-seater stadia became compulsory by law as a safety measure in light of the Taylor Report following the Hillsborough disaster . The seated stand which replaced it is still known as the Shed End (see below). The new stand opened in time for
16198-467: The competition receive the FA Cup. It is only loaned to the club by the FA; under the current (2015–16) rules it must be returned by 1 March, or earlier if given seven days' notice. Traditionally, the holders had the Cup until the following year's presentation, although more recently the trophy has been taken on publicity tours by the FA in between finals. The trophy comes in three parts – the cup itself, plus
16376-803: The competition, the Kennington Oval was used as the semi-final venue. In the period between this first decade and the reopening of Wembley, semi-finals were played at high-capacity neutral venues around England; usually the home grounds of teams not involved in that semi-final, chosen to be roughly equidistant between the two teams for fairness of travel. The top three most used venues in this period were Villa Park in Birmingham (55 times), Hillsborough in Sheffield (34 times) and Old Trafford in Manchester (23 times). The original Wembley Stadium
16554-655: The county of Middlesex, which encouraged trade skills among the growing population. In 1824 the Imperial Gas Light and Coke Company , the first public utility company in the world, bought the Sandford estate in Sands End to produce gas for lighting — and in the case of the Hurlingham Club, for ballooning . Its ornately decorated number 2 gasholder is Georgian , completed in 1830 and reputed to be
16732-583: The creek was known as Billingwell Dyche, derived from "Billing's spring or stream". It formed the boundary between the parishes of Kensington and Fulham. By the 18th century, the creek had become known as Counter's Creek , which is the name it has retained since. The stream had two local bridges: Stamford Bridge on the Fulham Road (also recorded as Little Chelsea Bridge) and Stanbridge on the King's Road , now known as Stanley Bridge. The existing Stamford Bridge
16910-409: The days when multiple replays were possible, the second replay (and any further replays) were played at neutral grounds. The clubs involved could alternatively agree to toss for home advantage in the second replay. The semi-finals have been played exclusively at the rebuilt Wembley Stadium since 2008 , one year after it opened and after it had already hosted a final (in 2007). For the first decade of
17088-522: The death of Conservative MP, Martin Stevens , resulted in a Labour win for Nick Raynsford on a 10% swing. With " gentrification ", Fulham voters have been leaning towards the Conservatives since the 1980s as the area underwent huge demographic change: the tightly packed terraces which had housed working-class families employed in trade, engineering and the industry that dominated Fulham's riverside being gradually replaced with young professionals. In
17266-525: The draw. In rounds up to and including the fourth round proper, fixtures resulting in a draw (after normal time) go to a replay , played at the venue of the away team, at a later date; if that replay is still tied, the winner is settled by a period of extra time , and if still necessary, a penalty shootout . Since 2016–17 , ties have been settled on the day from the quarter-finals onwards, using extra time and penalties. From 2018–19 , Fifth round ties are also settled by extra time and penalties. Beginning with
17444-517: The electric fence was never turned on and before long it was dismantled, due to the GLC blocking it from being switched on for health and safety reasons. With the Taylor Report arising from the Hillsborough disaster being published in January 1990 and ordering all top division clubs to have all-seater stadiums in time for the 1994–95 season , Chelsea's plan for a 34,000-seat stadium at Stamford Bridge
17622-506: The entry list or later withdrew. Beginning in August, the competition proceeds as a knockout tournament throughout, consisting of twelve rounds, a semi-final and then a final, in May. A system of byes ensures clubs above Level 9 enter the competition at later stages. There is no seeding , the fixtures in each round being determined by a random draw. Prior to the fifth round, fixtures ending in
17800-487: The field of play on all sides by the width of running track and, on the north and south sides, the separation was particularly large because the long sides of the running track considerably exceeded the length of the football pitch. The stadium had a single stand for 5,000 spectators on the east side. Designed by Archibald Leitch , it was an exact replica of the Stevenage Road Stand he had previously built at
17978-511: The fifth replay. In their 1975 campaign , Fulham played 12 games over six rounds, which remains the most games played by a team to reach a final. Replays were traditionally played three or four days after the original game, but from 1991–92 they were staged at least 10 days later on police advice for the rounds proper. This led to penalty shoot-outs being introduced, the first of which came on 26 November 1991 when Rotherham United eliminated Scunthorpe United . From 1980–81 to 1998–99 ,
18156-524: The final of the inaugural Lambert & Butler county cricket competition. It, however, failed and the experiment of playing cricket on football grounds was ended. Stamford Bridge briefly hosted American football – despite not being long enough for a regulation-size gridiron field – when the London Monarchs were based there in 1997. The Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) brought greyhound racing to Stamford Bridge on 31 July 1933 and this forced
18334-509: The final. As a result, significant focus is given to the smaller teams who progress furthest, especially if they achieve an unlikely "giant-killing" victory. Winners receive the FA Cup trophy, of which there have been two designs and five actual cups; the latest is a 2014 replica of the second design, introduced in 1911. Winners also qualify for the UEFA Europa League and a place in the upcoming FA Community Shield . Arsenal are
18512-553: The following season's UEFA Europa League (formerly named the UEFA Cup; from its launch in 1960 until 1998 , they entered the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners' Cup instead). This European place applies even if the team is relegated or is not in the English top flight. In the past, if the FA Cup winning team also qualified for the following season's Champions League or Europa League through their league or European performance, then
18690-445: The former vice-president Richard Attenborough . They are then guided decade by decade through the club's history seeing old programmes, past shirts, José Mourinho 's coat and other memorabilia. A motto on the wall of the museum reads "I am not from the bottle. I am a special one.", a reference to Mourinho's famous quote upon signing as manager for Chelsea. On 6 June 2011, a new museum with improved and interactive exhibits opened behind
18868-642: The ground measures approximately 103 metres (112.6 yd) long by 67 metres (73.2 yd) wide, with a couple metres of run-off space on all sides. The south stand has by far the most run-off space being unto 3.5 metres deep. When Stamford Bridge was redeveloped in the Ken Bates era, many additional features were added to the complex, including two hotels, apartments, bars, restaurants, the Chelsea Megastore, and an interactive visitor attraction called Chelsea World of Sport. These were completed in August 2001 at
19046-452: The ground; Chelsea have played their home games there ever since. It has undergone major changes over the years, most recently in the 1990s when it was renovated into a modern, all-seater stadium. Stamford Bridge has hosted Charity Shield games. It has also hosted numerous other sports, such as cricket , rugby union , rugby league , speedway , greyhound racing , baseball and American football . The stadium's highest official attendance
19224-579: The group stage of the Club World Championship. The withdrawal from the FA Cup, however, drew considerable criticism as this weakened the tournament's prestige and Sir Alex Ferguson later admitted his regret regarding their handling of the situation. Welsh sides that play in English leagues are eligible, although since the creation of the League of Wales there are only five clubs remaining: Cardiff City (the only non-English team to win
19402-465: The handles of the cup. Traditionally, at Wembley finals, the presentation is made at the Royal Box, with players, led by the captain , mounting a staircase to a gangway in front of the box and returning by a second staircase on the other side of the box. At Cardiff the presentation was made on a podium on the pitch. The tradition of presenting the trophy immediately after the game did not start until
19580-410: The home ground of one of the two teams. The semi-finals and final are played at a neutral venue – the rebuilt Wembley Stadium . In the matches for the 12 competition rounds, the team who plays at home is decided when the fixtures are drawn – simply the first team drawn out for each fixture. Occasionally games may have to be moved to other grounds due to other events taking place, security reasons or
19758-472: The home of the majority of matchday hospitality guests. Each box is also named after a former Chelsea player (names in brackets): In October 2010, a nine-foot statue of popular 1960s Chelsea forward Peter Osgood , created by Philip Jackson , was unveiled by Peter's widow, Lynn. It is positioned in a recess of the West Stand near the Millennium Reception. In January 2020, Chelsea FC unveiled
19936-405: The increased handling. Of the four surviving trophies, only the 1895 replica has entered private ownership. The name of the winning team is engraved on the silver band around the base as soon as the final has finished, in order to be ready in time for the presentation ceremony. This means the engraver has just five minutes to perform a task which would take 20 under normal conditions, although time
20114-492: The intervention of cemetery shareholder and Fulham resident, John Gunter. Meanwhile, another group of local landowners, led by Lord Kensington with Sir John Scott Lillie and others had conceived, in 1822, the idea of exploiting the water course up-river from Chelsea Creek on their land by turning it into a two-mile canal. It was to have a basin, a lock and wharves, to be known as the Kensington Canal , and link
20292-584: The land to the Great Western Railway Company , the Mears decided to found their own football club, Chelsea, to occupy the ground as a rival to Fulham. Noted football ground architect Archibald Leitch , who had also designed Ibrox , Celtic Park , Craven Cottage and Hampden Park , was hired to construct the stadium. In its early days, Stamford Bridge stadium was served by a small railway station, Chelsea and Fulham railway station , which
20470-657: The late 1970s and the 1980s. Film music creator, Hans Zimmer double Oscar winner, launched his career in a studio behind the Lillie Langtry public house in Lillie Road in the 1970s. The most illustrious brewery in Fulham was the Swan Brewery , Walham Green, dating back to the 17th century. Among its patrons were kings and other royalty. It was followed by the North End Brewery in 1832, Cannons again in North End in 1867 and finally on account of temperance ,
20648-488: The late 1970s, the freehold was separated from the club and when new Chelsea chairman Ken Bates bought the club for £ 1 in 1982, he did not buy the ground. A large chunk of the Stamford Bridge freehold was subsequently sold to property developers Marler Estates. The sale resulted in a long and acrimonious legal fight between Bates and Marler Estates. Marler Estates was ultimately forced into bankruptcy after
20826-467: The league, began earlier, at the play-off or third qualifying round stage. From the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League season, however, UEFA does not allow the runners-up to qualify for the Europa League through the competition. If the winner of the FA Cup has already qualified for a European Competition through their Premier League position, the FA Cup berth is then given to the highest placed team in
21004-582: The losing FA Cup finalists were given the European berth of the League Cup winners and the League Cup winners would be given the league berth instead (in the Cup Winners' Cup era, teams qualifying for the UEFA Cup via other competitions would be promoted to the Cup Winners' Cup instead). FA Cup winners enter the Europa League at the group stage. Losing finalists, if they had not qualified for Europe via
21182-404: The lower tier. Any proposal to enlarge the facility would necessitate demolition of the adjacent Chelsea F.C. Museum and Chelsea Health Club and Spa. For some Champions League matches, this stand operates at reduced capacity, some entrances being obstructed by the presence of TV outside-broadcast vehicles. The only covered stand when Stamford Bridge was renovated into a football ground in 1905,
21360-543: The maintenance hub for rolling stock and track. Two Premier League football clubs, Fulham and Chelsea , play in Fulham. Two other notable sporting clubs are the Hurlingham Club , known for polo , and the Queen's tennis club , known for its annual pre- Wimbledon tennis tournament. In the 1800s, Lillie Bridge Grounds hosted the first meetings of the Amateur Athletic Association of England ,
21538-600: The meantime, Chelsea struggled in the league, and attendances fell and debts increased. The club was relegated to the Second Division in 1975 and again in 1979, narrowly avoiding the drop into the Third Division in 1983 before finally returning to the First Division a year later. The increase in the costs, combined with other factors, sent the club into decline. As a part of financial restructuring in
21716-563: The modern boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea . In 879 Danish invaders, sailed up the Thames and wintered at Fulham and Hammersmith. Raphael Holinshed (died 1580) wrote that the Bishop of London was lodging in his manor place in 1141 when Geoffrey de Mandeville , riding out from the Tower of London , took him prisoner. During the Commonwealth the manor
21894-429: The more prosperous neighbourhood over the parish boundary. The last farm to function in Fulham was Crabtree Farm, which closed at the beginning of the 20th century. A principal recorder of all these changes was a local man, Charles James Féret (1854-1921), who conducted research over a period of decades before publishing his three volume history of Fulham in 1900. Ceramics and weaving in Fulham go back to at least
22072-585: The most successful club with fourteen titles, most recently in 2020 , and their former manager Arsène Wenger is the competition's most successful, having won seven finals with the team. Manchester United are the current holders, having defeated local rivals Manchester City 2–1 in the 2024 final . In 1863, the newly founded Football Association (the FA) published the Laws of the Game of Association Football, unifying
22250-507: The move to Empire Stadium); and the University of Oxford's Lillie Bridge in Fulham for the second ever final, in 1873 . The other venues used sparingly in this period were all outside of London, as follows: The FA permitted artificial turf (3G) pitches in all rounds of the competition from the 2014–15 edition and beyond. Under the 2015–16 rules, the pitch must be of FIFA One Star quality, or Two Star for ties if they involve one of
22428-421: The name 'Chelsea Football Club' should it ever move from the site where Stamford Bridge exists. The club proposed to buy back the freehold from CPO. In a vote held on 27 October 2011, its shareholders opted against selling their rights. On 4 May 2012, Chelsea announced a bid to purchase Battersea Power Station to build a 60,000-seater stadium on the site in conjunction with property developers Almacantar. However
22606-535: The nearby Hampshire village of Lovedean , and there it resided in a quaint thatched roof country pub called The Bird in Hand for the seven years of the war. After the conclusion of World War II, the FA Cup trophy was presented back to the Football Association by the club in time for the 1946 FA Cup Final . The first trophy, the 'little tin idol', was made by Martin, Hall & Co at a cost of £20. It
22784-400: The noise of supporters. The pitch, the turnstiles , and the naming rights of the club are now owned by Chelsea Pitch Owners , an organisation set up to prevent the stadium from being purchased by property developers. KSS Design Group (architects) designed the complete redevelopment of Stamford Bridge Stadium and its hotels, megastore, offices and residential buildings. Stamford Bridge was
22962-590: The oldest gasholder in the World. In connection with gas property portfolios, in 1843 the newly formed Westminster Cemetery Company had trouble persuading the Equitable Gas people (a future Imperial take-over) to sell them a small portion of land to gain southern access, onto the Fulham Road , from their recently laid out Brompton Cemetery , over the parish border in Chelsea. The sale was finally achieved through
23140-400: The original wall from the back of the Shed End terrace still stands and runs along the south side of the stadium. It has recently been decorated with lights and large images of Chelsea legends. Since 2005, it has been where away supporters are housed; they are allocated 3,000 tickets towards the east side, roughly half of the capacity of the stand. Peter Osgood 's ashes were laid to rest under
23318-630: The outbreak of the First World War sold out to Burnett's, producers of White Satin Gin, until a 1970s take-over by a Kentucky liquor business. None of the breweries remains. With its long history of brewing, Fulham still has a number of pubs and gastropubs . The oldest tavern is the Lillie Langtry in Lillie Road, originally the Lillie Arms named after its first freeholder, Sir John Scott Lillie, who built it in 1835 as part of
23496-537: The past been solid Labour territory. Michael Stewart , one time Foreign Secretary in the Wilson government , was its long-standing MP, from 1945 until he stood down in 1979. It became a politically significant part of the country, having been the scene of two major parliamentary by-elections in the 20th century. In 1933, the Fulham East by-election became known as the "peace by-election". The 1986 by-election following
23674-509: The possession of the Bishop of London . One states the manor (landholding) of Fulham was granted to Bishop Erkenwald about the year 691 for himself and his successors as Bishop of London. The alternative has it that The Manor of Fulham was acquired by Bishop Waldhere from Bishop Tyrhtel in AD 704. In due course the manor house became Fulham Palace , and for a millennium, the country residence of
23852-417: The prestige away from a Wembley final. In defending the move, the FA has also cited the extra capacity Wembley offers, although the 2013 fixture between Millwall and Wigan Athletic led to the unprecedented step of placing 6,000 tickets on sale to neutral fans after the game failed to sell out. A fan poll by The Guardian in 2013 found 86% opposition to Wembley semi-finals. The final has been played at
24030-409: The previous round, meaning that in the case of replays, clubs will often know their future opponents in advance. The draw for each of the proper rounds is broadcast live on television, usually taking place at the conclusion of live coverage of one of the games of the previous round. Public interest is particularly high during the draw for the third round, which is where the top-ranked teams are added to
24208-645: The previous season, except newly promoted teams automatically ranked towards the bottom and newly relegated teams ranked to the top; teams are then split between entering at either the Extra-Preliminary or preliminary round so as to ensure the right balance of fixtures throughout the competition. From there, clubs from higher levels are added in later rounds, as per the table below. The months in which rounds are played are traditional, with exact dates subject to each calendar. The number of new entries, winners from previous rounds, and division of Level 8 teams in
24386-532: The project, Ken Bates put Chelsea into a highly perilous financial position, primarily because of the repayment terms he had agreed to. Now complete, the stand is the primary external 'face' of the stadium, being the first thing fans see when entering the main gate on Fulham Road . The Main Entrance is flanked by hospitality entrances, formerly named after former Chelsea players Nigel Spackman and David Speedie . Signage at those entrances with those players' names
24564-468: The re-developed Craven Cottage (and the main reason why Fulham had chosen not to move into the new ground). The other sides were all open in a vast bowl and thousands of tons of material excavated from the building of the Piccadilly line provided high terracing for standing spectators exposed to the elements on the west side. In 1945, Stamford Bridge staged one of the most notable matches in its history. Soviet side FC Dynamo Moscow were invited to tour
24742-441: The rebuild. The whole of the Chelsea Village development would be demolished and the new stadium would include a new club shop, museum, a bar, and restaurants. The two existing hotels, restaurants, bars and spa would be relocated. Fulham Fulham ( / ˈ f ʊ l ə m / ) is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London , England, 3.6 miles (5.8 km) southwest of Charing Cross . It lies in
24920-416: The rebuilt Wembley Stadium since it opened, in 2007. The rebuilding process meant that between 2001 and 2006 they were hosted at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in Wales. Prior to rebuilding, the final was hosted by the original Wembley Stadium since it opened in 1923 (being originally named the Empire Stadium). One exception to this 78-year series of Empire Stadium finals (including five replays)
25098-425: The residential roads surrounding Stamford Bridge is likely to create congestion. Earls Court Exhibition Centre , White City , Battersea Power Station , the Imperial Road Gasworks (off the Kings Road on the Fulham and Chelsea border), and the Chelsea Barracks were alternative sites explored for a stadium rebuild. Under the Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO) articles of association , the club would however relinquish
25276-458: The river. The recently built, wooden, first Fulham/Putney bridge is shown and two Fulham village clusters, one central, one south-west. The 19th century roused Walham Green village, and the surrounding hamlets that made up the parish of Fulham, from their rural slumber and market gardens with the advent first of power production and then more hesitant transport development. This was accompanied by accelerating urbanisation , as in other centres in
25454-447: The rules in its first competition, the FA decided that any drawn match would lead to a replay , with teams competing in further replays until a game was eventually won. Alvechurch and Oxford City contested the most replayed tie in the 1971–72 qualification , in a tie which went to 6 matches. Multiple replays were scrapped for the competition proper in 1991–92, and the qualifying rounds in 1997–98. Replays were removed altogether from
25632-422: The seat for the Labour Party. Hammersmith and Fulham is currently controlled by Labour. At the 2014 local elections , Labour won 11 seats from the Conservatives, giving them 26 councillors and control of the council (said to have been the then Prime Minister David Cameron 's "favourite" ) for the first time since 2006. The first organised sporting activity in Fulham took place at the Lillie Bridge Grounds in
25810-447: The second FA Cup Final , and the first amateur boxing matches. The Lillie Bridge area was the home ground of the Middlesex County Cricket Club , before it moved to Marylebone . The word Fulham originates from Old English, with Fulla being a personal name, and hamm being land hemmed in by water or marsh, or a river-meadow. So Fulla's hemmed-in land. It is spelled Fuleham in the 1066 Domesday Book . In recent years, there has been
25988-423: The semi-finals and the final . Entrants are not seeded , although a system of byes based on league level ensures higher ranked teams enter in later rounds – the minimum number of games needed to win, depending on which round a team enters the competition, ranges from six to fourteen. The first six rounds are the Qualifying Competition, and are contested by clubs in the National League System , levels 5 to 10 of
26166-443: The semi-finals went to extra time on the day if the score after 90 minutes was a draw. If the score was still level after extra time, the match would go to a replay. Replays for the semi-finals were scrapped for 1999–2000 ; the last semi-final to go into a replay was in 1998–99, when Manchester United beat rivals Arsenal 2–1 after extra time, following a 0–0 draw in the original match. The first FA Cup Final to go to extra time and
26344-550: The size of the draw to match the more stable number of teams in Level 1–9. This means that the competition may now see a standardised number of entries from one year to the next. This number is currently 732 but could rise to 748 for 2023–24 with plans for a new SWPL 9th tier division to share the South West with the existing Western League . It is very rare for top clubs to miss the competition, although it can happen in exceptional circumstances. Manchester United did not defend their title in 1999–2000 , as they were already in
26522-409: The southern stretch of North End Road to become Fulham's unofficial "High street" , almost a mile from the actual Fulham High Street , with its own department store, F.H. Barbers, along with Woolworth 's, Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury's outlets, all long gone. The second ever Tesco shop opened in the North End Road. The UK's reputedly oldest independent health-food shop , opened in 1966 by
26700-447: The theft, a replica of the trophy was made, which was used until a redesign of the trophy in 1911. The 1895 replica was then presented to the FA's long-serving president Lord Kinnaird . Kinnaird died in 1923, and his family kept it in their possession, out of view, until putting it up for auction in 2005. It was sold at Christie's auction house on 19 May 2005 for £ 420,000 (£478,400 including auction fees and taxes). The sale price set
26878-416: The theft, confessing to a newspaper, with the story being published in the Sunday Pictorial newspaper on 23 February 1958. He claimed to have carried out the robbery with two other men, although when discrepancies with a contemporaneous report in the Birmingham Post newspaper (the crime pre-dated written police reports) in his account of the means of entry and other items stolen, detectives decided there
27056-524: The tournament, in 1927 ), Swansea City , Newport County , Wrexham , and Merthyr Town . In the early years other teams from Wales, Ireland and Scotland also took part in the competition, with Glasgow side Queen's Park losing the final to Blackburn Rovers in 1884 and 1885 before being barred from entering by the Scottish Football Association . Entries from clubs affiliated to "offshore" associations are also eligible subject to consideration on an annual basis, with special provisions that may apply. In
27234-417: The travel costs for smaller non-league sides. The first and second proper rounds were also previously split into Northern and Southern sections, but this practice was ended after the 1997–98 competition . The final is normally held the Saturday after the Premier League season finishes in May. The only seasons in recent times when this pattern was not followed were: 1999–2000 , when most rounds were played
27412-404: The trophy to the National Football Museum in Preston on 20 April 2006, where it went on immediate public display. It later moved with the museum to its new location in Manchester. In November 2012, it was ceremonially presented to Royal Engineers , after they beat Wanderers 7–1 in a charity replay of the first FA Cup final . In September 2020, Gold sold the replica trophy for £760,000 through
27590-474: The turn of the century, the London Omnibus Co in Seagrave Road oversaw the transition of horse-drawn to motor buses, which were eventually integrated into London Transport and London Buses . This attracted a host of other automotive enterprises to move into the area. With the growth of 19th-century transport links into East Fulham and its sporting venues by ' Lillie Bridge ', along with the immediately neighbouring 24-acre Earl's Court exhibition grounds , and
27768-459: The two preliminary rounds are based on an entry list of 732 modelled on the English league system as of 2022–23. From 2023 to 2024, the entry list could rise to 746 in line with sixteen additional clubs at Level 9 meaning that the extra preliminary round will have 444 teams with only 50 Level 8 clubs entering at the preliminary round. previous round Level 9 clubs Level 8 clubs (96 lowest ranked) The qualifying rounds are regionalised to reduce
27946-469: The various different rules in use before then. On 20 July 1871, in the offices of The Sportsman newspaper , the FA Secretary C. W. Alcock proposed to the FA committee that "it is desirable that a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association for which all clubs belonging to the Association should be invited to compete". The inaugural FA Cup tournament kicked off in November 1871. After thirteen games in all, Wanderers were crowned
28124-425: The vast the Empress Hall (see entertainment section below). During the First World War it would become accommodation for Belgian refugees. Meanwhile, the historic hamlet of North End was massively redeveloped in the 1880s by Messrs Gibbs & Flew, who built 1,200 houses on the fields. They had trouble disposing of the properties, so for public relations purposes, they renamed the area 'West Kensington', to refer to
28302-431: The venue for Soccer Aid , an annual charity match initially organised by singer Robbie Williams and actor Jonathan Wilkes . Since the 2010s, Chelsea F.C. Women , the club's women's affiliate , has played selected games at Stamford Bridge, including league games against domestic rivals as well as all UEFA Women's Champions League games. Results of FA Cup Finals at Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge has also hosted
28480-463: The venue of the FA Cup Final from 1920 to 1922 , before being replaced by Wembley Stadium in 1923. It has staged ten FA Cup semi-finals , ten Charity Shield matches, and three England matches, the last in 1932. It was one of the home venues for the representative London XI team that played in the original Inter-Cities Fairs Cup . The team played the home leg of the two-legged final at Stamford Bridge, drawing 2–2 with FC Barcelona ; they lost
28658-420: The winners in the final , on 16 March 1872. Wanderers retained the trophy the following year . The modern cup was beginning to be established by the 1888–89 season , when qualifying rounds were introduced. Following the 1914–15 edition, the competition was suspended in mid air due to the First World War , and did not resume until 1919–20 . The 1923 FA Cup Final , commonly known as the "White Horse Final",
28836-419: The winter. This is thought to have been near the first bridge (which was made of wood). It was commonly named Fulham Bridge, built in 1729 and was replaced in 1886 with Putney Bridge. Margravine Road recalls the existence of Brandenburgh House , a riverside mansion built by Sir Nicholas Crispe in the time of Charles I, and used as the headquarters of General Fairfax in 1647 during the civil wars. In 1792 it
29014-522: The world. It is organised by and named after The Football Association (The FA). Since 2015, it has been known as Emirates FA Cup after its headline sponsor Emirates . A concurrent Women's FA Cup has been held since 1970. The competition is open to all eligible clubs down to Level 9 of the English football league system with Level 10 clubs acting as stand-ins in the event of non-entries from above. A record 763 clubs competed in 2011–12 . The tournament consists of 12 randomly drawn rounds followed by
29192-458: Was also captain of Wanderers in their first victory). Portsmouth have the distinction of being the football club which has held the FA Cup trophy for the longest uninterrupted period - seven years. Portsmouth had defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 4–1 in the 1939 FA Cup Final and were awarded the trophy as 1938–39 FA Cup winners. But with the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, the regular Football League and FA Cup competitions for
29370-440: Was also used seven times for semi-final, between 1991 and 2000 (the last held there), but not always for fixtures featuring London teams . In 2005, both were held at the Millennium Stadium. In 2003 the FA decided to permanently use the new Wembley for semi-finals to recoup debts in financing the new stadium. This was controversial, with the move seen as both unfair to fans of teams located far from London, as well as taking some of
29548-408: Was built of brick in 1860–1862 and since been partly reconstructed. Stamford Bridge opened in 1877 as a home for the London Athletic Club and was used almost exclusively for that purpose until 1904, when the lease was acquired by brothers Gus and Joseph Mears , who wanted to stage high-profile professional football matches there. However, previous to this, in 1898, Stamford Bridge played host to
29726-427: Was given approval by Hammersmith and Fulham council on 19 July 1990. The re-building of the stadium commenced and successive building phases during the 1990s eliminated the original running track. The construction of the East Stand some 20 years earlier had begun the process of eliminating the track. All stands, now roofed and all-seater , are immediately adjacent to the pitch. This structure captures and concentrates
29904-413: Was killed in a racing accident. In 1931, black cinders were laid onto the circuit suitable for use by speedway and athletics. A midget car meeting reportedly attracted a crowd of 50,000 people in 1948. The ground was used in 1980 for the first major day-night floodlit cricket match between Essex and West Indies (although organised by Surrey) which was a commercial success; the following year it hosted
30082-420: Was later closed after World War II bombing . Stamford Bridge was initially planned to have a capacity of around 100,000 and was the second largest ground in England after Crystal Palace . It was used as the FA Cup final venue. As originally constructed, Stamford Bridge was an athletics track and the pitch was initially located in the middle of the running track. This meant that spectators were separated from
30260-567: Was no realistic possibility of a conviction and the case was closed. Burge claimed the cup had been melted down to make counterfeit half-crown coins, which matched known intelligence of the time, in which stolen silver was being used to forge coins which were then laundered through betting shops at a local racecourse, although Burge had no history of forgery in a record of 42 previous convictions for which he had spent 42 years in prison. He had been further imprisoned in 1957 for seven years for theft from cars. Released in 1961, he died in 1964. After
30438-476: Was occupied by Charles Alexander, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and his wife, and in 1820 by Caroline , consort of George IV . His non-political 'wife' was Maria Fitzherbert who lived in East End House in Parson's Green. They are reputed to have had several children. The extract below of John Rocque's Map of London, 1746 shows the Parish of Fulham in the loop of the Thames , with the boundary with Chelsea, Counter's Creek, narrow and dark, flowing east into
30616-414: Was on the approach to Putney Bridge and was designed by the prolific WGR Sprague , author of venues such as Wyndham's Theatre and the Aldwych Theatre in London's West End . It gave way to office blocks in the late 1950s. The 'Granville Theatre', founded by Dan Leno , to the design of Frank Matcham , once graced a triangle of land at Walham Green . After the Music hall era had passed, It served as
30794-406: Was removed in 2020, to be replaced by directional signage, meaning those entrances are no longer named after any player. The stand also features the largest concourse area in the stadium, it is also known as the 'Great Hall' and is used for many functions at Stamford Bridge, including the Chelsea Player of the Year ceremony. The aforementioned executive boxes, also known as the Millennium Suites, are
30972-419: Was stolen from a Birmingham shoe shop window belonging to William Shillcock while held by Aston Villa on 11 September 1895 and was never seen again. Despite a £10 reward for information, the crime was never solved. As it happened while it was in their care, the FA fined Villa £25 to pay for a replacement. Just over 60 years later, 80 year old career criminal Henry (Harry) James Burge claimed to have committed
31150-442: Was temporarily out of the bishops' hands, having been sold to Colonel Edmund Harvey . In 1642, Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex withdrawing from the Battle of Brentford (1642) ordered to be put a bridge of boats on the Thames to unite with his detachment in Kingston in pursuit of Charles I , who ordered Prince Rupert to retreat from Brentford back west. The King and Prince moved their troops from Reading to Oxford for
31328-628: Was the 1970 replay between Leeds United and Chelsea , held at Old Trafford in Manchester. In the 51 years prior to the Empire Stadium opening, the final (including 8 replays) was held in a variety of locations, predominantly in London, and mainly at the Kennington Oval and then Crystal Palace . It was played 22 times at The Oval (the inaugural competition in 1872, and then all but two times until 1892 ). After The Oval, Crystal Palace hosted 21 finals from 1895 to 1914 , broken up by four replays elsewhere. The other London venues were Stamford Bridge from 1920 to 1922 (the last three finals before
31506-482: Was the first final to be played in the newly opened Wembley Stadium (known at the time as the Empire Stadium). The 1927 final saw " Abide with Me " being sung for the first time at the Cup final, which has become a pre-match tradition. Due to the outbreak of World War II , the competition was not played between the 1938–39 and 1945–46 editions. Due to the wartime breaks, the competition did not celebrate its centenary year until 1980–81 . After some confusion over
31684-448: Was then constructed at that end. It is named after former Chelsea director Matthew Harding , whose investment helped transform the club in the early 1990s before his death in a helicopter accident on 22 October 1996. His investment in the club enabled construction of the stand which was completed in time for the 1996–97 season . It has two tiers and accommodates most season-ticket holders, giving it an excellent atmosphere, especially in
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