Chelsea FC’s 110th Anniversary: A Brief History Part One

Nigel Cox [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsMany fans of Chelsea FC do not know too much about the club’s history. Some of us became fans within the last ten years or so and for good reason. Others have been fans of the club for decades but still do not know about the club’s transformation through the years. In honor of Chelsea FC’s 110th birthday, here is a history lesson on how the club came about!

Club’s Creation

On 10th March 1905, Chelsea FC was formed at the Rising Sun pub. The club, a brainchild of Frederick Parker, was created to occupy the Stamford Bridge Athletics Ground in Fulham, West London, which was purchased in 1896 by millionaire Henry Augustus ‘Gus’ Mears and his brother Joseph Mears (but they had to wait till 1904 to purchase the freehold after the former owner died) to stage top-class football matches. All three, along with Henry Bowyer (brother-in-law to the Mears), Alfred Janes and his nephew Edwin (who ran the Rising Sun) constituted the founding board of directors of the club.

Next: Early History