Stamford Bridge

Stamford Bridge did not begin its life as a football ground, but as an athletics arena. When it opened in 1877, it hosted track and field events for the London Athletic Club for nearly three decades. The stadium only shifted its purpose in 1904 when brothers Gus and Joseph Mears acquired the lease with the intent to stage professional football. They actually offered the facility to Fulham Football Club first, but when Fulham declined the offer for financial reasons, the brothers decided to found their own team. Chelsea Football Club was born in 1905 specifically to occupy the ground, making the stadium the primary reason the club exists today.