With all this talk about Richmond Park - we really should take a second to appreciate the very best thing ever to have happened there....

1 hour ago, The Rising Sun said:

Taxpayer even had to pay for their failed naming rights deal. ..It's totally wrong that a PL club owned by millionaires should get any taxpayer money.

'The search for a naming rights sponsor for Premier League club West Ham United’s London Stadium has cost UK taxpayers nearly UK£450,000.

The 66,000-seater venue’s owner, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), has been criticised for wasting money in the process, with two agencies reportedly having been paid a total of UK£447,000 to try and source a naming rights partner.

IMG netted UK£260,000 after being hired by the LLDC in 2013, while ESP was paid UK£187,000 when it was retained by LLDC’s subsidiary E20 for 16 months from March 2015."

You're right. It is totally wrong to fund naming rights especially when it failed. I haven't watched The Apprentice in years but I think that one of the West Ham Board, Karen Brady is still a judge on the programme. If she was a contestant on the programme and trying to push West Ham as a project she would have been fired years ago.

I read that the development of Old Trafford and the surrounding area is one step nearer approval and Radcliffe is still trying to get money off the Government.

A picture of the proposed new stadium. Looks familiar?

On 21/10/2025 at 15:08, Boyne said:

A picture of the proposed new stadium. Looks familiar?

Needs a North Stand. 🤣

Another club that will be surpassing us, Birmingham FC this time, and it reminds me of our old plans for Battersea power station, before we lost the bid.

Edited November 20, 2025Nov 20 by Term_X

Wow !!!!

Impressive launch video ... and the ambition makes BlueCo's dilly dallying look even more mickey mouse LOL

I'm confused how Wagner and Brady have managed to arrive at this point after just 2 years of ownership, as I thought, as per Boehly, that this sort of thing takes 20 years to "figure out" ... LOL

Shame Roman never got to build this.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6839584/2025/11/27/chelsea-stadium-earls-court-stamford-bridge/

Looks like a move to Earl's Court won't happen but still for Kensington and Chelsea Council and the Mayor of London to make a decision.

8 minutes ago, Boyne said:

The possibility of Chelsea building a new stadium at Earl’s Court has hit a setback after an alternative plan for the land was approved by one of the councils involved.

At a meeting on Wednesday night, Hammersmith and Fulham council approved proposals for a development on the site of the old Earls Court Exhibition Centre which will include a mix of new homes, retail and hospitality, and workplaces. The plans are led by the Earls Court Development Company (ECDC).

ECDC confirmed the news in a statement on Thursday morning, stating that “the 44-acre, £10 billion masterplan will transform central London’s largest cleared development site, which spans both the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.

“This first milestone paves the way for ECDC to work with partners across the public and private sectors to move forwards with plans to start on site as soon as possible.”

ECDC said the development will create approximately 4,000 homes and 12,000 jobs.

The land had also been mooted as a potential site for a new stadium for Chelsea, who are looking at future options to develop or move away from Stamford Bridge. The ECDC’s plans do not include a football stadium.

The development still has multiple steps to go through before being green-lit. The site crosses borough boundaries into Kensington and Chelsea, which also has a say.

It has not been confirmed when they will vote on the proposals, but the earliest potential date is December 9. Whatever decision the councils make will also be reviewed by the Mayor of London.

---

What does this mean for Chelsea?

Hammersmith and Fulham council’s decision does not guarantee the development at Earls’ Court will go ahead. Kensington and Chelsea council must still vote on the proposals and even if planning permission is given, plenty can still go wrong before ground is actually broken — as Chelsea know. Under Roman Abramovich, the club secured planning permission for a 60,000-seater ground on the Stamford Bridge site, but the build never took place after complications around Abramovich’s visa.

However, this council decision is a significant step towards the ECDC project progressing, which would likely rule out the possibility of Chelsea having a new stadium on the site. The only mention of ‘football’ in the 460-page agenda document for Wednesday’s council meeting was to discuss overcrowding at local tube stations on matchdays; the ECDC is not factoring a new stadium into their plans.

Chelsea’s stadium project is being led by president and chief operating officer Jason Gannon, who also had significant involvement in the development of Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium.

The Athletic reported in March that the options on the table were demolishing Stamford Bridge and building a new stadium on the site, or building a new ground at Earl’s Court.

If the ECDC project progresses, given the difficulty of finding another suitable site, the most likely path forward appears to be a redevelopment at Stamford Bridge. The club bought another 1.9 acres of land adjacent to the stadium in 2023, increasing the size of the plot available to them for redevelopment.

As a stand-by-stand renovation is not seen as feasible, a redevelopment would mean demolishing the existing ground and playing home games elsewhere while work took place. Wembley Stadium hosted Tottenham Hotspur’s home games for the 2017-18 season and much of 2018-19 while their new stadium was being built.

Put the detail in the quote for anyone without a sub

2 minutes ago, bisright1 said:

Put the detail in the quote for anyone without a sub

Thank you posting the article.

Actually worth taking a moment to reflect on just how far we've come here.

This thread was created all the way back in 2013, when our only plan of action seemed to be dreamily twiddling our thumbs whilst waiting for some kind of a miracle opportunity to present itself at Earl's Court. But now...

1 minute ago, Fatty_Speeding said:

Actually worth taking a moment to reflect on just how far we've come here.

This thread was created all the way back in 2013, when our only plan of action seemed to be dreamily twiddling our thumbs whilst waiting for some kind of a miracle opportunity to present itself at Earl's Court. But now...

We're in the same spot we were in back in 2013 😐

25 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

We're in the same spot we were in back in 2013 😐

With one less option LOL, albeit we do now have a bit more land at Stamford Bridge (Stoll Estates)

Edited November 30, 2025Nov 30 by Sexyfootball

Was told earlier today that the CPO AGM will take place on Friday, 23rd January 2026. I'll go along and will report back. It would be nice if there was news on redevelopment of the Bridge and a temporary or permanent move but it would not surprise me if there was nothing to announce. Could depend on whether or not Kensington and Chelsea Council follow Hammersmith and Fulham on giving provisional approval of building houses, shops and sports facilities on Earl's Court.

As in the past me and some of the people I go to the games with will have a few beers and a curry after the meeting.

Back in June....

WHAT KHAN SAID

While Chelsea declined to give an update of their own on talks with the mayor's office, a spokesperson for Khan said: "The mayor works closely with all Premier League football clubs in London across a variety of matters.

"The mayor is unaware of any recent formal proposals from the club for the Earl’s Court site. The mayor and TfL can only form a view once they have seen the details of any potential proposals."

I honestly don't believe our owners have any intention to build a new stadium or redevelop the stadium. I'd like to know what was said at the meeting with the Mayor, apart from us not even submitting any proposals at all .

Edited December 15, 2025Dec 15 by The Rising Sun
Info

4 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

I honestly don't believe our owners have any intention to build a new stadium or redevelop the stadium. I'd like to know what was said at the meeting with the Mayor, apart from us not even submitting any proposals at all .

I always thought the intent of the original purchase requirement to invest another £1.75 billion on top of the purchase price of £2.5 billion was to cover the stadium plan. Instead we got a load of un-necessary spending, much of it at very inflated prices, to remove any vestige of Roman from the club's personnel, both on the pitch and behind the scenes. Oh and a token £80m to buy Stoll mansions, probably just to re-develop them as new luxury apartments for the owners ...

16 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

I always thought the intent of the original purchase requirement to invest another £1.75 billion on top of the purchase price of £2.5 billion was to cover the stadium plan. Instead we got a load of un-necessary spending, much of it at very inflated prices, to remove any vestige of Roman from the club's personnel, both on the pitch and behind the scenes. Oh and a token £80m to buy Stoll mansions, probably just to re-develop them as new luxury apartments for the owners ...

Yes you are right that there was money and an obligation to develop or build a stadium. But as someone said on here, who is responsible for enforcing any of the purchase requirements? And Todd has effectively dealt with it by casualty saying we've got " 16 to 20 years to figure it out" which I take as meaning " don't hold your breath"

17 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

I honestly don't believe our owners have any intention to build a new stadium or redevelop the stadium. I'd like to know what was said at the meeting with the Mayor, apart from us not even submitting any proposals at all .

I agree. I don’t think it’s ever happening

22 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

I honestly don't believe our owners have any intention to build a new stadium or redevelop the stadium. I'd like to know what was said at the meeting with the Mayor, apart from us not even submitting any proposals at all .

I agree with you i.e. the owners have no intention to build a new stadium or redevelop the current one. If they can find a way of making more money from the current stadium and match going fans e.g. through the shop, bars and cafes they will. They've already started with more tickets going to corporates and tourist agencies; selling seats behind the dug-out; and dining in the dressing room the night before the game as they did with the match against Everton. It will be interesting to see what happens with Stoll Mansions. Will probably be turned into a hotel and/or conference centre. I'm a cynical old bastard.

I'd love to be proved wrong but if a move or redevelopment takes place it will be well into the future and I'll be in the great football ground/pub/book shop in the sky.

1 hour ago, Boyne said:

I'll be in the great football ground/pub/book shop in the sky.

Just don't drink all the damn whisky before the rest of us get there LOL

1 minute ago, Sexyfootball said:

Just don't drink all the damn whisky before the rest of us get there LOL

I'll try not to. If a range of decent single malt whiskies and a selection of real ales were served in Stamford Bridge I'd be tempted to use the bars. Sadly at the moment the beer is cack and too expensive. But if decent whisky and ale were served I'd probably end up staying in one of the bars and miss the matches. That could be a good thing!

It’s so frustrating watching so many teams move into a new stadium in my life time, Arsenal, Tottenham, West Ham, Everton, the list goes on.

I know it’s complicated due to Chelsea pitch owners and the location of the stadium but damn it, can we see some progress soon! It feels so wrong that our capacity is so much smaller than the likes of Everton and Sunderland!