Chelsea Women will play a minimum of seven games at Stamford Bridge during the upcoming 2023/24 season, including all of their Champions League group fixtures.
It could eventually more than double the number of Stamford Bridge games from last season, which saw the Blues in action on four occasions at the club’s main stadium.
The plans takes a leaf out of Arsenal’s book, with the Gunners playing eight times at the Emirates Stadium last season, including every Champions League fixture across all rounds.
Chelsea played just once at Stamford Bridge in the WSL in 2022/23, but are now committing to four games there – the remaining seven will be at the team’s primary Kingsmeadow home.
In hosting all three Champions League group games at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are also upping the stakes on that front as well. Last season, it was just the final group game played there, before then staging home legs of both the quarter-final and semi-final.
Should Chelsea progress to the knockout rounds again, it would be expected that any home legs would again be played at Stamford Bridge, potentially meaning up to nine games in total across all competitions over the course of the season. There could potentially still be scope for even more in other competitions too depending on fixtures in the FA Cup or Conti Cup.
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Chelsea recorded their biggest Stamford Bridge crowd last season in a WSL game against Tottenham, playing in front of 38,350 people in a 3-0 win. Each Champions League game drew in five-figure crowds, with the semi-final home leg against Barcelona attracting nearly 28,000.
The club have also confirmed that, having asked for feedback from fans, they will additionally be offering split season ticket packages that will allow supporters to either just attend games at Stamford Bridge, or just attend games at Kingsmeadow should they wish to.
Games at Stamford Bridge will even see different stands earmarked for different purposes. The East Stand will be geared towards families, the West Stand will feature live music and entertainment, the Matthew Harding Stand will be a singing section for the more vocal fans, while the Shed End will be split between away supporters and additional Chelsea fans.
Women’s football fandom has started to suffer from growing pains since Euro 2022 proved to be a watershed moment for the game’s development. It has long been hailed as a brilliant way for families to enjoy football without the typical problems associated with men’s football, which cannot afford to be lost. But the rapid growth that has brought thousands more people has also led to the rise of noisier crowds, which creates better atmospheres and is more enjoyable for players.
Neither particularly goes hand in hand, but Chelsea are looking at ways to make both possible.
