Chelsea's new owners have revealed the details of their first significant investment in Stamford Bridge ahead of their first home game of the season against Tottenham on Sunday.
Boehly-Clearlake plan to enhance the fan experience with improvements to the West Stand, new signage and ‘kinetic feature wall with club pattern’ installed.
The marquee “Chelsea FC” logo on the West Stand entrance will be updated with new vertical banners showing how many trophies the club has won over its almost 120-year history.
There will also be a mural behind the Shed End featuring lyrics from ‘Blue is the Colour’.
Furthermore, a replica of a historic sign on the Shed End will be installed with 'Chelsea Football Club' to be painted in white on the back of the stand.
A 7metre-wide video screen will be installed in both the Nike Megastore and West Stand, with another 5metre screen in the Shed End. There’s also an LED screen outside the West Stand and Shed End - primarily put in place to communicate with fans.
The Nike Megastore, Chelsea Museum and ticket office have all been reimagined to improve their look and feel.
The planning application has been published by the local authority, the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, outlining the new design features.
The council are now seeking comments from nearby residents but the changes should be implemented soon with a deadline set for the end of August.
The changes are phase one of the new consortium’s plans, with a full redevelopment of the stadium to be completed in the medium term.
Architect Janet Marie Smith is already working on a complete transformation and expansion of Chelsea’s stadium, which at present is one of the smaller ones in the Premier League.
Boehly-Clearlake have deep experience of developing sports arenas, including the LA Dodgers’ stadium.
However, they see the Stamford Bridge project as more similar to Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park and have hired Smith, who worked on the suburban stadium.
The move follows former owner Roman Abramovich's abandoned redevelopment plans that would have seen the Blues leave their current site and play at Wembley Stadium for at least three seasons while a new 'cathedral-like stadium' was built.
Boehly-Clearlake will now rework the designs and could look to rebuild the stadium stand-by-stand as the team continues to play in it.
The stadium project is key to the long-term ambitions of winning trophies, with UEFA's new Financial Fair Play regulations introduced from the 2023-24 season. They will link revenue to the wage bill to curb clubs’ spending.
