If Chelsea stadium Stamford Bridge is to undergo renovation, Fulham ground Craven Cottage could be the temporary home of the Blues. Chelsea has been looking at revamping its storied ground. However, with limitations on expansion possibilities in a tight area of London, the club would have to move away for up to four years.
According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea owner Todd Boehly prepared three options for Chelsea in this four-year change. One of those, and the closest based on proximity to Stamford Bridge, is to use Craven Cottage. The two Premier League stadiums have less than two miles of separation between them.
The other two options for Chelsea are Wembley Stadium and Twickenham. Tottenham Hotspur used Wembley in the last year of the club’s massive stadium overhaul that saw the lavish Tottenham Hotspur Stadium replace White Hart Lane. Twickenham, though, primarily is a rugby pitch. The stadium has never hosted a soccer game in its history. On two prior occasions, Chelsea reached out to Twickenham to use the ground. It was denied on both attempts.
As of now, though, there are no concrete plans for what to do with Stamford Bridge. There were three options for how the stadium can meet Todd Boehly’s hope of making it the best in Europe. One was demolition with a whole new stadium in its place. Another was renovations that would be time-consuming and costly. The third was simply moving the team, similar to what Arsenal did from Highbury to the Emirates.
Chelsea and Fulham could share stadium
If the board and club decide to go with demolition, Fulham’s Craven Cottage is a contender for games. In one scenario, Chelsea could use Craven Cottage for the majority of league games. Then, it would switch over to Wembley for category A Premier League games and the Champions League. Category A games could be major fixtures, including those against London rivals or other ‘big six’ clubs.
It would not be the first time in the history of the top flight in English soccer that two clubs share a ground. Fulham, in fact, did it back in 2002. Fulham temporarily moved to QPR’s Loftus Road while Craven Cottage underwent changes.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Sportimage
