London, England
If you had told 20 year-old me that the sports team that I would be most passionate about would be an ocean away, I would have thought you were a little crazy. When it comes to sports teams, I pull for my alma maters at the collegiate level and, aside from my uncle’s association with the Los Angeles Dodgers, I support the home team in most sports. Not long after this period, I became aware of club-level football/soccer.
Soccer was always one of my favorite sports. I grew up playing for the Lawsonville Yellow Jackets and did pretty well as a defender on a team that won our little Stokes County league until I aged out of the team. My first introduction to soccer on a video game system was World Cup Soccer on the Super Nintendo, which featured numerous national teams. Later, I was very excited to see the United States host the World Cup in 1994 and to see a win against Colombia (If I only had known what was going to happen to Andres Escobar, it would have been better for the Americans to lose that game).
In college, I started getting exposure to some of the larger clubs, but it was when Adrienne and I went on our honeymoon to London that I became more aware of how football was part of the local culture. As hard as it is to believe, soccer coverage was close to non-existent in the United States.
Soccer gave me the freedom to do something I had never truly had the chance to do in my life: to choose my own team, not just based on where I lived or where I went to school. Soccer also had something else that hit big with people my age and a little younger: FIFA on the PlayStation 2. The early 2000s gave people the chance to gain exposure to many teams and leagues for the first time.
If I had started following soccer when I was younger, there is a good chance I would have pulled for either Everton or, today, I shudder to think about this possibility, Liverpool. As The Beatles are my favorite band, choosing a team from their hometown was not outside the realm of possibility. The Beatles are also beloved by many people throughout England; for example, Blackburn Rovers’ fan magazine is called 4,000 Holes because it references the Beatles’ Song “A Day in the Life,” and many teams sing various Beatles songs during their games. If my brother and I were closer in age and had known at the time about the Duncan Edwards connection, Manchester United could have become my team. Even to this day, one of the most powerful stadium tours I have been on was at F.C. Barcelona, and that was what the club means to the Catalan people. With a Welsh last name, I’ve also had an affinity for the Welsh teams like Cardiff, Swansea, and Wrexham, but my current fandom is pretty set. Before going to London, I probably associated the name Chelsea more with being the daughter of the U.S. President instead of a world-famous soccer club or a Borough of London (Although Chelsea actually plays in the Borough of Fulham)
However, several factors came into play that led me to become a Chelsea fan. First, my honeymoon was in London, so I have a natural affinity for the city. Two, royal blue is my favorite color. If Chelsea were a lighter shade of blue like Manchester City, Napoli, or Coventry, I could not find myself making that choice. Three, I have cousins who live in West London, so I have a slight connection to choosing the local team. Four: Chelsea played with a chip on their shoulder, strong defense, and counter-attacking flair, making them a fun team to watch while being a frustrating opponent. At the time I started following them, they also had a fun manager who had transformed the game. Derided for his “park the bus” defense, Jose Mourinho’s 2004-2005 team set a Premier League record, only allowing 15 goals over a 38-game season. When your opponents are likely to only score a goal in two games out of every five, you will likely win most of your games. Chelsea lost only one game during the campaign, an away 1-0 loss to Manchester City. Five, other London teams like Arsenal and Tottenham grated on my nerves for some reason, and if you do not like the rivals, it only makes you appreciate the team you root for as a fan even more. Fandoms are not rational; the root of the word fan is fanatic, but my choice became locked in.
The first professional soccer game I ever watched was in Baltimore, featuring Chelsea and A.C. Milan. Scoring first that day was my favorite player, Didier Drogba, and I knew my fandom was forever cemented. Since that time, I’ve seen Chelsea in multiple friendlies, including games against Paris Saint-Germain, Charlotte F.C., and Real Madrid. Chelsea also provided me comfort while I was working on my dissertation. It is such a vivid memory for me, taking a brief break from writing my dissertation to watch Chelsea win their first Champions League trophy. Drogba’s penalty kick against Bayern Munich to win the Champions League was such a relief for Chelsea’s worldwide fan base, for a team with so many near misses on the European stage.
When I went back to London in 2015, Adrienne and I went to Stamford Bridge, but we only took a few photos and went to the gift shop before leaving for a game later that day at Wembley. I knew that when I came to London again, I wanted to tour the stadium.
For our most recent trip, I made a reservation for all eight of us to take the stadium tour at Stamford Bridge. It was a little bittersweet visiting after a loss, as Fulham ended a long-term drought of not winning against Chelsea. The win at Chelsea by Fulham was the first time that it had occurred in my lifetime, since Fulham had last won at Stamford Bridge in 1979.
We arrived early for our stadium tour, so we made our first visit to the museum. With the stadium tour, you could visit the museum either before or after, and for me, it was surreal to be with every major trophy won by the club, many of which I had seen presented during a very successful 20-year period.
I never thought I would be the “biggest fan” on a stadium tour, but during our tour, I realized I was that person. I knew many of the players and managers, current and former, the history of the club (even if Liverpool condescendingly states “We Ain’t Got No History,” which also happens to be the name of my favorite Chelsea blog), and the fascinating story about how Chelsea had grown and evolved as a football club since 1905. The tour guide seemed a little surprised at first that the guy with the American accent knew about the club’s history. Later, that just developed into a great conversation for the rest of the tour as he seemed delighted to be talking with an engaged fan of the club.
Coming into the stadium was magical. Stamford Bridge was built in 1905, so it gives off a vibe I associate with American baseball stadiums like Fenway Park or Wrigley Field. Still, the sight lines were great in a stadium that still provides so much charm.
We got to enter both locker rooms. Chelsea trains at Cobham, and the players only come to Stamford Bridge during game days, so I was surprised when we got to visit the home locker room. I’ve only seen the visitors’ lockers in tours of other stadiums. The visitor locker rooms were decorated with the jerseys of famous opponents at the Bridge, while the home locker rooms featured the home jersey, where current players typically gathered before games. Chelsea is a multinational team, so players typically sit near others who speak the same first or second language.
The press room is a popular stop on many stadium tours, just as it is on a tour at Chelsea. The press room is a great photo opportunity, branded with the club’s logo. It is very easy for a club to arrange for vacationing families to take a photo with its logo.
A highlight for me was coming out of the tunnel just before going onto the pitch. It is surreal to realize that thousands of players have made up the history over the past 120 years. Also, we got to sit in the player dugouts and enjoyed the same sideline view the manager had at every home game. The pitch surprisingly features a slight slope, which helps with field drainage.
The tour ends in the gift shop, and the Chelsea Megastore does not disappoint. I purchased some merchandise for the family as I’ve passed on my own fandom to my sons. What they decide to do with it is their choice, as I do not want to hinder them from choosing their own love. Pope John Paul II put it best: “Out of all the unimportant things, football is the most important.” I’m thankful that my journey and love affair with the sport and my Chelsea FC continue.
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