Chelsea

Chelsea have always worn blue shirts, though they initially adopted a lighter shade than the current version, and unlike today wore white shorts and dark blue socks. The lighter blue was taken from the racing colours of then club president, Earl Cadogan (Lord Chelsea). This light blue kit was short-lived, however, and soon replaced by a royal blue version. When Tommy Docherty became manager in the early 1960s he changed the kit again, adding blue shorts (which have remained ever since) and white socks, believing it made the club’s colours more distinctive, since no other major side used that combination.

Chelsea’s traditional away colours are all yellow or all white with blue trim but, as with most teams, they have had some more unusual ones. The first away strip consisted of black and white stripes and for one game in the 1960s the team wore Inter Milan-style blue and black stripes, again at Docherty’s behest. Other memorable away kits include a mint green strip in the 1980s, a red and white checked one in the early 90s and a graphite and tangerine addition in the mid-1990s, which is widely seen by fans as one of the worst ever. All kits are discussed on Chelsea’s official site.

Chelsea’s kit is currently manufactured by Adidas, which is contracted to supply the club’s kit from 2006 to 2011. Their previous kit manufacturer was Umbro. Chelsea’s first shirt sponsor was Gulf Air, agreed midway through the 1983-84 season. Following that, the club were sponsored by Grange Farms, Bai Lin tea and Italian company Simod before a long-term deal was signed with computer manufacturer Commodore International in 1989 (Amiga, an off-shoot of Commodore, also appeared on the shirts). Chelsea were subsequently sponsored by Coors beer (1995-97), Autoglass (1997-2001) and Emirates Airline (2001-05). Chelsea’s current shirt sponsor is Samsung Mobile.

Chelsea’s highest appearance-maker is ex-captain Ron Harris, who played in 795 first-class games for the club between 1961 and 1980. This record is unlikely to be broken in the near future; Chelsea’s current highest appearance-maker is John Terry with 272. The record for a Chelsea goalkeeper is held by Harris’ contemporary, Peter Bonetti, who made 729 appearances (1959-79). With 116 caps (67 while at the club), Marcel Desailly of France is Chelsea’s most capped international player.

Bobby Tambling is Chelsea’s all-time top goalscorer, with 202 goals in 370 games (1959-70). Six other players have also scored over 100 goals for Chelsea: Kerry Dixon, Roy Bentley, Peter Osgood, Jimmy Greaves, George Mills and George Hilsdon, but the only player in the club’s recent history to have come close to matching Tambling’s record is Dixon (1983-92), who scored 193 goals. Greaves holds the record for the most goals scored in one season (42 in 1960-61). Chelsea’s current top-scorer is Frank Lampard with 69.

Officially, Chelsea’s highest home attendance is 82,905 for a First Division match against Arsenal on 12 October 1935. However, an estimated crowd of over 100,000 attended a friendly match against Soviet team Dynamo Moscow on 13 November 1945. The modernisation of Stamford Bridge during the 1990s and the introduction of all-seater stands mean that neither record will be broken for the forseeable future. The current legal capacity of Stamford Bridge is 42,360.

Chelsea hold numerous records in English and European football. They hold the record for the highest points total for a league season (95), the fewest goals conceded during a league season (15), the most consecutive clean sheets during a league season (10) (all set during the 2004-05 season) and the most consecutive clean sheets from the start of a league season (2005-06). Their 21-0 aggregate victory over Jeunesse Hautcharage in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1971 remains a European record. Chelsea may also hold the British transfer record, but the fee for Andriy Shevchenko, estimated at around £30m, remains unconfirmed.

First Division/FA Premier League
Winners: 1955, 2005, 2006
2nd Division
Winners: 1984, 1989
FA Cup
Winners: 1970, 1997, 2000
League Cup
Winners: 1965, 1998, 2005
FA Charity Shield/Community Shield
Winners: 1956, 2000, 2005
Full Members’ Cup
Winners: 1986, 1990
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup
Winners: 1971, 1998
UEFA Super Cup
Winners: 1998
FA Youth Cup
Winners: 1960, 1961