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Club Shed and the Return to the Shed Campaign are supporter-led initiatives to maximise the atmosphere at Chelsea games.
This section of the website is the place to discover the ideas and aims of these initiatives along with what has taken place so far, and how anyone interested can become involved.
News
Calling all Chelsea’s matchgoing fans
The Club has continued with the magnificent gesture of handing out free scarves for Champions League nights. This has been as a result of a request from the Atmosphere committee. However, the aim has been for fans to bring them along in great numbers for subsequent matches. This didn’t really happen after the Bordeaux game.
So, starting after the Roma match, PLEASE bring your scarves along to the upcoming games. Use them how you wish, but do your bit to add to the visual atmosphere.
GETTING THE BEST OUT OF WEMBLEY
Wembley has changed. It might be the acoustics, it could be the Club Wembley effect, splitting up the support. It could also be down to any number of ticketing factors. The problems seem to have affected most, if not all the major finals played there and the atmosphere seems to have suffered as a result.
So, if you're going to the FA Cup semi-final and are either:
a) a part of the most vocal areas of Stamford Bridge (Matthew Harding Lower, Shed Lower, Shed Upper)
b) a member of our regular, magnificent travelling away support
c) someone from other parts of the ground who likes to get behind the team
Then the supporters clubs' representatives in conjunction with Chelsea Football Club urge these supporters to purchase their tickets in the LOWER TIER for the semi, should funds allow. There is one price band (£44) for virtually all the lower tier. This will mean we get the best out of the stadium and ensure our boys receive the backing they deserve.
If you're not that inclined to make some noise, please purchase in other areas of our allocation, if you can. None of this is compulsory, but we want to give the team the best possible backing on the day.
It is hoped that the big blue flag will be in attendance as well. There are no plans to provide flags or scarves so bring your own colours and roar us on to the final.
Atmosphere Committee Meeting
The latest atmosphere committee meeting was held at Stamford Bridge on Friday, July 25th. Present were representatives from several supporters’ organisations and three senior management officials of Chelsea F.C.
Topics discussed were
Stewarding and standing
Banners
Ground acoustics
Ticketing issues
The next “Shed 100” games (Aston Villa or Sunderland)
West Lower south (Shed) end - possibility of an additional singing area
Publicity for ST holders and members now able to buy extra away match tickets
Trains for away matches
Moving players’ family & friends from the Shed Upper to another part of the ground.
Club Shed page on the Official Chelsea website.
To find out more details about these topics, lease click here
Thanks to Cliff Auger for submitting this report on the meeting.
Aims
Chelsea Football Club meets regularly with representatives from our fan base to discuss atmosphere issues and the following set of aims for the initiatives have been agreed upon:
To help improve the atmosphere through vocal participation plus flags, banners, scarves and other visual support.
To help fans to get behind the team during a match from all sides of the ground.
To improve the fans’ enjoyment when attending a match at Stamford Bridge.
To implement ideas that will in time stand on their own and not be stage managed.
To encourage a new generation of fans to maintain the improved atmosphere.
To help to raise the reputation and standing of Chelsea Football Club regarding fan support.
Return to the Shed
The Return to the Shed campaign began during the 2006/07 season. With the most vocal section of Stamford Bridge at the time being the Matthew Harding Stand lower tier, which was an area mostly filled by season ticket holders, the idea was to encourage non-season tickets holders who enjoy backing their side with songs and chants to congregate in another area of the stadium.
The Shed End was selected, a location with historic resonance as this end of the ground once housed the core of Chelsea’s singers, back in the days when it was a large, curved terrace.
The experiment was judged a success and when season tickets for that end of the ground were reintroduced, there was a large uptake.
The Shed End now provides loud and friendly rivalry to the Matthew Harding Stand when it comes to making noise.
Supporters who want to do their bit to cheer on the Blues at home matches are still encouraged to buy their tickets at that end of the ground but Return to the Shed has expanded to include some new projects.
These include banners and colour. A collection of donations is ongoing and this has already paid for several banners, conforming to ground safety regulations, that can be seen draped across the front of the Shed and Matthew Harding upper tiers each home game.
There are now large flags on poles that are waved in front of the West Stand.
Return to the Shed also campaigns for singers to relocate en masse to another area of the stadium when the Shed is given over to away supporters for some domestic cup games.
Club Shed
Club Shed is a community of fans which expands on the aims of the original Return to the Shed campaign.
Club Shed is all about supporting the team with those involved enjoying themselves while they are at it. Wherever possible, nothing is staged or contrived.
There is an online Club Shed forum where anyone can participate in a wide range of topics such as pre-match meeting places, new/old song lists, galvanising fans to back ideas like the Wigan Away Day, organising support for domestic cup ties, feedback on the atmosphere from previous games, banner campaigns and many more ideas. It is free to join although participants will need to register.
Club Shed supporters are also invited to meet up socially before and after games as well as do as much as possible to cheer the team on to success.
To sign up for the Club Shed email newsletter, email clubshed@cfcnet.co.uk
Shed 100
The Shed 100 is an extension of the Club Shed idea where for selected home games, Chelsea Football Club provides a block of 100 seats together in the Shed End. Club members, who wish to be part of a group generating as much noise and colour as possible, can volunteer to buy their ticket for the game from this allocation.
Originally trialled as the Shed 50 during the 2006/07 season, success saw the scheme expand and several Shed 100s have taken place since.
Away Days
Another success has been the extension of the original ideas to cover away fixtures. A league game at Wigan was marked by a noisy Chelsea following of around 4,000 who had been encouraged to take advantage of travel subsidised by the club and make a big day out of a non-televised, traditional 3pm Saturday match. The intention is to repeat the Away Day idea.
Links
To sign up for the Club Shed email newsletter, email clubshed@cfcnet.co.uk
To visit the Club Shed Forum : forums.cfcnet.co.uk/index.php?showforum=78
Reaction
The fans’ efforts have not gone unnoticed. Here is a collection of quotes on the subject from Chelsea players and staff.
John Terry – Matchday programme notes v Portsmouth Aug 07
’Thank you twice to you fans. The support at Liverpool was special and there were times when all we could hear during the game was the away fans.
‘That had a lot to do with how we were playing, but it also had a lot to do with the commitment of the support. And watching the first home game two weeks ago against Birmingham, it was clear that there was more vocal support in the Shed.
‘Keep singing on every side of the ground. We've got a great home record, let's sing about it and keep it by giving 200 per cent every week.’
John Terry – Matchday programme notes v Leicester Oct 07
‘The Shed End singing is really working, the stands were getting each other singing and with the flags the atmosphere was electric. That really makes a difference. So thanks to everyone for that and keep it up.’
Avram Grant – Press conference pre-Wigan away Nov 07
'I think the supporters are very important for us, we saw it in the last few games, especially away games. It was terrific in all the five away games the team played when I started as manager. Anything we can do to help them to help us, I like it.
Didier Drogba – Official Chelsea Website Aug 07
'You could feel that the fans were very excited for the first game, the opening. It was like last season when especially for Champions League games we had a fantastic crowd.
'I remember Barcelona and Valencia, and I won't even talk about Liverpool, so I think now the fans are changing and becoming more passionate. They were before but now they are even more behind the team. They know now that the noise they make can help us win games.'
'It's fantastic, it reminds me of when I was at Marseille, all the flags and people singing. It's something simple but we players love this.'
Petr Cech – Official Chelsea Website Feb 07
'Of course it is great when there is a lot of singing behind me because football is all about atmosphere and if the atmosphere is great, possibly the football on the pitch is better as well.
'It would be great if we can improve the atmosphere in the stadium. I think for the fans it would be better and they would surely enjoy more the games.'
Assistant first team coach Steve Clarke – Official Chelsea Website Feb 07
'Sitting on the bench in the second-half, I did notice a difference because suddenly I could hear songs originating with my left ear instead of my right ear.
'For me it was good because going back to my playing days, all the noise used to originate from that end of the stadium and it did make a difference today. I thought the supporters did well.'
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