Locals living in the shadow of Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge are raving about the benefits of their prime location as Premier League football makes its comeback next weekend.
There is great excitement in the neighbourhood about the return of top-level football and local shops are also excited, as they expect a significant increase in sales when the Blues play at home.
Guy Eastman, a 67-year-old local resident who has called the area near the stadium home with his wife for three decades, said: “You get the Chelsea lifestyle for £3 million less because they are cutting prices because you are close to the football grounds.”
“It’s a beautiful street. Great architecture, beautiful gardens. But they’re half the price of the ones in SW10 just because you’re close to the stadium. That’s one of the reasons we’ve been here for so long.”
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When asked what it is like living so close to Chelsea’s home stadium on match days, Mr Eastman said: “About two or three hours before kick-off it gets very busy.
“Afterwards there is sometimes a drunken group singing loudly, but this is rare. Most of them disperse pretty quickly. What often happens is rich guys park their Bentleys and Rolls-Royces on the street.
“They’re not actually allowed to do that, but anyone who lives here has to live with it.”
Daniel Watkins, 28, echoed this sentiment and expressed his positive views on living near Stamford Bridge.
The estate agent, who has lived in the area for six months, said: “I’ve never had any problems. It’s actually quite good fun. When Chelsea score a goal I can hear it and know what happened and when they win the atmosphere is great.”
“The police have been great. They direct everyone straight to Fulham Broadway tube station and close off our street so no one can come up. I really haven’t had a bad experience.”
“And I think if you live in this area, you know what you’re getting into. Everyone knows the soccer field.”
Abs, 31, who lives just a stone’s throw from the stadium, expresses similar feelings.
He said: “You know it’s going to be loud when you move in. But to be honest, it’s nowhere near as bad as I expected. When games are on, there’s a lot of security, so I never worry about safety or my home.”
“I’ve never had any trouble with fans and the police are really good anyway. So yeah, it doesn’t bother me at all.”
On the other hand, living in close proximity to the stadium is seen by some residents as a nice advantage.
Andrew Daniels, 63, describes his experiences of spending five years next to Stamford Bridge: “I’m an Arsenal fan, so I enjoy teasing the Chelsea fans.”
“My flat overlooks the entrance to the stadium, so I hang two Arsenal shirts in my window. It’s quite funny because people can get angry. But I just give them the middle finger.”
For local businesses, the crowds of fans on match days mean a welcome increase in sales.
Era Mataj, the owner of the Italian restaurant Bruschetta, believes that despite the additional costs involved, the business can survive on matchday revenue alone.
The 40-year-old explained: “I have security personnel come three hours before the game, during the game and also three hours after the game.”
“It’s definitely an additional expense, but Match d
The stores make so much money that it’s worth it. If I only opened on match days, I’d have enough to keep the business alive.”
Ms Mataj said she had generally had a good experience on match days – but admitted she tried to keep opposing teams’ fans away from each other.
She explained: “In general, I’ve had a really good experience. The fans are nice, always lively and happy.
“However, I try to invite only Chelsea fans here if possible to avoid arguments. I know that some people have had bad experiences when Chelsea and Leeds fans come together.
“But in my time here I’ve only had one real incident. And even he was nice to me.
“A Chelsea fan smashed his head through my glass door. I asked, ‘What are you doing?’ And he said, ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sad that Chelsea lost.’ And I said, ‘Don’t worry! Next time they’ll win.'”
