West Stand
From TheChels.info - The Chelsea Football Club Wiki
The old West Stand
As with most of the stadium, the terraced area to the west of the pitch originally comprised part of the open concrete bowl that formed the original stadium design. During 1964-65 the terrace was replaced with a new seated stand, mainly of wooden tip-up seats, but with the front quarter comprising concrete seating that would become known as "the Benches". In 1998 the stand was demolished as part of the ongoing renovation of the stadium, and replaced with the current West Stand.
The current West Stand
Built at a cost of approximately £30m [1], the West Stand was the last part of the current stadium to be completed. The lower tier was completed on schedule, but due to a problem in obtaining planning permission from the local council there was a two year delay before the rest of the structure was completed; the stand finally opening on 19 August 2001.
The stand is the main external 'face' of the stadium, being the first thing fans see when entering the primary gate on Fulham Road. The Main entrance is flanked by the Spackman and Speedie hospitality entrances, named after former players Nigel Spackman and David Speedie. The stand also features the largest concourse area in the stadium.
Executive boxes
The executive boxes are also known as the Millennium Suites and are the home of the majority of matchday hospitality guests. Each box is also named after a former Chelsea player (names in brackets):
- Tambling Suite (Bobby Tambling)
- Clarke Suite (Steve Clarke)
- Harris Suite (Ron Harris)
- Drake's (Ted Drake)
- Bonetti (Peter Bonetti)
- Hollins (John Hollins)
