John Terry has called on Chelsea's fans to back any plans the club have over Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea skipper wants supporters to back stadium plans
John Terry has called on Chelsea's fans to back any plans the club have over Stamford Bridge.
The West London club don't actually own the freehold of their own stadium - this is held by the Chelsea Pitch Owners, an organisation set-up by former owner Ken Bates in the mid-1990s when the club almost lost the ground.
Now current owner Roman Abramovich wants the freehold back, along with the naming rights and turnstiles which are also owned by the CPO.
Chelsea have already revealed that redeveloping Stamford Bridge to the 60,000-plus arena they would like will almost be impossible - which means a move is likely.
But in order to finance a new stadium, they would need to sell on the land which Stamford Bridge sits - so they need the CPO to concur, but as it stands some members of that organisation are firmly against the plans.
Now Terry, who is actually the president of the CPO, has called on fans to have faith in Abramovich and let him buy the freehold back.
Terry told the club's
official website: "Obviously, I have great memories of Stamford Bridge.
"But what excites me is the thought of my kids, who are Chelsea through and through, being able to grow up watching the team play in a big stadium.
"We're talking about the next generation of kids beyond that as well. It excites me because I know for sure that we can grow.
"It's not hidden that other clubs throughout Europe have gone out and bought sites for big stadiums.
"And we are not the only club with a rich owner. There are others, including QPR locally, who are going to look to expand in West London as well.
"For us to go further, we might need to move, and we have to trust our owner.
"He has been amazing since he bought the club, along with our fans as well. No one is saying it is going to be an immediate change but we need to be looking.
"We have to remember that London is a hotspot, West London especially, and big development companies can build substantial flats and penthouses here, and if we're not putting our name in the hat for these sites, then without a doubt they'll be snapped up by developers.
"I wouldn't be coming out, speaking publicly and backing the club if I didn't believe in it.
"I could quite easily say nothing and let the club do their thing but I've been here for so long and I've spoken to the owner on numerous occasions.
"He is Chelsea mad and wants us to be in with the Barcelonas, the Man Uniteds, and we know that doesn't happen overnight.
"All the fans who bought shares in Chelsea Pitch Owners have played a very important part in the history of the club. I am the president of CPO so I understand what it is about.
"If the club does decide to move then there are some sites in West London that spring to mind that are not too far and I don't believe Roman ever wants to take us too far away."
Unrest
Several supporters' groups have united to try to convince shareholders of CPO - who have been in possession of the land beneath Stamford Bridge since the 1990s - to vote against the club's proposal.
The 'Say No CPO' campaign plan to distribute 10,000 leaflets before this weekend's Premier League match against Everton, which you can see live
ESPN.
They insisted that they have no intention of disrupting the game, claiming they were only seeking to raise awareness of their cause.
A spokesperson said: "There's no rally, there's no protest - we're just trying to get our point of view across to as many shareholders as possible.
"A lot of them haven't received the literature or documentation from CPO, so we just want them to be aware of the vote, our website and the argument we have for them to vote no."
Last week saw Chelsea write to CPO shareholders - most of whom are fans - with a proposal to buy back the Stamford Bridge freehold, which they sold to prevent property developers making the club homeless.
Fans are divided on the issue of leaving Stamford Bridge, with many genuinely conflicted and some pressing for a no vote at an extraordinary general meeting of the CPO on 27th October simply to force the club to reveal more details about their plans.
Others want the existing CPO arrangement transferred to any new stadium but it is understood this is not an option.
