 In 1904 , Gus Mears acquired the Stamford Bridge athletics stadium with the aim of turning it into a football ground . An offer to lease it to nearby Fulham was turned down , so Mears opted to found his own club to use the stadium . As there was already a team named Fulham in the borough , the name of the adjacent borough of Chelsea was chosen for the new club ; names like Kensington FC , Stamford Bridge FC and London FC were also considered . Chelsea were founded on 10 March 1905 at The Rising Sun pub ( now The Butcher 's Hook ) , opposite the present @-@ day main entrance to the ground on Fulham Road , and were elected to the Football League shortly afterwards . 
