Terry supports stadium plans

Chelsea captain John Terry has called on fans to support the club's decision to buy back the ground on which Stamford Bridge stands, thus opening up the possibility of a move away from Stamford Bridge in the future.

Chelsea do not own the freehold of Stamford Bridge as this is held by the Chelsea Pitch Owners, which was an organization set up by former owner Ken Bates which saved the club from losing the ground.

Roman Abramovich now wants the freehold back as well as the naming rights and turnstiles, which are also owned by the CPO. Last week Chelsea wrote to the CPO with a proposal for the same.

Due to various constraints, redeveloping Stamford Bridge into a 60,000 seater stadium is nearly impossible and hence a move away is more likely.

However, to do so, the land on which the stadium sits must be sold and so buying back the freehold is of utter importance to the club.

Some members of the CPO are apparently against the club's proposal, but John Terry, who is also CPO president, has called on fans to let the Abramovich take the club in the right direction.

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."

Several groups of supporters, however, are against the club's proposal and have been distributing leaflets trying to get shareholders to vote against it. They have claimed to do it only to raise awareness on 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."

CPO will make its decision at a general meeting on 27th October.