Chelsea: Sonia Bompastor hints at move away from Kingsmeadow Stadium in bid to boost attendance

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·23 January 2026

Chelsea: Sonia Bompastor hints at move away from Kingsmeadow Stadium in bid to boost attendance

Arsenal dominate WSL attendance figures and Blues are out to catch up

Sonia Bompastor has suggested Chelsea women are in talks to stage more matches away from Kingsmeadow Stadium in a bid to boost their matchday attendance.

The Blues have played at the 4,850 capacity Kingsmeadow since 2017, sharing the ground with the club’s academy sides. They also play occasional matches, including Champions League nights, at Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal women now play all their matches at the Emirates and consequently dominate the league’s attendance tables, averaging 36,450 supporters per matchday. Their best attendance so far this season was 56,537, for the visit of Chelsea in August.

The Blues, meanwhile, topped out at 11,137 when hosting Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League. Their average attendance sits at just 6,397.

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Kingsmeadow Stadium holds just 4,850 supporters

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As such, the Blues are looking at ways to boost their matchday attendance figures, and head coach Bompastor has suggested that talks are ongoing regarding holding more matches away from Kingsmeadow.

Speaking ahead of hosting Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, she told BBC Sport: "A lot of conversations are happening in the background with me, the club's ownership and CEO Aki [Mandhar]. We want to move in that direction.

“We expect 30,000 tomorrow and are excited to go into that atmosphere with these fans.

"The club is having some really good conversations about the future and the stadium because when you play many games in a season with your men's team and women's team, and you play Champions League, sometimes you can have clashes.

"Congrats to Arsenal because they are doing an amazing job with their fanbase. That's probably where every club wants to be.”

According to BBC Sport, Brentford are open to hosting more matches at their 17,250-seat Gtech Stadium, while Queens Park Rangers and Wimbledon, whose stadiums hold 18,439 and 9,300 fans respectively, could provide alternative options.