Chelsea stadium – Stamford Bridge is one of the four Premier League grounds that look set to be underwater by 2050.
Together with the Blues, West Ham United and Fulham have also received warnings that, by the year 2050, their respective stadiums, London Stadium and Craven Cottage, may be underwater owing to global warming.
The FA detailed the possible effects of climate change on football in a recent documentary about the issue that was broadcast on Sky Sports.
It was said: “The climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues of our time.At its current rate, climate change will have a wide-reaching impact on all of us. In football, we’re already seeing matches affected due to extreme weather — particularly in our grassroots communities.”
David Goldblatt, a climate change specialist, continued by mentioning more negative effects of global warming on football, such as flooding.
He stated the following: “Extreme weather leads to extreme flooding. This is the climate crisis. We’re not talking about a few puddles on the pitch, we’re talking about 1.5 metres of water – which means no football. In England, it’s really serious.”
“My calculations are that around a quarter of professional stadiums in the top four leagues are under threat of annual flooding or actually being underwater by 2050.”
He continued by adding: “Inland, it’s more extreme rain, more extreme storms and systems that can’t cope with the volume of water coming into them. That will affect some really big clubs. West Ham at the Olympic Stadium, Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge. Fulham’s Craven Cottage is really in trouble – they had their shop flooded earlier this year. There’s more of that to come.”
In his Rapid Transition Alliance report on the future of international sport in a changing world, Goldblatt cites statistics.
Fans of Sheffield Wednesday will no doubt recall the 2007 floods, during which the Hillsborough pitch was waterlogged after the River Don overflowed its banks.
Floods also wreaked havoc on Carlisle’s Brunton Park when Hurricane Desmond devastated Cumbria almost seven years ago.
According to the report, England’s “vulnerable” grassroots fields lose almost six weeks of playtime per season to flooding and poor drainage.
Goldblatt stated: “When we talk about coastal stadiums under threat, Southampton’s St Mary’s is really close to the water and really low.”
“Grimsby’s Blundell Park and Scunthorpe’s Glanford Park are in quite a bit of trouble.”
“And then inland, it’s more extreme rain, more extreme storms and systems that can’t cope with the volume of water coming into them.”
“That will affect some really big clubs. West Ham at the Olympic Stadium, Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge.”
“Fulham’s Craven Cottage is really in trouble — they had their shop flooded earlier this year. There’s more of that to come.”
Rising temperatures will be a problem for football teams, especially after the UK set a record-breaking 40.3C in July.
Also, playing in polluted environments will significantly affect how well players do.
But, football teams are retaliating and making every effort to protect the environment.
Many players are acutely aware they can make a difference, and there are numerous green initiatives in place.
Chelsea – Stamford Bridge
An English professional football team named Chelsea Football Club is headquartered in Fulham, West London. They were established in 1905 and hold home games at Stamford Bridge.
The Premier League, the top level of English football, is where the team plays.
In 1955, they captured the League championship, their first significant victory. The club became the third English club to win the Club World Cup in 2022. The club first won the FA Cup in 1970, its first European honor, the Cup Winners’ Cup, in 1971.
The only club to have won all three major European club competitions twice is Chelsea, one of just five clubs to have done so before 1999.
They are the only club in London to have won both the Club World Cup and the Champions League.
The team has won six league titles, eight FA Cups, five League Cups, and four FA Community Shields at the domestic level.
Since their creation, they have won the FIFA Club World Cup once, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup twice each.
It is the fourth-most successful club in English football in terms of total trophies won. Maybe it’s time to start building on the water. The whole United Kingdom will look like Dubai, all on water and hopefully they will create jobs for everyone, even those in Lagos.
