Head coach Sonia Bompastor has revealed the club is “probably close” to announcing a new option, with ongoing discussions involving ownership and chief executive Aki Mandhar. Kingsmeadow, which Chelsea Women have shared with the club’s academy teams since 2017, has a capacity of just 4,850 and regularly sells out.

While Chelsea occasionally host high-profile fixtures at Stamford Bridge, including Champions League matches, the club is now considering additional venues to accommodate rising interest. Brentford’s 17,250-seat Gtech Community Stadium is among the grounds reportedly open to hosting more women’s matches, while Queens Park Rangers and AFC Wimbledon also play at larger stadiums than Kingsmeadow.

The push comes as Arsenal continue to dominate attendance figures in the Women’s Super League. The north London club now plays all home games at the Emirates Stadium, averaging more than 36,000 fans per match and recording a high of 56,748 for last season’s derby against Tottenham. By comparison, Chelsea’s current average attendance stands at 6,397.

Speaking ahead of a WSL clash with Arsenal, Bompastor praised the Gunners’ connection with their supporters but made clear Chelsea’s ambitions to follow a similar path.

“A lot of conversations are happening in the background,” she said. “We want to move in that direction. We’re expecting 30,000 fans and are excited to play in that atmosphere.”

Beyond boosting attendances, Bompastor highlighted the practical challenges of fixture congestion, particularly when men’s and women’s teams are competing domestically and in Europe.

“It’s important for clubs like Chelsea to have a back-up plan,” she added, underlining the need for flexibility as the women’s game continues its rapid growth.

This article was created with the assistance of AI and has been reviewed and edited by our editorial team.