What does the badge mean?
The lion is taken from the arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea — a royal borough with a long aristocratic history. The staff the lion holds is a reference to the same civic heraldry. Chelsea's blue comes from the colours of the Earl of Cadogan, a major local landowner who was involved in the club's founding in 1905.
Badge history
- 1905 — Club founded; original badge features a more elaborate Chelsea Pensioner figure
- 1952 — Lion introduced, replacing the Chelsea Pensioner
- 1986 — Significant modernisation; lion rampant formalised
- 2005 — Current centenary crest introduced; cleaner and more modern
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