Many will be wondering if Chelsea have ever in history been relegated before, see more information here.
Have Chelsea FC ever been relegated from the
Premier League?
The answer is no. The south west London side are
part of a small and elite group of clubs who have
never been relegated from the Premier League in
its current format.
With the Premier League’s debut campaign having
been the 1992-93 season, Chelsea FC, along with
five other clubs, can proudly declare that they have
competed in every single top-flight season since
then and have never suffered the drop.
However, that’s not the whole story – and to say
that Chelsea FC have never been relegated before
is not correct.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at Chelsea
FC’s history in English football’s top divisions – in
the Premier League and beyond – to see how they
have fared over the years.
Chelsea FC – The Premier League Years
Chelsea FC were one of the founding members of
the Premier League when the division was
introduced in the 1992-93 season.
The Blues were joined in the Premier
League by the 21 other founding
members: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn
Rovers, Coventry City, Crystal Palace,
Everton, Ipswich Town, Leeds United,
Liverpool FC, Manchester City, Manchester
United, Middlesbrough, Norwich City,
Nottingham Forest, Oldham Athletic,
Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield United,
Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton,
Tottenham Hotspur and Wimbledon.
Since then, the Blues have always remained in the
Premier League, having not yet faced relegation.
It should be noted though that technically speaking,
Brighton and Hove Albion can also claim never to
have been relegated from the Premier League, as
they have been in the division since 2017-18.
However, the Seagulls were not one of the founding
members of the league.
Chelsea FC’s lowest finish in the Premier
League (at the time of writing) came in
the 1993-94 season, when the Blues
finished in 14th place in the table with
Glenn Hoddle as their player-manager.
More recently, the Blues finished as low as 10th in
the table in the 2015-16 season. It was a
tumultuous campaign for the Blues, who sacked
Jose Mourinho in December of 2015 following a
run of poor form, and brought in Guus Hiddink as
their caretaker manager.
Of course, there have also been plenty of highs for
Chelsea FC in the Premier League in recent years.
The Blues have won the Premier League title five
times, the first of which came under Mourinho in
the 2004-05 campaign.
Further top-flight title triumphs followed for the
Stamford Bridge outfit in 2005-06, 2009-10,
2014-15 and 2016-17.
At the time of writing, Chelsea FC are third on the
list of clubs to have won the most Premier League
titles, with the Blues behind Manchester United (13)
and Manchester City (6), and ahead of their London
rivals Arsenal (3).
What About Before The Premier League
Was Founded?
Despite having never been relegated from the
Premier League since 1992, Chelsea FC have been
relegated from English football’s top division
before. Indeed, the Blues last suffered the drop just
a few years before the Premier League was
founded.
Chelsea FC were last relegated in the
1987-88 season – four years before the
Premier League was founded – when they
finished 18th in English first division table
and then lost their relegation play-off tie
with Middlesbrough.
In total, Chelsea FC have been relegated six times
from English football’s First Division. The Blues
were relegated in the following seasons: 1909–10,
1923–24, 1961–62, 1974–75, 1978–79 and most
recently, 1987–1988.
They were last promoted to English football’s top
division in the 1988-89 season, when they
immediately bounced back from relegation the year
before, winning the Second Division title to seal a
return to the First Division. The Blues have
competed in the top tier of English football since
then.
When Was Chelsea FC Formed?
Chelsea FC have a rich history in English football,
with the club having been founded in March 1905.
In 1904, Gus Mears acquired the Stamford
Bridge athletics stadium in Fulham with
the aim of turning it into a football ground.
An offer to lease it to nearby Fulham
Football Club was turned down, so Mears
instead opted to found his own club to
use the stadium.
Because the name of Fulham had already been
taken by another club in the borough, it was
decided that the club would be called Chelsea FC.
Other proposed names such as Kensington FC,
Stamford Bridge FC and London FC were also
considered but were ultimately rejected .
Chelsea FC was officially founded on 10 March
1905 at The Rising Sun pub (now called The
Butcher’s Hook), which is located opposite the
present-day main entrance to Stamford Bridge. The
Blues were then elected to the Football League
Second Division in May 1905.
Which Trophies Have Chelsea FC Won
The Most?
Chelsea FC have won plenty of silverware over the
years. We already know that they have won five
Premier League titles – but what other major
trophies have they collected?
The Blues won the English First Division title in the
1954-55 season, meaning that they have won six
top-flight titles in England in total.
They have also won the FA Cup eight times – in
2017-18, 2011-12, 2009-10, 2008-09, 2006-07,
1999-00, 1996-97, 1969-70.
They have also won the Champions League twice –
in 2011-12 and 2020-21, and have lifted the
League Cup five times, most recently in the
2014-15 season.
Wrapping Things Up – Conclusion
So, that brings us to the end our look at Chelsea
FC’s history in English football. We’ve revealed that
the Blues have never been relegated from the
Premier League in its current format, but they did
last suffer the drop in the 1987-88 season.
In total, Chelsea FC have been relegated six times
from English football’s top division since the club
was founded in March 1905.
We’ve also brought you some intriguing facts about
how Chelsea Football Club came to be, and where
they have been most successful in terms of
silverware over the years.
