page_title: Chelsea Pitch Owners
section_title: Organization and ownership
hierarchical_section_title: Chelsea Pitch Owners / Organization and ownership
context_page_description: Chelsea Pitch Owners plc is a nonprofit organisation which is part of Chelsea Football Club, tasked with the upkeep of the stadium. It owns both the freehold of the Stamford Bridge stadium and the naming rights of Chelsea Football Club.
context_section_description: In granting control of the freehold to Chelsea Pitch Owners, the intention was to ensure that Stamford Bridge could never again be sold to property developers. Irrespective of how many shares are owned by an individual, voting rights are limited to 100 per shareholder to prevent any one person or organisation gaining control of the CPO.
  The CPO also owns the name Chelsea Football Club Ltd, which is licensed back to the club on condition that the first team play their home matches at Stamford Bridge. This means that should Chelsea move to another stadium in the future, they would not be able to use the name Chelsea Football Club without permission from 75% of CPO shareholders.
  The company is a non-profit organisation and is not listed on any Stock Exchange. Its purpose is to raise the money needed to pay off the loan and then lease the freehold back to the club, on the strictly-defined proviso that the ground may only be used for football purposes. Fans are encouraged to purchase shares in order to secure the club's future. As of 2011, around 15,000 CPO shares have been sold, and approximately £1.5million of the debt has been paid off. Former club captain John Terry is the current President of the CPO.
caption: The new entrance to the West Stand.
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