<P> Thus on a whim, Mears changed his mind and decided to take Parker's advice to instead found his own football club to occupy Stamford Bridge . </P> <P> Chelsea Football Club were founded on 10 March 1905 at The Rising Sun pub, (now The Butcher's Hook) opposite today's main entrance to the ground on the Fulham Road . Since there was already a team named Fulham in the borough, the name of the adjacent borough, the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea, was settled on after London FC, Kensington FC and Stamford Bridge FC had been rejected . Blue shirts were adopted by Mears, after the racing colors of Lord Chelsea, along with white shorts and dark blue socks . </P> <P> Chelsea initially considering joining the Southern League, but were rejected following objections from Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, so they instead applied for admission to the Football League . Their candidacy was endorsed at the Football League AGM on 29 May 1905; a speech by Parker was particularly important, emphasising the new club's financial stability, its impressive new stadium and marquee players such as William "Fatty" Foulke, the 22 stone goalkeeper who had won a league title and two FA Cups with Sheffield United . </P> <P> Twenty - eight - year - old Scottish international half - back John Robertson was hired as player - manager . The club began with established players recruited from other teams; along with Foulke, Chelsea signed forwards Jimmy Windridge and Bob McRoberts from Small Heath, and Frank Pearson from Manchester City . Chelsea's first league match took place away at Stockport County on 2 September 1905 . They lost the game 1--0 . Their first home match was against Liverpool in a friendly . They won 4--0 . Robertson also scored Chelsea's first competitive goal, coming in a 1--0 win against Blackpool . </P>

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