When the freehold of Stamford Bridge was sold to Marler Estates plc, (later owned by Cabra Estates plc) in 1984, the future of football at the ground became uncertain and many Chelsea Football Club fans will remember that we faced continual threat from property developers.

When Cabra Estates plc went into liquidation in 1993 the club immediately acquired the freehold to the ground. Chelsea Pitch Owners plc was formed in 1997 to ensure that such a battle with property developers would never happen again.

In December of 1997, Chelsea Village (now Chelsea Football Club Ltd) provided CPO with a non-recourse loan of £10 million to purchase the freehold of the ground. CPO granted Chelsea FC a 199 year lease and, in order to repay the loan, CPO started selling shares of £100 each.

The main objective of the company is to raise money to repay the loan and broaden the ownership of the ground to all interested stakeholders through the sale of shares. The company was set up without the objective of making a profit or issuing dividends.

In addition to the shares, CPO also creates a number of events throughout the year focussed on paying tributes to the great players or events that have shaped the club's history. They have included tributes to Kerry Dixon, Bobby Tambling, Gianluca Vialli and more recently Peter Osgood.