A new podcast on Chelsea FC has been launched, going behind the scenes to tell the story behind the rise of the football club.
The eight-part narrative series, titled The Blueprint: How Chelsea FC Changed Football, is a project from podcast production company HWY61 that has been eight years in the making and features input from over 180 people close to the club.
“Most football fans only see what unfolds on the pitch, and on the back pages—but The Blueprint has captured the real Chelsea FC story: from the boardroom, the training ground and the dressing room,” said HWY61 CEO and The Blueprint producer Garry Hayes. Hayes is also a football writer who has covered Chelsea FC news for The Athletic, and has more than 15 years of experience covering the Premier League, tennis, and other sports.
“We’ve been granted access to the inner sanctum at Stamford Bridge, and have managed to uncover stories and perspectives that even the most diehard Blues fans will not have heard,” added Hayes. “Chelsea supporters will love it, but for those football fans who want to better understand the structure of today's game and how it's changed in the new millennium, The Blueprint goes a long way to explaining that."
The series will feature a number of exclusive interviews with “Chelsea legends” including Frank Lampard, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Petr Cech, Glenn Hoddle, Ken Bates, Roberto Di Matteo and Steve Clarke, as well as input from British football broadcasters Martin Tyler and Peter Drury.
This follows two special prequel episodes of the podcast, including ‘The Ken Bates Tapes’ on the former owner of Chealsea FC who sold the club to Roman Abramovich, and ‘The Matthew Harding Tapes’ on the former vice chairman of the club. Episodes one and two of The Blueprint are currently available on all major podcast platforms as well as the prequel two-part specials.
“Hopefully this podcast tells the story like it is,” said Bates. “From rags to riches, and then to multi riches, and champions of Europe! Up The Blues!”
Chelsea FC has an official podcast that has been running for 130 episodes which gives weekly updates on the performances of the men’s and women’s football squads and regularly features interviews with current players and alumni, fans, and media members. The series, titled Chelsea Mic'd Up, is hosted by retired football player Brandon London, reporter Emily Kaplan, women’s soccer writer André Carlisle, and presenter Lee Parker.
