COURTESY PHOTO

Chelsea FC supporter David Galloway (second from the right) will cheer on the Blues when they take on Charlotte FC Wednesday at Bank of America Stadium.

Charlotte FC will not be the only soccer team in the Queen City with plenty of supporters on Wednesday. 

The Crown will take on Chelsea FC of the Premier League in a friendly match at Bank of America Stadium at 7:30 p.m. This is the second stop of Chelsea’s three games of its USA tour this summer, and Wednesday’s match will be the first time Chelsea played in Charlotte since their 2015 win against Paris Saint-Germain in the International Champions Cup.

For anyone wondering where the support will come from for a team that plays across the Atlantic Ocean, the answer is right here. Charlotte has quite the Chelsea support base, and they are excited for the opportunity to cheer on their team in person once again.

You can find some of them with the Queen City Blues which is an officially recognized Chelsea supporters’ group under the national coalition, Chelsea in America. It was founded by David Galloway, a 41-year-old Black supporter, and other fans that would meet up at the downstairs bar at Courtyard Hooligans and watch Chelsea games. The group was officially recognized by the club in 2011, and now, their home pub is the upstairs bar in the same location.

“It’s going to be insane,” Brandon Burton, general manager of Courtyard Hooligans, said. “Charlotte FC started here, like every game has been amazing. The first week was one of our busiest days ever, and then every single game day is just a huge day. So, bringing over a European team against this new Charlotte team, which is doing really well right now, I think it’ll be an exciting atmosphere for everybody.”

Burton, 38, has been a Chelsea fan since the late ‘90s, and he chose to be a part of the Blues because of the Black players in their lineup.
“To see a team out there on the biggest stage have that many Black players on their team at one time, it was just awesome for me,” he said.
Galloway of the Queen City Blues has been a fan since 2010. His reasons were quite simple.

“The only reason why I started following them was because my favorite color is blue,” Galloway said. “Americans got to have different reasons for getting into things. Over there, it’s like your great grandpappy followed this team, so you got to follow this team and all that kind of jazz. But, yeah, my favorite color is blue.”

Galloway also grew attached to Chelsea from using striker Didier Drogba on the FIFA video game. When he found out his favorite football club was coming to his home in 2022, Galloway said he was “very excited” to be close to the team again.

When Chelsea came to Charlotte in 2015, Galloway remembered seeing the team’s trophies, meeting its chairman, and going to team-hosted events. Burton called the scene around the Courtyard Hooligans that year “an absolute party” with so many people filling the alleyway and former Chelsea managers inside the bar.

This year, the game also has excitement because of the front office changes and roster additions Chelsea completed over the offseason. Former owner Roman Abramovich was forced by the United Kingdom government to sell the team to American businessman Todd Boehly due to his connection with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We’re excited about the new ownership as well too because there was a lot of drama with our past owner,” Galloway said. “We’ve got a new owner; he seems like he’s really into the club. He’s American. Not that it really means anything to me, but he seems like he’s making moves. We just signed Raheem Sterling…he’s gonna be a good one for us.”

This year is also different from 2015 because the Blues aren’t just playing anybody — they’re playing the home team. Galloway is a Charlotte sports guy, rooting for both the Carolina Panthers and the Hornets. In Charlotte FC’s inaugural season, he’s a fan of the Crown, too.

Yet, while attending his first Charlotte FC match, Galloway won’t let the home team support derail his true fandom.

“Chelsea supporter section, bro, all day. There ain’t no mix in my allegiances on that day. Chelsea ‘til I die,” he said.

Burton shared the same feelings. Because they’re local, he wants Charlotte FC to do well — unless they play New York Red Bulls or Chelsea FC.

“One hundred percent, I’m Chelsea over everything.” Burton said.

There are three other Blues groups in the Carolinas based in Greensboro, Raleigh, and one representing both North and South Carolina.

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