Hello all, it's been a while! We've had a fantastic start to the summer and an exciting start to the season, currently sitting in 3rd place on 10 points, 3 points back of both Mancunian clubs. An important showdown looms end of month with Manchester City visiting Stamford Bridge for the late day kickoff, giving us a hopefully sunny and warm 11:30a Saturday match to enjoy! With that, let's jump to business!
1) Our transition to Graystone cannot have gone smoother and the hospitality of all of the staff has been truly amazing! Graystone currently offers $5 Harp draughts for all matches, and the new brunch menu has all fans with very happy stomachs each morning. Speaking of attendance...we've done massive numbers since the start of the season and look forward to continue growing that number as the season progresses. If you stop by, make sure to check out the bar's back wall, on the way to the patio - it's not home to many of our pictures and signed memorabilia we've had displayed at previous bars.
2) In conjunction with Graystone, we will be making available the 2017 club T-shirts in the next few weeks. They will be available for pre-order here on the website. A small number will be available outside of pre-order on match days.
3) We are planning an autumn garden party for either Bournemouth (A) or Man United (H) at the end of October/beginning November. The main attraction will be a pig roast conducted after the match with all-you-can-eat for members, as well as various games and raffles. Stay tuned for details...
4) For those of you shying away from Facebook/Twitter, we have added a Google calendar to the Matchday page so you can keep up with our match day viewing parties. We are at Graystone for EVERY match, except for midweek cup matches when we encourage people to attend Fado due to scheduling/location issues.
5) For those still seeking to either attend a Chelsea match this season or support Chelsea Chicago, TB/CIA memberships remain open - see the Membership page for more info. If you have not already signed up for True Blue, you will lack the 5-10 Loyalty Points needed to attend a "Super Sunday" type match this season. Keep that in mind when planning your trip.
6) For the CIA members within our ranks, your discount codes will be emailed shortly, granting you 10% off in our online store. If you do not receive, please email us.
7) We'll be adding several new flags to the match day rotation at Graystone, and making smaller copies available for sale to members who want a replica. The winning design was chosen by our Facebook group members and can be seen below this post - a design inspired by the 1984 away kit. We also have made other replicas available for sale, including our popular 1994 Chelsea retro orange design, in our store.
8) Efforts to continue to support the We Are The Shed movement have been positive. The group debuted a massive banner honoring Antonio Conte before the match against Burnley to start the season. In the past two weeks, they have unveiled new banners in the Shed for both Gary Cahill and Eden Hazard. We're proud to support the group through design work, monetary funding and other support. Please give them a follow on Twitter @WeAre_TheShed
9) Several members have inquired about a group trip this season. Around 10 of us will be headed to London end of March/start of April for the home matches vs Tottenham and West Ham, and a possible UCL quarterfinal in the middle. You MUST have 10 Loyalty Points to attend both Tottenham and the UCL match - if you do not, we suggest booking a long weekend instead and joining us only for West Ham.
10) Last, please let any and all Chelsea supporters you may know or encounter about our group, our website and our weekly meetups at Graystone Tavern. The positive reception, exciting atmosphere and welcome nature of our new home has been thrilling the first month of the season, and we constantly want to add new members to the group so they can experience the same.
