Chelsea Football Club, Chelsea Foundation and VERSUS have selected five winners for the Blue Creator Fund’s second year, establishing their shared ambition to diversify football off the pitch.

The winners are Ebele Ojechi, Jerrell Cumberbatch, Gabin Kongolo, Letitia Inniss and Still Shadey, selected from over 800 applications and a highly competitive interview stage.

Five creatives stood out, with original and diverse projects encompassing fashion, art, music, photography and cinepoetry.

Each winner will receive £20,000 in funding from the Chelsea Foundation for their projects exploring Chelsea and our community, as well as the opportunity to share their projects across Chelsea and VERSUS’ global platforms, and debut their work at Saatchi Gallery for a weekend-long exhibition in March 2025. VERSUS is a media platform and fan community that is a partner in the initiative.

The winners were welcomed to Stamford Bridge recently for one-to-one guidance from Blue Creator Fund creative director, renowned fashion designer Nicholas Daley, as well as a 15-strong creative mentor network, as they kick off their project delivery.

Ebele Ojechi - For the Glory

For the Glory is a capsule sportswear collection weaving cultural elements from across Chelsea’s history with our connection to our significant Nigerian fanbase. Inspired by archival Chelsea kits and traditional Igbo attire, Ebele will integrate the heritage of Chelsea, our players and supporters through a blend of prints, colours, materials and silhouettes.

This fusion of cultures is structured around the concept of ‘home’ and ‘away’, rooted in the experiences of the Nigerian diaspora in London. For the Glory will feature three sets: women’s, men’s and editorial, as well as a visual campaign bringing the story of Chelsea’s Nigerian connection to life.

Jerrell Cumberbatch - Dreams/Sonhos

Dreams/Sonhos is a ‘global-local’ photo-series: a collaboration between disadvantaged young people benefitting from sports charity initiatives in London and Rio de Janeiro. The participants will be upskilled through a series of photography workshops and gifted equipment, leading to their photography being internationally spotlighted in Rio and at Saatchi Gallery.

In London, Jerrell is working with participants whose artistic journey has been catalysed by Chelsea Foundation programmes. In Rio, the young people are beneficiaries of VUSS (Vivendo Um Sonho Surf), a charity offering the children of Rocinha favela the possibility of a better life through sports and education.

This work aims to build an international community, mirroring that of football fandom, through bringing together young people from far across the world, with the common thread of a love for Chelsea, football, and the passion that underlies their dreams. At the heart of Dreams/Sonhos is platforming aspiring young talent to overcome barriers to tell their stories, reflecting the very purpose of the Blue Creator Fund.

Gabin Kongolo - My First Game

My First Game is a visual poem and love letter telling the story of Gabin’s father and the convalescence of communities, as a Congolese refugee, Welsh citizen and lifelong Chelsea fan who has never attended a match.

In My First Game, the audience will be taken along for his first-ever trip to Stamford Bridge, to watch Chelsea play at home. Through this story, Gabin will bring to the screen and tie together his father’s many identities, epitomising the Chelsea community: made of many parts, brought together through their love for the club.

My First Game will also explore the power of football in forging bonds between friends, neighbours, and a father and son, as well as celebrating a football community who refuse to let distance dampen their passion for their club.

Letitia Inniss - Threads of Blue

Threads of Blue tells the story of the Chelsea community through the lens of music and fashion, by creating an embroidered wall hanging, inspired by the rich cultural history of Chelsea. Focusing on Liquidator and ska music, and the historic rude boy style associated with this movement, Letitia shines a light on the Caribbean cultural influence on the club through her tapestry, bolstered by a soundscape to fully immerse the audience in Chelsea’s vibrant heritage.

Designed following qualitative research, through museum explorations, matchday experiences and supporter interviews, Threads of Blue weaves Chelsea moments and colours into its fabric. Letitia seeks to challenge the sociocultural divides that exist in football, through highlighting the diversity felt throughout Chelsea’s history.

Still Shadey - It Takes a Village

It Takes a Village: A Chelsea Story is a rap storytelling journey centred around the importance of community in football fandom, blending cultural rhythms and community voices. Still Shadey celebrates Chelsea’s bond with our community, exploring how fans, families, faith groups, and more all come together to support their team, showcasing the strength of a football family.

The stories that comprise the piece will be gathered through workshops involving a diverse range of fans and community pillars, creating a rich tapestry of experiences through the art of music. Still Shadey will record at a local studio, working with a team closely connected to influential Chelsea-supporting musicians, to bring It Takes a Village to life.

Speaking on the Blue Creator Fund winning projects, creative director Daley said, ‘This year’s BCF is even more important and builds off last year, taking five creatives who will be exploring the history of, and their own personal connection to, Chelsea FC.

‘I look forward to seeing what they produce for the Saatchi Gallery, which will be a great moment of celebration and community. This is a really great coming together, which hopefully inspires, evolves and celebrates everything which we care about.’

Laura Cordingley, CEO of the Chelsea Foundation underlined the Foundation's commitment to this initiative: ‘At Chelsea Foundation we are committed to improving the life prospects of those in our communities through targeted and creative programmes. We know that the odds of working in the creative industries are halved for those from underrepresented backgrounds, which is what the Blue Creator Fund aims to disrupt.

‘Through this programme and our partnership with VERSUS, we want to empower the next generation of creatives to realise their potential in their creative field and set them on a path for future success. I am excited to see the winning projects in the Saatchi Gallery in March next year.’