Parth Gupta - How a lockdown hobby has turned into my successful passion

There was a sense of achievement while Parth Gupta, founder of The Chelsea Spot Podcast, was showing a few Chelsea souvenirs he keeps close to his heart. Signed shirts from players, special tickets to iconic games, and a press lanyard were standouts and symbols of how Parth has made a strong impact from what he described as just a “little hobby” within the reporting world of Chelsea Football Club, on an online and interpersonal level. In the digital age we find ourselves in with social media, numbers are often overlooked and not visualised. The Chelsea Spot Podcast has almost 9,000 followers on twitter. This is roughly over 2000 more than the capacity of the well renowned “Shed End” – the loud passionate South Stand at Stamford Bridge.

(Photo: Chris Caird)

Speaking from his home, the starting place of his podcast, the 19- year-old explains how football entered his life in a “pretty unique way” due to a different cultural upbringing. “I was born in Birmingham, and we lived not too far from Villa Park. I had parents who had just migrated into the country from India and didn’t even know what football was! They told me that it took them a couple years to work out why it was so busy in the area every other week at the same time each weekend. That time was Saturday 3pm – the usual time for a Premier League game”. While football is the largest followed sport in the UK by a considerable margin, in India, it is an entirely different sport that gathers the attention of the nation. “Most get their early interest in the sport from their parents or their grandparents. Due to my parents just moving to the country, all they knew was cricket, and which is all I played as a child! I’ve still never played football outside of school or university team till this day.” Despite this lack of football impetus, Parth still managed to find his way into the beautiful game at a young age: “My earliest memories of football are just playing with my friends at school as a little kid, that’s the only time I played football after all. In fact, the reason I support Chelsea is because a friend of mine told me to do so – it was that simple. Ever since, I have fallen in love with the club and the sport, and there isn’t a single day where I don’t think about it.”

The Pathway, Parth's Way

The Beginning

Parth began this journey at the age of thirteen, writing for Absolute Chelsea, gaining some experience and getting his name out into the industry. Only three years later, he moved onto being the admin of The Chelsea Echo, something in which he described was a massive step up in responsibility and experience.

The Chelsea Spot

Once the first COVID-19 lockdown hit in March 2020, Parth, alongside a colleague who had also previously worked at both Absolute Chelsea and The Chelsea Echo, decided to create their own site. The creation of The Chelsea Spot. Even Parth himself could not predict the progress he has made in three years since.

“At first, I just thought it would be something to get me through lockdown and a little hobby, but little did I know that three years later to the date, we would have the success we have had so far.”

The Numbers (as of May 2023)

The Rise

Parth explains how his work with the Chelsea academy has played a large part for the rise within The Chelsea Spot – this is what his account gets most recognised for and is one of Parth’s biggest achievements so far. The Chelsea fanatic does not let time sit still; making sure his presence at the youth games is worthwhile. “I’ve been to so many Under -21 games this season and have got to know many of the players and their family members as a result. Harvey Vale, Bashir Humphreys and Dion Rankine are just a few of the names, while Mason Mount’s dad is someone I’ve interviewed while at The Chelsea Echo too, so the academy interest has always been there! Even the current U21s head coach Mark Robinson recognises me and always says hello at games, which I just find just fascinating considering where I have started from.”

These trips to watch the future players of Chelsea Football Club have been rewarding for Parth, as former Chelsea academy players Ruben Sammut and Charlie Wiggett have been guests on his podcast, revealing their experiences of training with the likes of Eden Hazard and Reece James.

A dream realised - Parth pictured pitchside at Stamford Bridge after receiving press entrance for the first time at Chelsea. (Photo: Parth Gupta)

A dream realised - Parth pictured pitchside at Stamford Bridge after receiving press entrance for the first time at Chelsea. (Photo: Parth Gupta)

Speaking to a fan of the platform, Elliot, said that The Chelsea Spot's coverage on the Chelsea Youth system is a key way that keeps his engagement high on all channels. "I think what sets apart The Chelsea Spot from most other Chelsea accounts on social media is their coverage of the youth games. The under 21's and under 18's are the future of my club, and these reports and pieces require writers like Parth to have to go to these games, unlike just watching them on TV! This requires extra effort and passion for the club, which is certainly there."

Below: Parth tracking the academy, including photos of Dion Rankine and First Team striker Datro Fofana!

Below: Two "exclusives" revealed by The Chelsea Spot, which adds great validity to the account.

The Challenges

While Parth’s work reaches wider audiences, challenges begin to build with each step he takes and he is not immune to the drawbacks that social media has attached to it: “I consider myself to be a pretty small account, only having 5000 followers on my personal Twitter, yet I’ve still received my fair share of abuse in the forms of racism and death threats.”

The challenges do not stop here however, as Parth revealed he learnt the hard way with every up-and-coming journalist’s nightmare – copyright. “We’ve had issues with companies claiming copyright for image use, and that was something we’ve learnt massively from as we were fined pretty heavily.”

Parth also gave an insight into how studies at university and finding time for his passion can sometimes be difficult. “Trying to balance running The Chelsea Spot while also studying at school and university has always been a challenge too, but something I’ve managed to get through with the help of my admins. Even trying to convince my parents to let me go to Stamford Bridge or Kingsmeadow, rather than watching the games on TV and spending time on The Chelsea Spot instead of studying was difficult at first, but I think they’ve recently started to understand the work I do and how much I truly enjoy it.”

It is clear to outside looking in, that Parth works extremely hard on his project. Therefore, getting an insight into how he worked would open up a different vision at how he goes about his role. Orlando, one of Parth’s three current admins - who helps Parth run and produce content for social media from the day to day news that comes out of the club - spoke about how Parth maintains such high standards. “Parth is integral to everything at The Chelsea Spot. As its owner, he oversees making sure everything runs smoothly — from liaising with collaborators to running the social media accounts. Parth is responsible for a great deal of The Chelsea Spot’s growth, and for the majority of the content it produces. He is also always on the lookout for new opportunities to expand and advance the brand, which has resulted in consistent progress.”

Parth and Orlando outside Stamford Bridge at Chelsea's game against Brentford (Photo: Chris Caird)

Parth and Orlando outside Stamford Bridge at Chelsea's game against Brentford (Photo: Chris Caird)

BT Sport Special

Arguably Parth’s biggest achievement so far arrived in October of last year, where he featured on BT Sport. He summed up the surreal experience with a beaming smile on his face. “This was when I really felt proud of my work and thankful to all my followers, when I got invited to participate in the UEFA Champions League Magazine for BT Sport and UEFA. That was an incredible experience and it was my first time doing something with a camera in front of me. I was a lot more nervous than I expected myself to be, but it was an enjoyable experience, and I would love to do something like that again.”

Watch a segment of Parth's feature below, courtesy of BT Sport.

When asked about what’s next, Parth explained that he has some exciting content lined up for the Summer and is ready for whatever he explores in next. One thing is for sure, only the sky is the limit. Blue is the colour, Parth is the name!