Selhurst Park

In 1922, a former brickfield site was bought from the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Company for £2,750 by Crystal Palace F.C.. The club had been pursuing a deal for the ground as early as 25 February 1919. The stadium was designed by Scottish architect Archibald Leitch, and constructed by Humphreys of Kensington (a firm regularly used by Leitch) for around £30,000. It was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of London on 30 August 1924. There was then only one stand, the present Main Stand, but this was unfinished due to industrial action. Crystal Palace played The Wednesday and lost 0–1 in front of 25,000 fans. In 1953, the stadium's first floodlights were installed, consisting of numerous poles around the 3 sides of terracing and four roof-mounted installations on the Main Stand. The club and Selhurst Park stadium were purchased by the CPFC 2010 consortium in June 2010, leading to the stadium and Football Club being united in a company for the first time since 1998. In 2011, the club announced proposals to move back to their original home at the National Stadium. In June 2012, Crystal Palace co-chairman Steve Parish approached Rugby Union team London Welsh about a possible ground-share. London Welsh's promotion to the English Premiership was in doubt, as their plans to play their matches at Kassam Stadium were deemed unsuitable by the RFU. In 2018, the club announced that a £100m renovation of Selhurst Park was imminent, to bring it closer in terms of quality to modern Premier League grounds. However, the expansion was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the club's focus on delivering its Academy upgrade at Beckenham, completed in 2021. When the club finally focused again on the stand expansion, further delays occurred due to opposition to the demolition of houses in nearby Wooderson Close which was resolved when the club signed a legal agreement to provide replacement homes to relocate residents. In August 2024, the expansion was re-approved by Croydon Council and preliminary works commenced with proposed completion by summer 2027. Selhurst Park was used in the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso as Nelson Road, the fictional home stadium of AFC Richmond. On 15 June 2024, Chris Billam-Smith successfully defended his WBO cruiserweight championship against hometown boxer Richard Riakporhe in a rematch of their 2019 bout. The event was attended by approximately 15,000 fans. == The stands ==

Holmesdale Road Stand Capacity of stand: 8,329 The Holmesdale is a double-tiered stand (Lower tier 5,510, Upper tier 2,819). Built in 1994, this is the newest stand in the stadium, replacing the previous terrace end. It forms the south-east end of the stadium. Arthur Wait Stand Capacity of stand: 9,574 Part of this stand seats the away supporters (approx. 3,000). It was opened in 1969, and named after the then Palace chairman. It forms the north-east side of the stadium. Main Stand Capacity of stand: 5,460 + Press seats (63) This original stand opened in 1924 and forms the south-west side of the stadium. It includes the Directors Box, and offices/Main Entrance that were built at the rear of the stand during the 1990s. The exterior of the stand has been re-cladded in white replacing the old original blue painted corrugated iron. New seats were also installed during the summer of 2013, including several lounges/Bars and a restaurant situated within the stand. With new investment confirmed, the club put forward plans for this stand to be redeveloped into a three-tier structure (13,500-seater), building over then removing the current stand (extending overall stadium capacity to 34,000). The new stand will feature an all-glass frontage, inspired by the original Crystal Palace. It was approved at a Croydon Council meeting on 19 April 2018, and the club had planned for the work to start in summer 2019, with the new stand to be ready in time for the 2021–22 season, but various delays put back the work, which eventually commenced in 2024, to be completed by the summer of 2027. Whitehorse Lane Stand Capacity of stand: 2,219 + seating for executive boxes (480) Originally built as a standing terrace, it was redeveloped in the early 1980s. It is also known as the Family Stand for Crystal Palace supporters. The stand includes 24 luxury Executive Boxes. It forms the north-west end of the stadium. == Attendance ==

Average Records The record attendance at Selhurst Park was achieved in 1979, when 51,482 saw Crystal Palace defeat Burnley 2–0 to clinch the Football League Second Division championship title. The ground also holds the attendance record of 37,774 for a Division Four match (now League Two in the English football pyramid), when Crystal Palace played local rivals Millwall in 1961. Selhurst Park recorded the lowest attendance for a Premier League game – 3,039 for Wimbledon v Everton on 26 January 1993. ==See also==