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| Contents | |
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What's Selhurst
Park Like? |
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| What's Selhurst Park Like? | |
| The ground is a mixture of the
modern and the old, with two old side stands and two
more modern looking end stands. The newest edition is
the two-tiered Holmesdale Road Stand at one end, which
was opened in 1995. This stand has a large lower tier,
with a smaller upper tier that overhangs it. The stand
looks impressive and has a large curved roof, as well
as windshields on either side of the upper tier. This
is where the bulk of home supporters congregate. Opposite is the Whitehorse Lane Stand. This was originally a large open terrace but was reduced in capacity in the early 1980’s when land was sold for a Sainsbury’s supermarket which is still present outside the ground. During the early 1990’s the terrace was made all seated and a double row of executive boxes was the constructed above it, giving it an unusual look. Later a roof added and then a large video screen installed upon it. This stand has now been renamed the 'Croydon Advertiser Family Stand'. One side is the large, covered, single tiered Arthur Wait stand, which was built in 1969, while on the other side the Main Stand, which dates back to when the ground opened in 1924, is also single tiered. Both stands are now beginning to show their age; for example both have some wooden seating, as well as a number of supporting pillars. The Arthur Wait Stand has a TV gantry suspended beneath its roof, whilst the Main Stand has a number of ancient looking floodlights on its roof. Michael Clement adds; 'To add a bit of razzmatazz to the beginning of games, the club play a programme of loud music, as the teams emerge onto the pitch'. This includes playing 'Glad All Over' by the Dave Clarke Five, which is enthusiastically joined in to by the Palace fans. |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away are still housed on one
side of the Arthur Wait Stand, however they have been
relocated to the opposite side near the 'Croydon
Advertiser Family Stand'. Just over 2,000 away
supporters can be accommodated. Nikita a visiting
Gillingham fan informs me; 'If you are seated towards
the rear of the stand then you will find that you are
sitting on old wooden seats and there is very little
leg room'. Plus the views of the
playing action are not particularly great from the
back of the stand, due to the overhang of the roof.
And if that is not enough then there is the odd
supporting pillar to contend with too! Whilst Alex
Jones adds; 'If you sit in the bottom half of the
stand for an afternoon kick off, in the earlier part
of the season, then don't be surprised if you end up
trying to keep the sun out of eyes'. On my last visit there was a particularly good atmosphere within the ground, especially from the home fans in the Holmesdale Road End. I was impressed with the Palace fans, who clearly were passionate about their Club, but in a non-intimidatory manner, towards away fans. In fact there was plenty of good banter going on between the two sets of supporters. There are plenty of refreshments available, however, if you if there is a sizeable away support, then getting food and drink could be a problem because there is only one small refreshment area to cater for the whole away support. Plus as there is no formal queuing system, then joining the scrum that inevitably ensues at the counter, is not for the faint hearted so you may consider getting something outside of the ground before the game starts. Also if you do happen to visit the Gents, watch out for the small downward flight of steps to the toilets. I almost went flying! On the whole Crystal Palace is a fairly relaxed ground to visit and you are unlikely to encounter any problems, except perhaps getting stuck in the traffic on the way to the game! |
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| Where To Drink? | |
| Opposite Thornton Heath
Railway Station there is a Wetherspoon pub, called the
'The Flora Sandes' which is popular with both home and
away supporters. Also close by is 'The Railway
Telegraph' on Brigstock (as you come out of Thornton
Heath station turn right and the pub is further down
on the left). This pub serves Youngs beers and is
quite spacious. It is then about a 15 minute walk from
here to the ground (as you come out of the pubs
turn right and follow the other fans). There are
plenty of Kebab & Chip shops available on the
route to the ground. Otherwise near Norwood Junction Railway Station on the High Street is another Wetherspoon outlet called 'The William Stanley' (From the Station turn right at the Clock Tower into the High Street). The nearby 'Ship' pub on the High Street has also been recommended to me. Generally beer and lager are served inside the ground. Please note though that for certain high profile games, the Club choose not to serve alcohol to away supporters. |
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| A Closer Look At The Holmesdale Road Stand | |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| Leave the M25 at Junction 7
and follow the signs for the A23 to Croydon. At Purley
bear left onto the A23 at its junction with the A 235
(to Croydon). You will pass roundabouts and junctions
with the A232 and A236 as you pass Croydon, after
which the A23 bears left at Thornton Heath (at the Horseshoe pub roundabout).
Here you must go straight over, into Brigstock Road
(B266), passing Thornton Heath Station on your left
and bearing right on to the High Street. At the next
mini roundabout, (Whitehorse Road/Grange Road) go left
into Whitehorse Lane. The ground is on your right. Richard
Down informs me; 'An alternative route for fans
coming from the North, is to leave the M25 at Junction
10 and follow the A3 towards London. After about ten miles
you will reach the Tolworth roundabout at which you turn right onto the A240 towards Epsom. After about three miles
turn onto the A232 towards
Sutton. Follow the A232 through Sutton and
Carshalton and just before
reaching Croydon, turn left onto the A23
north towards Thornton
Heath'. Where the A23 bears left at
Thornton Heath (at the Horsehoe
pub roundabout). Here you must go straight
over, into Brigstock Road (B266), passing Thornton
Heath Station on your left and bearing right on to
the High Street. At the next mini roundabout,
(Whitehorse Road/Grange Road) go left into
Whitehorse Lane. The ground is on your right.
Most streets around the ground are
either designated residents
only parking on matchdays or are pay and display
with a four hour limit. So please take note of
any street signs advising of parking
restrictions, or else you win run the risk of
being towed away. Please note that the
traffic can be pretty bad on Saturdays even without football traffic, so
make sure you allow yourself some extra time to
make the journey. |
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A Closer Look At The Whitehorse Lane Stand |
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| By Train | |
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The nearest railway
stations are Selhurst or Thornton Heath which are
served by London Victoria main line station, Clapham
Junction, London Bridge (every 30 mins) and East
Croydon (every 15 mins). You can also use Norwood
Junction station which is also served by Victoria,
but is a little further away. It is then a 10-15
minute walk to ground. Please note that Crystal
Palace station is nowhere near the ground. |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Charlton Athletic, Millwall (and a little further away) Brighton & Hove Albion. | |
| Admission Prices | |
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Common with most Clubs, Crystal Palace operate a category system (A & B) for matches whereby tickets cost more for the most popular matches. Category B prices are shown below in brackets: Home
Fans: |
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| Fixtures 2012-2013 | |
| Crystal Palace FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website). | |
| Programme Price | |
| Official Programme: £3. | |
| Disabled Facilities | |
| For
details of disabled facilities and club contact at the
ground please visit the relevant page on the Level
Playing Field website. Trevor Elias a visiting Fulham supporter, provides me with the following update; 'We parked in the Sainsburys car park next to the ground, show your orange badge to the steward. Be warned, the access roads to the car park have cobbled speed ramps & to avoid this means using the pavement which runs by the ticket office window & queue. Away fans were in the Arthur Wait stand with dedicated stewards to help. The view can be poor as fans stand up in front of you, however, it's still possible to see 95% of the game. Another downside is the toilets, there are 2 disabled loos but these were being used by anyone & it was hard to get to the entrance so be ready to shout at people'. |
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| Record & Average Attendance | |
| Record Attendance: 51,482 v Burnley Division 2, May 11th, 1979. Modern All Seated Attendance Record: 26,193 v Arsenal Premier League, November 6th, 2004. Average Attendance: |
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| Fans Reviews Of Selhurst Park | |
| James Butler (Charlton
Athletic) 2/2/13 Ryan Dunphy (Doncaster Rovers) 27/11/10 Andrew Willock (Leicester City) 7/08/10 Lee Jones (Swansea City) 13/09/08 Susan Bowen (Leicester City) 2/01/06 |
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| Hotel Accommodation | |
| If you require hotel
accommodation in the area then first try a hotel
booking service provided by Late Rooms. They offer all
types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets
from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast
establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced
Apartments. Plus their booking system is
straightforward and easy to use. Yes this site will
earn a small commission if you book through them, but
it will go to help with the running costs of keeping
the Guide going. The Hotels listing also includes
details of how far away the accommodation is located
from the Selhurst Park football ground. Access their Crystal Palace and general London Hotels & Guest Houses page. Remember that you can use the above link or panel below to book any other hotels that you may need for business or leisure, either in the UK or abroad. |
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| Map Showing The Location Of Selhurst Park, Railway Stations And Listed Pubs | |
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Instructions for using the
map:
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| Feedback | |
| If anything is incorrect or you have
something to add, please e-mail me duncan@footballgrounds.net
and I'll update the guide. |
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