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Crystal
Palace
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| Contents | |
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What's The Ground Like? |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
| Both ends of the ground have had new stands constructed in recent years, much improving the overall look of the ground. The two tiered Holmesdale Road Stand is at one end, and is where the bulk of home supporters congregate. 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. Opposite is the Whitehorse Lane Stand. This is unusual in having a single tier of seating, with a double row of executive boxes above them. A video screen perches on the roof, which somehow doesn't look as if it was meant originally to be fitted there. This stand has now been renamed the 'Croydon Advertiser Family Stand'. One side is the large, covered, single tiered Arthur Wait stand, while on the other side the Main Stand is also single tiered. Both stands are now beginning to show their age; for example both have wooden seating and the Main Stand has a row of small floodlights perched on its roof and both have a number of supporting pillars. The Arthur Wait Stand has a TV gantry suspended beneath its roof. Michael Clement adds; 'To add a bit of razzmatazz to the beginning of games, the club now 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 thne 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 Alliance pub on Station Road (by the clock tower) and 'The Ship' on the High Street have also both 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.
Thanks to Richard Down for supplying the alternative directions. 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 2011-2012 | |
| 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 | |
| Ryan Dunphy
(Doncaster Rovers) 27/11/10 Andrew Willock (Leicester City) 7/08/10 Lee Jones (Swansea City) 13/09/08 John Bray (Cardiff City) 4/02/06 Susan Bowen (Leicester City) 2/01/06 Paul O'Hagan (Neutral) 22/01/05 |
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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 football ground. Access their Crystal Palace and general London Hotels & Guest Houses page. | |
| 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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