Crystal Palace

First of all, yes, there was in fact a Crystal Palace. It’s gone now, and it wasn’t anywhere near the current location of Crystal Palace FC—which, in turn, is not in the part of South London known as Crystal Palace.

The original palace, which was three times larger than St. Paul’s Cathedral and contained the most glass ever used in a building, was built in Hyde Park for an 1851 exhibition. The whole thing was dismantled and rebuilt in 1854 in South London, and the area around it was renamed Crystal Palace. The palace burned down in 1936, but you can still go to the park and see the famous dinosaur statues from the 1850s; they were actually created before much was known about dinosaurs, so some of them are not even accurate.

In the 1890s, a stadium was built next to the palace (a version is still there), and they played FA Cup finals there until 1914. The owners decided they needed more action than that, so they started their own club in 1905: hence Crystal Palace FC, who eventually joined the Football League in 1920 and moved into their current home, Selhurst Park, in 1924.

They didn’t make the top flight until 1969, and the next 50 years is a dizzying array of promotions, relegations, near misses, managers, and financial problems. In 2010 during their second bankruptcy, a group of wealthy fans bought the club, and they made it back to the Premier League via the playoffs in 2013. They have been there ever since, even making the FA Cup final in 2016. They lost to Manchester United, but their manager, former player Alan Pardew, made an odd bit of history by dancing a little after Palace scored a goal. Google it.

We should also discuss here a man named Malcolm Allison, who became the Palace manager in 1973. He was a real character known for wearing a fedora, smoking cigars, drinking, chasing women, and making news for all the wrong reasons—like being photographed in the Palace players’ hot tub with a porn star. He was a legend; he just wasn’t very good at managing, apparently, as he got them relegated twice.

Allison did, however, have a lasting impact beyond the stories. It was he who changed their nickname from Glaziers to Eagles and their colors from claret and blue to the current red and blue.

In 2010 during their second bankruptcy, a group of wealthy fans bought the club, and they made it back to the Premier League via the playoffs in 2013. They have been there ever since, even making the FA Cup final in 2016. They lost to Manchester United, but their manager, former player Alan Pardew, made an odd bit of history by dancing a little after Palace scored a goal. Google it.

Last year, they finally got over the hump and won the FA Cup—their first-ever trophy in 120 years as a club. They took out Manchester City, 1–0, and paraded the trophy through the streets of South London. This also earns them a spot in the Europa League for this season.

2024–25 SEASON: 12th in Premier League, FA Cup Champions, Quarterfinals League Cup

2025–26 SEASON: Premier League (promoted in 2013), Europa League

Local neighbors Millwall and Charlton are high on the list of rivals, as are any of the other big London clubs. But the most hated of all is Brighton and Hove Albion, which may seem odd considering Brighton isn’t terribly close by. It started with two managers in the 1970s who didn’t like each other, a bunch of tense and high-stakes playoff and Cup meetings, fan-versus-manager throw-downs, and a famous incident when Palace was down at Brighton for a playoff game and somebody took a crap in the visitors’ locker room. Seriously.

Here’s a fuller history of the Palace-Brighton rivalry.

Most people call this the M23 derby, but both sets of supporters call it the A23, since that’s the road you would actually take to get from Palace to Brighton. Who knows where the M23 thing comes from.

What is Up With the Brighton-Crystal Palace Rivalry?

When you consider all of the top derbies in English soccer, you generally think of three characteristics: regional proximity, a long history, and battling for honors. In the case of the rivalry between Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion,...

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Crystal Palace FC Women are in the Women’s Super League 2, the second tier of English women’s football. They play their home games at Gander Green Lane, also the home of Sutton United FC.

The atmosphere at Palace is fantastic. Some Brits consider it a bit manufactured, but when the teams come out and the home crowd claps, raises their arms, and sings that they are “Glad All Over,” you may be as well. They have a whole routine they do when they score, leading up to a song that starts out “We love you.” There’s also “Pride of South London” and “Here’s to You, Famous Red and Blue.”

Selhurst Park is so embedded in its neighborhood that there’s actually a grocery store in it. Across every street are houses, and inside is seating for 26,074 people.

The Main Stand is actually the smallest and is original, dating to 1924. They plan to replace it and add 8,000 seats to the capacity; this has been approved by the local council, but work isn’t expected to begin until 2025 at the earliest. Across the way is the larger Wait Stand, where away fans will sit in the north end. Behind that goal is the Whitehorse Lane Stand, where you’ll find the family section in the lower level and most of the hospitality options in boxes on the upper level. Behind the other goal is the Holmesdale Road Stand, where the rowdies sit. In fact, in the center of that stand is a section that’s unique to English football, as far as I can tell, in that it literally never ceases to jump, sing, and wave flags.

There is talk of a complete rebuild of the Main Stand to be finished in 2027.

TOURS: Stadium tours are now available and are £25 for adults and £15 for children. Check the club’s website for more.

GETTING THERE: Again, an important reminder: Crystal Palace is not at Crystal Palace. That train station is far away. You want Selhurst, Thornton Heath, or Norwood Junction stations. All are serviced by trains from Victoria station and London Bridge (though it’s quicker from Victoria). It’s about 10 to 15 minutes’ walk from each. You can save all the walking by taking a train from Victoria to West Norwood and then hopping bus 468 (destination: South Croydon) about 30 minutes right to the stadium.

PUBS: Walking over from Selhurst station, you will pass the Clifton Arms, long a Palace pub. The Cherry Tree is right by the Norwood Junction station, and The Albion a block away is a fun Palace pub with a small outdoor area. By far, most of the pubs (and grub) are along the walk from Thornton Heath. There is a Wetherspoon pub right across from the station, which often lets both sets of fans in. Elsewhere along the route, look for the Prince George at the left turn onto Whitehorse Lane.

GRUB: An excellent choice is Doneagles Fish and Chips on Whitehorse Lane along the route from Thornton Heath. The real institution, though, is Tasty Jerk, whose jet-blast smokestack you’ll see if you walk over from Thornton Heath. It’s takeaway only and will have a long queue, but eating jerk chicken from there while standing around by the gas station is a pregame ritual in these parts.

Beyond those, you will see the usual chicken and kebab and sandwich places all along the route, all very crowded.