Selhurst Park is the football stadium for Crystal Palace FC and it's based in the Borough of Croydon in London. The well-known architect of football stadiums in the UK, Archibald Leitch was the architect for this stadium which first opened back in 1924.
It has held international games over the years, as well as games during the 1948 Summer Olympics. For portions in the 1990s and early 200s, there was ground sharing at Selhurst Park with Charlton Athletic and Wimbledon.
History of Selhurst Park Stadium
1922
It was in 1922 that the site on which Selhurst Park was built was bought and the stadium was then constructed for about £30,000. It was in August 1924 that the ground was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of London.
At the time, there was only one stand as part of the stadium. The first game at Selhurst Park was against Sheffield Wednesday, with a crowd of 25,000 being in attendance.
1953
Some of the other sports that took place at Selhurst Park in the subsequent years include bicycle polo, cricket and boxing as well as musical concerts. Floodlights were first installed at Selhurst Park in 1953 and Real Madrid was the team Palace played under lights for the first time, marking the Spanish giant’s first game played In London. Proper development of Selhurst Park did not really take place until the 1970s.
A new stand was built and the main stand was redesigned to fall into line with health and safety standards. As the club was struggling financially, they ended up selling a portion of the ground to the supermarket Sainsbury’s, halving the neighbouring terrace at the location in question.
1985
It was in 1985 that Charlton Athletic temporarily moved into Selhurst Park, becoming the first clubs in English league football to share a ground. Conversions at Selhurst Park were made after the publication of the Taylor Report in 1990, making the stadium an all-seater by the summer of 1993.
1991
Charlton eventually moved away only to be replaced by Wimbledon FC in 1991. The Holmesdale terrace at Selhurst Park was demolished in 1994, with a two-tier stand holding 8,500 fans replacing it. This is the last significant redevelopment that has taken place at Selhurst Park since then.
2003
It was in 2003 that Wimbledon moved out of Selhurst Park, going to Milton Keynes. The ownership of the stadium has changed a number of times since the turn of the 21st century.
The layout of the stadium
The Holmesdale Road Stand holds 8,239 people and has two tiers, being the newest portion of the stadium after being developed in 1994/1995. The Arthur Wait Stand holds 9,574 fans and partially seats the away fans, with the name coming from a former chairman.
The Main Stand holds 5,460 people as well as having 63 seats for the press. This was first opened in 1924 and there are plans to redevelop this stand into a new 13,500 seater stand. The Whitehorse Lane Stand holds 2,219 fans, as well as executive boxes. This is the family stand.
Crystal Palace FC
Crystal Palace currently plays its home games at Selhurst Park. The club is based in South London and was originally formed in 1905.
The club is currently in the Premier League and some reports say that the origins of the club date back to 1861, which would make it the oldest professional football club that is still active in the world.
They have been playing at Selhurst Park since 1924. The highest ever top-flight finish for Palace was third place, which it achieved in the 1990/1991 season.
The club was part of the first-ever Premier League season. Over the years, the club has lost in the FA Cup final on two occasions, both times to Manchester United. The main rival for the club is with Brighton & Hove Albion, with the M23 Derby being a hotly contested rivalry. Other local rivals include Charlton Athletic and Millwall.
Betting on games at Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park plays host to Premier League games on a regular basis, meaning that the standard of football is always going to be a good one. As there is great coverage for Premier League games on betting sites, there is no shortage of opportunities for you to place bets.
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