Selhurst Park

What Is Selhurst Park Like?

Selhurst Park is a mixture of the modern and the old, with two old side stands and two more modern looking end stands. The ground certainly has character and the Club have spent some money in recent years on sprucing up its appearance.

At one end is the imposing looking Holmesdale Road Stand. This stand which was opened in 1995, looks impressive and has a large cantilevered curved roof, which is quite striking in appearance. The stand is two-tiered, with a smaller upper tier that overhangs a much large lower tier. The upper tier has windshields on either side. This is where the more vociferous home supporters congregate.

Opposite is the Whitehorse Lane Stand. This box-like looking stand has a lower tier of seating. Above this seated area are a double row of executive boxes, giving it an unusual look. It is flanked by two tall supporting towers, made up of white tubular steel. Both these towers are adorned with large floodlights. It also has a large video screen situated on its roof.

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; with 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 plays 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. The Club also have their own team of Cheerleaders called the Crystals who normally perform on the pitch before kick off.

Selhurst Park Expansion Plans

There have been talks of an extension being undertaken at Selhurst Park with plans originally earmarking the 2021/22 campaign as the ‘go live’ season. Obviously, that hasn’t happened but the revamp is still under consideration for the future. The plans for the Crystal Palace ground redevelopment would see the outside of the stadium enhanced and modernised massively both on the eye and in relation to the surrounding area with a mass overhaul of parking and pedestrian areas. On top of that, the interior would see a further 8,000 seats added taking Selhurst Park well above the 30,000 mark. The latest figures earmark the developments to cost somewhere in the region of £100m.

The club have now received the go-ahead from Croydon Council to increase the capacity of Selhurst Park to over 34,000. This will be mostly achieved by building a bigger Main Stand which will have a capacity of 13,500 seats, including new hospitality areas. The stand will have four tiers and will have an attractive glass frontage along with the benefits to the wider area.

The image above is courtesy of the official Crystal Palace website, where more images and information about the developments can be found.

What is it like for visiting supporters?

Away are housed on one side of the Arthur Wait Stand, towards the Whitehorse Lane End, where just over 2,000 away supporters can be seated. Views from the front of this stand are generally fine, but as you go further back there are some supporting pillars to contend with, whilst at the very back of the stand the views are very poor. Max Pardo-Roques warns; ‘Due to a new television gantry that has been installed above the visitors stand, the view is even worse than it was before. In fact, you can barely see across to the other side of the pitch. I would strongly advise fans not to buy tickets the back ten rows (41-50)’. Legroom can be a bit tight 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. Also, be wary of the small staircase leading down to the gents toilets, I almost went flying!

Food on offer inside the ground includes; Cheeseburgers £4.50, Hot Dogs (£5), Hot Dogs (£4), Chicken Goujons (£4.50), Goddard’s Steak & Ale Pie (£4,) Vegetarian Pie (£4), Sausage Rolls (£4) and Chips, sorry French Fries here, (£4). The Club also offers a Burger or Hot Dog with a beer for £6, up to 45 minutes before kick off.

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!

Pay By Card For Food and Drink? Yes

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Pubs for away fans

The closest pub to Selhurst park which admits away fans is the Prince George. It is around a ten minute walk away from the away turnstiles on Thornton Heath High Street. It also shows Sky Sports. Otherwise near Thornton Heath Station, there is ‘The Railway Telegraph’ on Brigstock Road (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 Selhurst Park (as you come out of the pubs turn right and follow the other fans). There are also plenty of Kebab and Chip shops available on the route to the ground. Generally, beer and lager are served inside the ground, although for certain high profile games, the Club choose not to serve alcohol to away supporters. The choice of alcohol includes; Carlsberg Lager (Bottle £4.50), Somersby Cider (Bottle £4.50) and Wine (Small Bottle £4.50). Alas, away fans don’t get to enjoy the ‘Palace Ale’ which is produced by a craft brewery owned by Neil Morrissey for the Club and is available in the home sections. The nearest you will get is buying a ‘Palace Ale Hot Dog’

Directions and Car Parking

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 onto 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 onto the High Street. At the next mini roundabout, (Whitehorse Road/Grange Road) go left into Whitehorse Lane. The ground is on your right.

Car Parking

There is no parking at the ground available for visiting supporters. The nearby Sainsbury’s Store Car Park, has as you would expect parking restrictions On my last visit this was three hours but I would advise double checking in case it has changed. Most streets around the ground are either designated residents only parking on matchdays or are pay and display with a four hour limit. So you may need to park further away and please take note of any street signs advising of parking restrictions, or else you win run the risk of being towed away. Alternatively, you may consider parking further out and taking the train to Thornton Heath. For example, you could park at Purley Oaks Station, which costs £2.15 for all day on a Saturday and then take the 17 minute train ride to Thornton Heath. There is also the option of renting a private driveway near Selhurst Park via YourParkingSpace.co.uk.

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.

Post Code for SAT NAV: SE25 6PU

By Train

The nearest railway stations are Selhurst, Thornton Heath or Norwood Junction, all of which are served by London Victoria mainline station. Both Thornton Heath and Norwood Junction are also served by trains from London Bridge. From each of these local stations it is then a 10-15 minute walk to Selhurst Park. Please note that Crystal Palace station is nowhere near the ground. Thornton Heath tends to be more popular with away fans.

If you are coming from outside London, it may be an idea to purchase a ‘Travelcard’ at the first tube station you encounter (or some train operators also allow you to add this onto your train ticket) and tell the clerk that you want a ‘Travelcard’ that will cover you as far as Selhurst or Thornton Heath. The card then allows you unlimited travel on the tube and trains within the London travel zone and avoids having to buy a ticket for each leg of the journey.

Lisa Lark a visiting Norwich City fan adds; ‘If travelling to Selhurst Station from London Victoria, that it’s better to get on at the front of the train rather than the back. We found that on leaving the train at Selhurst, that for the rear carriages there is a gap of 2 to 3 foot between the train doors and the platform, not the most pleasant of exits I’ve made from a train. If you are travelling with young children or are less agile, then it is best to be at the front of the train’.

If you go to a number of games in the capital then you may consider getting yourself an Oyster Card, which is a pre-paid travel pass for public transport (Tube, Bus, Train etc..) within London. Not only will it save you money but also saves you time as you won’t need to buy tickets on the day. You can purchase one from the Travel For London Plan your journey website, where you can also access routes, timetables and a handy journey planning tool.

Booking train tickets in advance will normally save you money! Find train times, prices and book tickets with Trainline. Visit the website below to see how much you can save on the price of your tickets:

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Ticket Prices

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*:

Main Stand: Adults: £50 (B £40), Concessions £35 (B £28), Under 18’s £26 (B £21)
Holmesdale Stand (Gallery): Adults: £50 (B £40), Concessions £40 (B £28)
Holmesdale Stand (Upper): £45 (B £30), Concessions £38 (B £25), Under 18’s £23 (B £18)
Holmesdale Stand (Lower): £45 (B £30), Concessions £38 (B £25), Under 18’s £23 (B £18)
Arthur Wait Stand: £45 (B £30), Concessions £38 (B £25), Under 18’s £23 (B £18)
Whitehorse Lane Stand: £45 (B £30), Concessions £38 (B £25), Under 18’s £23 (B £18)
Family Section: £40 (B £30), Concessions £30 (B £25), Under 18’s £10 (B £10)

Away Fans

As per an agreement with all Premier League Clubs, away fans will be charged a maximum price of those shown below for all League games:

Adults £30
Concessions £20

Concessions apply to Over 65’s, Students and Under 22’s.

A history of the Crystal Palace stadium

When first formed, Crystal Palace played their games at The Crystal Palace arena. The Eagles remained there until the First World War kicked off when they were forced to vacate. From there they took up temporary residence of first a velodrome on Herne Hill and then moved to Croydon Common. In 1919 the now Crystal Palace stadium, Selhurst Park, landed on the radar of the club and talks began over a purchase. It was completed with Palace moving in for the 1924/25 campaign.

Floodlights and minor tweaks were made but, ultimately, the ground was left alone. That was at least the case until 1969. In 69 the Arthur Wait stand was constructed with the Main Stand become fully seated a decade later. The next major changes didn’t come until the nineties when the remaining stands were made all-seated.

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Programme Price

Official Programme: £3.50

Local Rivals

Crystal Palace vs Brighton rivalry: Despite being based in London the biggest derby game the Eagles face is when south coast club Brighton visit Selhurst Park. The two sides are only 40 miles apart and have a history of ‘facing off’ owing to the fact they climbed the pyramid side by side for so many years.

Crystal Palace vs Millwall rivalry: Is there a notable hatred between these two teams? Probably not owing to the fact their main rivals are other teams. That said, with both clubs located in South London the meetings to bring an added spice.

Crystal Palace vs Charlton rivalry: The Charlton rivalry is very similar to that of the Millwall one with close proximity in South London the driver of any ill feeling. Ironically though, Charlton have previously been tenants at Selhurst Park so things can’t be too bitter between the duo!

Fixture List 2019-2020

Crystal Palace FC fixture list (takes you to the official Crystal Palace Website).

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’.