Selhurst Park is the stadium of English Premier League’s club Crystal Palace. It is located in the London Borough of Croydon. Here are the top 10 most interesting facts about this small yet beautiful stadium.
Construction
The construction of Selhurst Park was started in 1922 and it was completed in 1924. In August 1924, it was officially opened for the first time. This stadium is owned by Crystal Palace.
Construction cost
The construction cost of Selhurst Park is £30,000. The cost is low as compared to other stadiums because this stadium is small in size and not as gigantic as other stadiums in Europe.
Capacity
Selhurst Park can host a total of 25,486 fans. Selhurst Park has been renovated 4 times and expanded 2 times.
Structure of the ground
The ground was unstructured until 1969. Then Crystal Palace was ascended to Division One and then the ground was structured with proper arrangements.
Record attendance
The record attendance at Selhurst Park is 51,482. This attendance happened in a 2-0 defeat against Burnley to win the Football League Second Division Championship.
Stands
Selhurst Park has 4 stands and is divided as:
- Holmesdale Road Stand – 8,329
- Arthur Wait Stand – 9,574
- Main Stand – 5,460 + 63 Press Seats
- Whitehorse Lane Stand – 2,219 + 480 executive boxes
Place where it is built
The site where Selhurst Park is built was bought by Crystal Palace for £2,750.
First match
The first match of Crystal Palace in Selhurst Park came in a 1-0 defeat against The Wednesday in front of 25,000 fans, surely not a great way to start the history of your home venue.
Architect and engineers
The architect of Selhurst Park was Archibald Leitch and the Structure engineers were Humphreys of Kensington. The structure engineers cost the club a total of £30,000.
Stadium of present and past
One of the most interesting features of Selhurst Park is that it gives a glimpse of both the present and the past. This was achieved by making two stands look old and two stands with a modern approach. This certainly gives a unique character to the stadium.