60 Fun Facts About Crystal Palace

The amateur 1860s Crystal Palace club, ancestor of today's club, was set up by members of what?

They were founder members of the FA in 1863 and reached the semi-finals of the first FA Cup in 1871-72.

Why did the Crystal Palace Company form a professional football club in 1905?

The company relied on tourist income; the FA had used the ground for the Cup final since 1895.

Palace's founding secretary Edmund Goodman came from which club, whose colours Palace adopted?

That is why Palace wore claret and blue until Malcolm Allison changed the kit in 1973.

How did Edmund Goodman find Palace's first chairman, Sydney Bourne?

Bourne had bought a batch of tickets every year; he stayed chairman until his death in 1930.

Who did Palace beat in 1909 as the first non-league side to knock out the FA Cup holders?

Two years earlier they had stunned Newcastle 1-0 in the first round.

Which group plotted to blow up the stands at the 1913 FA Cup final at the Crystal Palace?

The Women's Social and Political Union's bombing and arson campaign targeted the ground as part of its fight for the vote.

Palace were forced out of the Crystal Palace ground in 1915 when it was requisitioned by whom?

They moved to the Herne Hill Velodrome, then to the Nest after Croydon Common folded in 1917.

Winning the Third Division in 1920-21 made Crystal Palace one of five clubs at that time to have done what?

Preston, Small Heath, Liverpool and Bury were the others at the time.

The first match at Selhurst Park in 1924 was a 1-0 defeat to which club, in front of 25,000?

Archibald Leitch drew up the plans; Palace finished 21st and went down that season.

In April 1962 Palace hosted a friendly that was which Spanish club's first ever match in London?

A full-strength Madrid won 4-3 a fortnight before the European Cup final; Palace copied their all-white kit in 1964.

In which year did Palace's first top-flight spell end, despite a 5-0 home win over Manchester United that season?

Malcolm Allison arrived too late to save them, and took them down again the next season.

Malcolm Allison changed Palace's nickname from 'The Glaziers' to 'The Eagles', inspired by which Portuguese club?

He also swapped claret and blue for red-and-blue stripes modelled on Barcelona.

Palace's red and blue vertical stripes, adopted under Allison in 1973, were inspired by which club?

The centenary season of 2005 saw a return to a 1971-72 claret, blue and white design.

The Palace-Brighton rivalry was cemented in a 1976-77 FA Cup tie when referee Ron Challis ordered what?

The retake was saved, Palace won 1-0, and the two clubs have loathed each other since.

The Palace side that won the Second Division under Terry Venables in 1979 was dubbed what by the media?

Built on two FA Youth Cup wins, they briefly topped the whole League in 1979-80 before money troubles broke them up.

Palace drew the 1990 FA Cup final 3-3 with Manchester United. What was the replay score?

Steve Coppell's side went one better in the league the next year, finishing third.

Palace finished third in 1990-91, their best ever, but missed Europe. Why?

England was unranked in the coefficients that season, and the single place went to runners-up Liverpool.

Palace won the 1991 Full Members Cup 4-1 after extra time at Wembley against which club?

Ian Wright left for Arsenal the following season.

Palace went down in 1992-93 with a record points total for a relegated Premier League club. How many?

Oldham stayed up on goal difference, minus 11 to Palace's minus 13.

What was Eric Cantona's original sentence for his 1995 flying kick at a Palace fan at Selhurst Park?

It was reduced on appeal to 120 hours of community service; Simmons was banned and convicted of threatening him.

Palace lost the 1996 play-off final 2-1 to a last-minute extra-time goal by which Leicester player?

A year later they went up by beating Sheffield United 1-0 in the final.

Which recruitment tycoon bought Palace in June 1998 and took them into administration within a year?

Ron Noades kept ownership of Selhurst Park and leased it back to the club.

Whose 87th-minute winner at Stockport on the last day of 2000-01 saved Palace from relegation?

Freedman later managed the club from 2011 to 2012 before leaving for Bolton.

Which manager tried to leave Palace for Birmingham City after four months in 2001 and was put on gardening leave?

He was eventually allowed to go, and was replaced by his Birmingham predecessor Trevor Francis.

Iain Dowie's Palace won the 2004 play-off final 1-0 against which club?

They went down on the last day of the next season after drawing at Charlton.

How many points were Palace docked when placed in administration in January 2010?

Survival came with a 2-2 draw at Sheffield Wednesday on the final day, relegating Wednesday instead.

What did the CPFC 2010 consortium also secure from Lloyds Bank after a fan campaign?

Each partner held 25%; Parish remains chairman with about 10%.

Which club did Palace beat 1-0 in the 2013 play-off final to return to the Premier League?

The season was documented in the Amazon series When Eagles Dare; Palace have not been relegated since.

Which manager kept Palace up in 2013-14, then resigned two days before the next season?

Warnock returned briefly before Pardew took the club to tenth and the 2016 FA Cup final.

Frank de Boer, Palace's first permanent foreign manager, was sacked in 2017 after how many days?

Palace had lost their first four league games without scoring; Roy Hodgson replaced him the next day.

How many Palace players were in England's Euro 2024 squad, more than from any other club?

Eberechi Eze, Marc Guéhi, Dean Henderson and Adam Wharton, after Glasner's six wins in the last seven games.

Who scored the only goal of the 2025 FA Cup final as Palace beat Manchester City?

Oliver Glasner's side had lost the 1990 and 2016 finals to Manchester United.

Why were Palace demoted from the 2025-26 Europa League to the Conference League?

CAS upheld the ruling in August 2025; Nottingham Forest took the Europa League place.

Which NFL owner and former US ambassador to the UK bought John Textor's stake in Palace in 2025?

The New York Jets owner paid a reported £190 million for the roughly 45% stake.

Palace's 2025 Community Shield win made them the first debutants to win it since whom?

The match finished 2-2 before the 3-2 shoot-out win.

Who scored Palace's first ever European goal, against Fredrikstad in August 2025?

Palace won the first leg 1-0 and drew 0-0 in Norway to reach the Conference League group stage.

Which non-league club knocked FA Cup holders Palace out in the 2025-26 third round?

The 2-1 defeat is regarded as one of the greatest shocks in the competition's history.

Palace won the 2026 Conference League final 1-0 in Leipzig against which Spanish club?

Oliver Glasner left when his contract expired and Pierre Sage arrived from Lens.

In June 2022 Palace changed the foundation year on their crest from 1905 to what?

It reflects the founding of the original amateur club, whose first kit is thought to have been light blue and white halves.

Which Dave Clark Five song, played at Selhurst Park since 1964, do Palace fans sing?

The band performed it at Selhurst Park in 1968 and the club released a cover before the 1990 Cup final.

Which bald eagle flew across Selhurst Park before every home game until 2020?

Phoenix took over in 2024; Challenger and Mr. Lincoln represent the club on US pre-season tours.

Palace are the only English club to have what at matches?

The 'Crystals' were established in 2010 and perform before kick-off and at half-time.

Which Apple TV series filmed its stadium scenes at Selhurst Park?

The IT Crowd also used the ground for crowd scenes in a 2008 episode.

Selhurst Park's record attendance, set in 1979, was officially how many?

After the Taylor Report redevelopments the capacity is 25,194, with a new Main Stand due by 2029.

The Palace ultras group, based behind one goal since 2005, is known as what?

Celebrity fans include Jo Brand, Eddie Izzard, Bill Nighy, Timothy Spall and Bill Wyman.

Which Rolling Stone is a lifelong Crystal Palace fan?

Actor Neil Morrissey developed Palace Ale, a beer sold at the ground.

In 1963 Palace briefly adopted which unusual colour as their home shirt?

They had been their away colours; an all-white Real Madrid-style kit followed in 1964.

The 2021 Amazon documentary about Palace's 2012-13 promotion season was called what?

It followed Ian Holloway's side to the Wembley play-off final.

After the post-Taylor Report redevelopments, what was Selhurst Park's capacity as of 2025?

Plans approved in 2018 for a new 13,500-seat Main Stand would lift the total to about 34,000, with completion due by 2029.

Which club beat Third Division Palace 2-0 in the 1975-76 FA Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge?

Palace had knocked out Leeds and Chelsea on the way; Southampton went on to win the final against Manchester United.

Who holds the Crystal Palace record for most appearances, with 660 first-team matches?

Cannon played from 1973 to 1988 and also holds the league record with 571 appearances.

How many goals did Peter Simpson score in 1930-31, still a Palace single-season record?

Simpson is also the club's all-time top scorer with 165 goals between 1929 and 1935.

Palace's record 9-0 league win (1959) and 9-0 defeat (1989) came against which two clubs?

The Barrow rout came in the Fourth Division; the Anfield thrashing came during Palace's first season back in the top flight under Steve Coppell.

Whose £67.5 million move to Arsenal in 2025 was then Palace's record fee received?

Months later Palace set their own record outlay, paying £48 million to Wolves for Jørgen Strand Larsen.

Palace hold the record for most play-off final wins into the top flight. How many?

Each came at a different venue: Selhurst Park in 1989, the old Wembley in 1997, Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in 2004 and the new Wembley in 2013.

Why did Palace go down in 1994-95 despite finishing fourth from bottom?

Their 45 points that year remain the second-highest total for a relegated Premier League club, behind their own 49 from 1992-93.

Which ex-Tottenham manager, hired in 1960, took Palace up from the Fourth Division?

Rowe resigned for health reasons in late 1962; Dick Graham and Bert Head then took the club up two more times to reach the First Division in 1969.

Which property developer took control of Palace in 1981 and kept Selhurst Park after selling the club?

He sold the club to Mark Goldberg in 1998 as the second-longest-serving chairman after founder Sydney Bourne, but leased the ground back to the club.

Which sitcom character claims he used to play for Crystal Palace but it 'didn't work out'?

Actor John Salthouse drew on his own life: he had been on Palace's books from 1968 to 1970 under the name John Lewis.

What are the club's costumed eagle mascots called?

Headmaster Keith Blackwell, who played Pete in the 1990s, even fronted a run of Coca-Cola adverts in costume in 1996.