Crystal Palace National Sports Centre facts for kids
The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre aerial view (2024)
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| Location | Crystal Palace London, SE19 England |
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| Coordinates | 51°25′08.7″N 0°04′07.7″W / 51.419083°N 0.068806°W |
| Public transit |   Crystal Palace |
| Operator | Greenwich Leisure Limited |
| Capacity | 16,000 (24,000 With Temporary Seating) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1964 |
| Opened | 1964 |
| Tenants | |
| AC London (2015–2016) England Monarchs (NFL Europe) (1998) London Lions (2012–2013) London Olympians (2012) London Towers (1998–2006) Croydon (2019) |
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The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London is a huge place for sports. It has an outdoor athletics stadium and many indoor facilities. It opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park. This spot is special because it's near where the famous Crystal Palace building once stood. It's also where the FA Cup Final football matches were held from 1895 to 1914.
The centre is managed by Greenwich Leisure Limited, known for their "Better" brand. The athletics stadium can hold 15,500 people. For bigger events, it can fit up to 24,000 with extra seats. It often hosts big international athletics competitions. Besides sports, the stadium has also been a stage for concerts by famous artists like Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen.
Cool Building Design
The sports centre has a unique design. The outdoor stadium is open-air. It has a large West Stand and a smaller Jubilee Stand, added in 1977.
The indoor sports building was designed by Norman Engleback in the 1950s. It's considered a very important building for its design. Inside, there's a main walkway with a cool concrete roof structure. One side of the walkway has pools, including a 50-meter competition pool. There's also a diving pool with an amazing concrete diving platform. The other side has a smaller sports arena for basketball, gymnastics, and other activities.
A separate hexagonal tower and low-rise area once provided rooms for 130 athletes. Since 2020, the main pools have been closed for repairs. The Greater London Authority is paying for these important fixes.
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The National Sports Centre
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The central walkway with thin concrete supports
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Skylights let in natural light
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The Centre and the nearby Crystal Palace transmitting station
Sports and Games
Track and Field Athletics
The current athletics stadium was built in 1964. It can seat 15,500 fans. From 1999 to 2012, it hosted the London Grand Prix, a major athletics event. The stadium can be made even bigger for special events, fitting up to 24,000 people.
Beach Volleyball Fun
After the London 2012 Olympics, sand from the Beach Volleyball Courts at Horse Guards Parade was brought here. Now, there are three outdoor beach volleyball courts at the centre.
Football History
The current athletics stadium stands on the same ground as an old football stadium. This old stadium hosted the FA Cup final from 1895 to 1914. In 1905, the owners started their own football team, Crystal Palace F.C.. The team had to leave in 1915 and now plays at Selhurst Park.
The biggest crowd for a football match here was 121,919 people in the 1913 FA Cup final. That was a record at the time! The 1970–71 WFA Cup (Women's FA Cup) final was also held here in 1971. Southampton Women won that first modern women's cup.
In 2011, there were plans to move Crystal Palace F.C. back to this site. They wanted to build a new 40,000-seat stadium. However, these plans were later dropped. Other football teams, like AC London F.C. and Croydon F.C., have used the stadium for their home games.
International Football Matches
The old football ground hosted several international matches:
- 3 April 1897 – England 1–2 Scotland
- 30 March 1901 – England 2–2 Scotland
- 1 April 1905 – England 1–0 Scotland
- 3 April 1909 – England 2–0 Scotland
- 4 March 1911 – England Amateurs 4–0 Belgium
FA Cup Finals (1895–1914)
Twenty FA Cup Finals were played at Crystal Palace. Ten different teams won the cup here. Aston Villa won all four of their finals at this ground. Newcastle United played in five finals but never won the cup here.
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
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| 1895 | Aston Villa | 1–0 | West Bromwich Albion |
| 1896 | Sheffield Wednesday | 2–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| 1897 | Aston Villa | 3–2 | Everton |
| 1898 | Nottingham Forest | 3–1 | Derby County |
| 1899 | Sheffield United | 4–1 | Derby County |
| 1900 | Bury | 4–0 | Southampton |
| 1901 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2–2 (replay 3–1) | Sheffield United |
| 1902 | Sheffield United | 1–1 (replay 2–0) | Southampton |
| 1903 | Bury | 6–0 | Derby County |
| 1904 | Manchester City | 1–0 | Bolton Wanderers |
| 1905 | Aston Villa | 2–0 | Newcastle United |
| 1906 | Everton | 1–0 | Newcastle United |
| 1907 | Sheffield Wednesday | 2–1 | Everton |
| 1908 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3–1 | Newcastle United |
| 1909 | Manchester United | 1–0 | Bristol City |
| 1910 | Newcastle United | 1–1 (replay 2–0) | Barnsley |
| 1911 | Bradford City | 0–0 (replay 1–0) | Newcastle United |
| 1912 | Barnsley | 0–0 (replay 1–0) | West Bromwich Albion |
| 1913 | Aston Villa | 1–0 | Sunderland |
| 1914 | Burnley | 1–0 | Liverpool |
Rugby Matches
On December 2, 1905, the ground hosted the first England rugby union international match against New Zealand. New Zealand won that game 15–0. In 1965, a rugby league match was held here between the Commonwealth XIII and New Zealand.
Cricket History
The Crystal Palace Park Cricket Ground was home to the London County Cricket Club. This club was started in 1898 with the help of famous cricketer W. G. Grace. Grace became the club's secretary, manager, and captain. The club played important matches from 1900 to 1904. Many top players of the time played for London County. However, the club eventually closed in 1908.
Basketball Action
The indoor Arena at the National Sports Centre can hold 2,000 people. It was once home to basketball teams like Crystal Palace and London Towers. The London Towers had great success before facing financial problems.
From 2012 to 2013, the London Lions played their home games here. They later moved to the new Copper Box arena. Since 2018, the Arena has again hosted BBL games with the London City Royals team.
American Football Games
The stadium hosted the 1989 National Championship Game for American Football, called the Budweiser Bowl. The Manchester Spartans won against the Birmingham Bulls. This game was even shown on TV! The NFL supported the game, and some of their players and cheerleaders attended.
The Manchester Spartans won their second National Championship here in 1990. They defeated the Northampton Storm in the Coca-Cola Bowl. The Spartans also won the European Club Championship that year. The stadium is currently used by the London Olympians and the Great Britain Lions, the national American football team.
Motor Racing Circuit
The Crystal Palace race circuit was located in Crystal Palace Park. You can still see the outline of the track on maps today. The circuit opened in 1927 for motorcycle races. It was first 1 mile long, using paths in the park.
In 1936, the circuit was made longer, to 2 miles, and fully paved. The first London Grand Prix was held here in 1937. The BBC even broadcast the first ever televised motor racing from this circuit later that year.
After World War II, racing started again in 1953. The circuit was shorter, at 1.39 miles. Many types of races took place, including sports cars and Formula Three. The last big international race was in 1972. Club events continued until 1974.
Circuit Reuse Today
In 1997, sprint events started using parts of the old track. These events were stopped for a while but restarted in 2010. They happened almost every year until 2017. After a break in 2018, the event returned in May 2019. The events planned for 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tennis Tournaments
The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre has hosted several important tennis tournaments. These include the Dewar Cup Finals and the Rothmans European Trophy Indoor.
Professional Wrestling Events
The indoor sports arena has hosted professional wrestling events since May 2018. American promotion Ring of Honor held a show here. In 2022, Japanese promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling hosted Royal Quest II over two nights. They returned in October 2024 for Royal Quest IV. These shows featured wrestlers from Japan and the UK.
British promotion Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro) also held events here. Their "High Stakes: Ospreay vs Oku" show in February 2024 had over 3,000 attendees. This was the largest crowd for pro wrestling at the Sports Centre.
Crystal Palace Sports Arena Plans
| Owner | Crystal Palace F.C. |
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| Operator | Crystal Palace F.C. |
| Capacity | 25,000 (Initial) 40,000 (Proposed) |
| Surface | Desso GrassMaster |
| Construction | |
| Construction cost | £50,000,000 to £70,000,000 |
| Tenants | |
| Crystal Palace F.C. | |
The Crystal Palace Sports Arena was a planned football stadium. It was meant to be built in Crystal Palace Park for Crystal Palace Football Club. The idea was to rebuild the current National Sports Centre into a 40,000-seat football stadium. This plan also included a new indoor aquatic and sports centre.
However, in December 2017, Crystal Palace F.C. announced new plans. They decided to improve their current stadium, Selhurst Park, instead. This meant they stopped the plans for the new stadium at the National Sports Centre.
See also
In Spanish: Crystal Palace National Sports Centre para niños
