The Centre offers a host of high quality football training facilities including the 3G Dome and 3G outdoor pitches. In addition, the players now have the benefit of a whole host of other sports facilities, including the state of the art gym for additional strength and cardio work. For match days, the partnership has provided use of The Lodge pitch and the World famous Crystal Palace Athletics Stadium with it’s perfect central pitch facility.
Sport is not new to the location. In fact, almost from the moment that the magnificent structure that gave it’s name to the area was built – Crystal Palace has been synonymous with football, athletics and more.
The Crystal Palace was originally built to house the 1851 Great Exhibition, held in Hyde Park. However, when the Exhibition was over and the Park was restored to its former glory, the building was not lost. Joseph Paxton, its designer, had other plans for his masterpiece and formed a company to raise the capital to purchase the building and find an imposing site to house it on.
Designer Of Crystal Palace: Joseph Paxton,Today.
His statue overlooks the NSC from above the carpark
The site chosen was 200 acres on the side of Sydenham Hill in South London, called Penge Place, which was formerly the home of Leo Schuster. At the top of the hill the Crystal Palace was re-built and opened in 1854. Paxton then set about designing a park with ornamental gardens, terraces and fountains. Significant elements of the park were two massive fountain basins, each with a jet of water at its centre that rose over 200 feet into the air.
Unfortunately, the cost of operating these marvels was so large that they were only used on special occasions and it was not long before thoughts were given to other uses for these vast garden and fountain areas.
Football was soon seen as a good use of the space and was played in various locations within the Crystal Palace Park, particularly in the early days. However, the first formal football stadium originated in 1894 when it was decided that the FA Cup Finals should return to London, and the vast area which had been the southerly fountain basin was turned into a massive arena. In 1895, the correspondent of The Sunday Times described the scene at the first Cup Final there: " The banked-up sides of the ground formed a natural grandstand for thousands upon thousands. The sea of faces that met one's gaze on all sides presented a sight far easier imagined than described, whilst the excitement and enthusiasm was pulse-stirring enough to be trying to weak nerves".
In 1905, when the FA gave the Crystal Palace Company more security with a five year agreement to hold the FA Cup Final, the Company made a number of improvements including larger stands and better views of the pitch. This was, of course the year that Crystal Palace FC was formed.