Abandoned UK stadium that hosted FA Cup 110 years ago to undergo £130million regeneration after it was left to rot

Scottish Sun

22-05-2025

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THE CRYSTAL PALACE National Sports Centre – the site of 21 FA Cup finals – is undergoing a £130million refurb and could host top-class athletics by the end of the decade.
The iconic sports venue in South London, which includes an abandoned Olympic-standard swimming pool, has fallen into a state of disrepair over the past decade.
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The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre is set to undergo a major refurb
Credit: FAULKNER DOWNES
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A whopping £130million will be sunk into the venue, which has become aged
Credit: FAULKNER DOWNES
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The revamp could lead to the venue hosting top athletics by the end of the decade
Credit: FAULKNER DOWNES
The area had been left to rot, with PIGEON POO all over the indoor track, leaks in the roof and floodlights that were closed off on safety grounds.
There had also been sightings of foxes and rats darting in-between the rusty old stands.
Yet since the summer of 2023, work has begun to restore the arena back to its former glories, starting with long-overdue track repairs.
And now 'new concept images' have been released by the Mayor of London that show the potential transformation of the outdoor athletics arena and the swimming facilities inside the Grade-II listed building – with a completion date of 2028.
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The hope is that future Diamond League meetings could be held there in front of a capacity crowd of 35,000.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has pledged millions to improve the sporting facilities at the Sports Centre that opened in 1964 and is just two miles from Selhurst Park, home of FA Cup winners Crystal Palace.
And building firm Morgan Sindall Construction have been appointed to deliver the Centre's improved design and build.
A pre-construction period has started, which includes detailed applications for planning and listed building consent, with major works planned to commence in the second half of 2026.
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Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has pledged millions of pounds to revamp the venue
Credit: PA
The redevelopment will include a complete rebuild of the structure of the swimming and diving pools and 'improved sporting facilities'.
The location holds a special place in British sporting history – with 20 men's FA Cup finals, excluding replays, held on the same site between 1895 and 1914.
How Crystal Palace outsmarted Man City in FA Cup final
It was also the historic venue for the first Women's FA Cup final in 1971, which was won by Southampton Ladies.
It also hosted some of the greatest international athletics events in the UK – Usain Bolt ran a 200 metres race in front of 15,000 people at the London Grand Prix just weeks before the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
And Steve Ovett, Seb Coe and Steve Cram are among the other track-and-field icons who have raced there.
Khan said: 'Crystal Palace National Sports Centre is an historic and much-loved sporting and community facility where many UK sporting stars have started their careers and trained but which needs major investment and refurbishment.
'I'm committed to this once-in-a-generation redevelopment of the site which will secure its future for decades to come.
'With short-term improvements already delivered and Morgan Sindall Construction now appointed to deliver the design and build of the centre.
"We look forward to working closely with partners and the local community to create an outstanding sporting venue as we work together to build a better, healthy London for all.'