Selhurst Park redevelopment crucial to Crystal Palace’s long-term future

Patrick Vieira has called the planned redevelopment of Selhurst Park an important step forward for Crystal Palace.

The proposed £100million-plus rebuild of the Main Stand and the altering of the White Horse Lane End would see the capacity rise at Selhurst Park from 25,486 to 34,259.

Fulham and Liverpool have both built new stands in recent years while West Ham, Tottenham and Brentford have moved into new grounds in the past decade. Palace’s application for Selhurst Park went before Croydon council’s planning committee yesterday. The decision will then be passed on to the Mayor of London.

Chairman Steve Parish and the Eagles board spent £20m on the redevelopment of the club’s academy, which was opened in October 2021.

“When you’re looking at the income in the Premier League in general and how clubs develop themselves, it will be important for us as a football club to make a step forward with the development of the stadium,” said Palace boss Vieira.

“The club is growing and, at the same time, it is sustainable. The ideas and way the chairman wants to build this football club are clear.

“The foundations are really solid. Now we can build on those kinds of foundations, and that is exciting for the football club.”

The Eagles are in their 10th consecutive season in the Premier League since promotion in 2013 and have reached an FA Cup final during their stint in the top flight.

When asked where extra stadium income could take the Eagles, Vieira said: “The danger for the club is when you try to grow, and people don’t manage expectations. We are building stone by stone.

“We want to grow, but not too fast and not too quick – because you want to build something for the next 30 to 40 years. If you’re building something, going higher, and the foundations are not solid, you can fall down. And when you fall down, it can really hurt the football club.

“It’s not better or worse, but we have a different way of how we want to build this football club and we’re going to stick to that. We will face and have difficulties, but this is who we are. We can’t pretend to be somebody else because that will never last too long.”

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD