{"id":118113,"date":"2026-04-16T07:00:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/16\/will-revival-of-crystal-palaces-hallowed-turf-create-more-athletics-history\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T07:00:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:00:51","slug":"will-revival-of-crystal-palaces-hallowed-turf-create-more-athletics-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/16\/will-revival-of-crystal-palaces-hallowed-turf-create-more-athletics-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Will revival of Crystal Palace\u2019s \u2018hallowed turf\u2019 create more athletics history?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cT<\/span>here were trees growing out of the main stand and on the indoor track and no one was doing anything about it,\u201d says Jim Powell of the groundswell of despair at a crumbling Crystal Palace barely a couple of years after the Olympics were hosted to acclaim across the other side of London<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A month before Sir Mo Farah secured his second gold of London 2012 on Super Saturday, he had swept to victory in the 5,000m when Crystal Palace hosted its final London Grand Prix. But that summer\u2019s Games appeared to signal the beginning of the end for the venue that had been the home of British athletics for the previous two decades.<\/p>\n

It was not only the stadium where Dave Bedford set his 10,000m world record in 1973 and Steve Backley threw the javelin more than 90m in 1990 that had fallen into disrepair. Pretty much everyone who used the Grade II-listed sports centre that was built in 1964 was complaining it was in desperate need of renovation after years of neglect.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>In May 2023 the mayor of London announced plans for a \u00a3130m redevelopment of the stadium as \u2018a national asset\u2019.<\/span> Photograph: Martin Godwin\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe were all sitting in different corners of the cafe in 2014 moaning about lack of investment,\u201d Powell says. \u201cIt was total doom and gloom. That\u2019s when the Crystal Palace Sports Partnership formed under my chair. And it\u2019s been a rollercoaster \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

That ride, though, could be coming to a conclusion campaigners could scarcely have dreamed of with a decision due by late May, but possibly as soon as Friday on a planning application that would revitalise the venue. Approval would be vindication for those whose appeals for help fell on closed ears until the three swimming pools on site had to be closed when a leak was found in March 2020. It forced members of Team GB\u2019s diving squad to find alternative venues to train for the Covid-delayed Tokyo Olympics<\/a> and the partnership played a key role in publicising the outrage as 35,000 people signed a petition calling for them to be reopened.<\/p>\n

But after three years of fearing the worst as the pools remained empty and the track had to be temporarily closed when the floodlights became a safety concern, the mayor of London finally answered Crystal Palace\u2019s prayers in May 2023 when he announced plans for a \u00a3130m redevelopment of \u201ca national asset\u201d.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>The planning application submitted in February includes a vastly upgraded 25,000-seat stadium that could open in 2030.<\/span> Photograph: WOO Architects<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even then there was no guarantee the athletics stadium would be part of Sadiq Khan\u2019s original proposals<\/a>, with Powell and the rest of the partnership spending the next two years fighting their corner. It meant they were able to have a significant influence on the planning process with the developers, Morgan Sindell, who were appointed on behalf of the Greater London Authority (GLA) in 2024 and are expected to complete the sports centre by 2028.<\/p>\n

The planning application submitted to Bromley council in February includes a vastly upgraded 25,000-seat stadium that could open in 2030, as well as a new 200m running track that is earmarked for community use.<\/p>\n

\u201cI needed smelling salts after I heard that one,\u201d says Powell. \u201cA U-turn doesn\u2019t even come close \u2013 this is a different planet now. The whole thing is going to be absolutely wonderful for athletics and the local community. And fantastic for Crystal Palace itself because it will just rejuvenate everything that, quite frankly, has died over the last 10, 12 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve played a big part in it because every time a proposal has come up, we\u2019ve stood up and said: \u2018Hang on a minute, that won\u2019t work\u2019 or \u2018what about this, that and the other?\u2019 It\u2019s been a continual battle, giving people a reality check, not least the mayor\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This week is the earliest a decision could be made on the application, but council documents indicate it is expected by 20 May. While it is understood the new sports centre that will also include a padel centre, basketball courts, football pitches and a full-size artificial multi-sports pitch is already fully funded, the search is on for commercial investment the mayor hopes can be used to complete the stadium bowl for the first time and boost its capacity from 16,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a historic and much-loved national sporting and community facility, where many UK sporting stars have started their careers and trained, but it needs major investment and refurbishment and I am committed to supporting this,\u201d said Khan when the application was submitted. \u201cI am pleased with the positive progress that has been made so far and 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, fairer London for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Powell, a former sprint coach who was given an MBE in 2013 in recognition of his service developing young talent and founding the Met-Track charity that gets young people off the streets and into athletics, it is far more than he could have dreamed of. But he remains hopeful big events like the Diamond League \u2013 which is held at the London Stadium under a 50-year agreement struck by UK Athletics<\/a> with the GLA \u2013 will one day return to Crystal Palace.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt used to be the hallowed turf or the hallowed tartan,\u201d says Powell. \u201cI remember training there with some youngsters a few years ago and they were saying, \u2018Oh wow, can I tread on the track where Linford Christie used to run and all this sort of thing. To have pulled the plug on international days was just totally madness for me. But if this new stadium doesn\u2019t give athletics a shot in the arm, nothing will.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere were trees growing out of the main stand and on the indoor track and no one was doing anything about it,\u201d says Jim Powell of the groundswell of despair at a crumbling Crystal Palace barely a couple of years after the Olympics were hosted to acclaim across the other side of London. A month […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":118114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118113"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}