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Abandoned UK stadium that hosted FA Cup finals set to be revived with £130million
Jul 27 2026 14:47 · By Fasika Zelealem/Senior Sports Reporter · 6 Reads
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The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre is set to open its doors once again thanks to a £130million redevelopment. The iconic stadium, located in south London, shut in November 2022 due to safety concerns and has largely been abandoned.
However, plans to restore the ground - which had hosted the FA Cup final between 1895 and 1914 - to its former glory drawn up by the Greater London Authority and London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan are set to be approved by Bromley Council.
Regarding the redevelopment plans, a Sport England spokesperson said: "The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre is tired and dated, and in desperate need of investment and modernisation in order to make it inclusive and accessible to all sections of the local community and to bring it into the 21st century, as well as to set in sound financial footing for the future."
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The 15,500-seater stadium, which can be increased to 24,000 through temporary seating, has previously hosted international athletics and concerts featuring the likes of Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen.
Those in charge of the redevelopment want work to be complete by 2029, with full stadium renovation hoping to be done a year later. The seismic work expected to be done to transform the stadium could mark the return of the biggest athletic events to south London.
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The venue previously hosted Usain Bolt at the venue in 2009, just a year after the Jamaican icon become a double Olympic champion at the Beijing Games. The potential hosting of Diamond League meetings would allow Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson to compete at yet another stadium in her home country.
Among the plans to regenerate the centre is increasing the size of the gym, creating new spaces for sporting clubs and 3x3 basketball courts. The construction of a six-court padel centre has also been proposed, as well as five-a-side football pitches and a 200-metre running track.
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The inclusion of a full-size artificial multi-sports pitch has been planned for on top of an outdoor gym and cafe. The ambitious plans aren't to everyone's tastes though, with some local residents making their displeasure heard.