Southgate Opens Palace’s New £20m Academy
England manager Gareth Southgate opened Crystal Palace’s £20m Academy redevelopment project, heralding a new era for the club.
The project is the culmination of Chairman Steve Parish’s long-term plan to invest in and capitalise on south London’s hotbed of talent, replacing portacabins with state-of-the-art facilities in the Category 1 Academy, which will also become an important community resource.
Southgate, who graduated from Palace’s youth system in 1990 and made 191 Palace appearances, captaining the club to the First Division title, returned to his boyhood side to officially declare the site open alongside the club Chairman.
The England manager added:
“Crystal Palace have always had a philosophy of producing home-grown players and have a hotbed of talent to choose from in south London. As a young player, they instilled in me a toughness, adaptability and resilience that was important throughout my career.
“I was delighted to be asked to open the club’s fantastic new Academy facilities, which are a world apart from the conditions I remember as a young player here, and an investment for the future.”
Current Palace manager Patrick Vieira and the first-team squad watched the ceremony, alongside dozens of VIP guests, including several Academy graduates, former managers Roy Hodgson, Alan Pardew and Ian Holloway, members of the 2013 promotion-winning team and club legends from previous eras.
The new-look Academy will have six full-size pitches, including an outdoor 3G pitch with floodlighting, a show pitch which will have a 500-seater stand, and a full-size covered indoor 3G training pitch with a built-in sprinkler system.
The all-round development of young players is at the heart of the vision for the Academy and the redevelopment includes classrooms, a lecture room, analysis, and meeting rooms, as well as a gymnasium, restaurant, and kitchen. Tutors and psychologists will be on site to ensure that young players receive the best education and welfare provision.
With modern facilities and Category 1 status, the Academy hopes to be able to compete with other London clubs in recruiting and retaining the best young talent. Dozens of players have come through the Academy ranks in recent years, making more than 1,000 appearances for the Eagles, including three graduates in the current first-team squad, Wilfried Zaha, Nathaniel Clyne, and Tyrick Mitchell.
Crystal Palace Chairman Steve Parish said:
“The new Academy will have a transformative effect on the future of the football club and the local community, not only enabling us to attract and retain the best players in one of England’s richest footballing areas but also to help scores of young people and local schools enjoy the facilities.
“We will also be able to offer a comprehensive educational and player care programme, ensuring that even those players who don’t make it have an improved set of life choices. Outside of football, the classrooms, together with our Foundation, will be used to run evening classes, enhancing the educational and life choices of young people in south London.”
