The iconic sports venue at Crystal Palace celebrated its 60th anniversary on July 13, marking occasion with official opening of refurbished track
The development of the Crystal Palace Sports Centre, which includes the famous athletics stadium, is currently “on track”, in a bid to bring the complex back to its former glory.
The project – managed by the Greater London Authority (GLA) – is scheduled to take five years, with the ultimate aim of international athletics returning to the venue in 2028.
Crystal Palace’s 60th anniversary was celebrated this past weekend (July 13), featuring exhibitions of historical sporting moments and interactive sports zones.
It also marked a year into the development of the complex, with the official opening of the refurbished track. The dilapidated surface underwent “patch and repair” work in two stages – last Autumn and over the Spring – and has now received accreditation from UK Athletics.
That means Crystal Palace is able to hold both community and regional events/championships, with marks recorded now officially counting on each athlete’s record.
Crystal Palace track re-accredited (GLL)
The equipment has also been re-certified, including the cages for the hammer throw/discus and sand pits for the long jump/triple jump.
Temporary floodlighting was also installed towards the end of last year, allowing clubs and athletes generally to train on the track during the evening in the winter months.
These are described as “early works” by Ben Woods, Project Director at the GLA for the redevelopment of Crystal Palace.
Woods, who was chosen Sadiq Khan for this role back in January 2023, states that the next aim is to get the the Jubilee Stand back up to full capacity within the year, increasing the possibility of larger scale domestic events this time next season.
The 5000 capacity stand, opened in 1977, can currently seat around 500, due to the fact that ancillary features such as toilets and food/beverage facilities are, as of now, not up to scratch. Even though all the seats are currently fit for purpose, work is still needed to upgrade the main belly of the stand.
The West Stand, which sits on the home straight and hosts the broadcast positions/media tribunes, is scheduled – on current projections – to open in three to four years. The reason the timeframe of the West Stand is longer is that some of the concrete, both under the seating and across the roof, needs to be repaired. That will also…
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