Crystal Palace Football Club

What does Crystal Palace Football Club own?
Crystal Palace Football Club operates as a single-brand sports franchise. The club owns its stadium, Selhurst Park (capacity approximately 25,000), its academy system, and its playing squad. The club does not own multiple consumer brands or subsidiaries. Its commercial activities are centered on the Crystal Palace FC brand, including matchday operations, broadcasting rights, and commercial partnerships.

Is Crystal Palace publicly traded?
No, Crystal Palace is not publicly traded. The club is privately owned by a consortium of investors including Woody Johnson (43%), Josh Harris and David Blitzer (approximately 30% combined), and Steve Parish (approximately 10%). The club has never been listed on any stock exchange.

Who founded Crystal Palace Football Club?
Crystal Palace Football Club was founded on September 10, 1905, by workers at the Crystal Palace Company, which operated the Crystal Palace exhibition building in Sydenham Hill, South London. The club was originally formed to play at the Crystal Palace stadium before moving to Selhurst Park in 1924.

Where is Crystal Palace headquartered?
Crystal Palace Football Club is headquartered in Selhurst, South London, England, United Kingdom. The club's offices and stadium, Selhurst Park, are located in the London Borough of Croydon. Selhurst Park has been the club's home ground since 1924.

How many trophies has Crystal Palace won?
Crystal Palace won its first major trophy in May 2025, the FA Cup, defeating Manchester City 1-0 in the final at Wembley. The club won the Community Shield in August 2025. In May 2026, Palace won the UEFA Conference League, defeating Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the final in Leipzig. These are the first major trophies in the club's 120-year history.

Who owns Crystal Palace Football Club?
Crystal Palace is owned by a consortium led by chairman Steve Parish (approximately 10%), with Woody Johnson as the largest single shareholder (43%, acquired in July 2025), and Josh Harris and David Blitzer (approximately 30% combined). Johnson is co-owner of the New York Jets and a Johnson and Johnson heir. Harris co-founded Apollo Global Management. Blitzer is a former Blackstone executive.

Has Crystal Palace made any major acquisitions recently?
The most significant recent transaction was Woody Johnson's purchase of a 43% stake in July 2025 for approximately £190 million, acquiring the shares from John Textor's Eagle Football Holdings. In June 2026, the ownership group began exploring a potential sale of the club, working with Raine Group to evaluate options including a full sale or new capital investment.

Crystal Palace Football Club was founded on September 10, 1905, by workers at the Crystal Palace Company, which operated the Crystal Palace exhibition building in Sydenham Hill. The club was originally formed to play at the Crystal Palace stadium and joined the Southern League. The early years were modest, with the club moving between various leagues and grounds before settling at Selhurst Park in 1924.

The club spent most of the 20th century in the lower divisions of English football. Crystal Palace reached the First Division (then the top tier) for the first time in 1969 but was relegated after one season. The club's most successful period before the modern era came in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when manager Steve Coppell led Palace to the FA Cup final in 1990, losing to Manchester United in a replay. Palace finished third in the old First Division in 1991, its highest-ever league finish.

The club experienced severe financial difficulties in the late 1990s and 2000s, entering administration twice. The second administration came in 2010, when the club faced liquidation. Steve Parish, a local businessman and lifelong Palace supporter, led a consortium of investors to acquire the club and save it from financial collapse. Parish became chairman and has remained in that role since.

Under Parish's ownership, Crystal Palace achieved promotion to the Premier League in 2013 by winning the Championship play-off final against Watford. The club has maintained Premier League status every season since, becoming one of the longest-tenured clubs in the current Premier League era.

In 2021, American businessman John Textor acquired an 18% stake in Crystal Palace through Eagle Football Holdings. Textor gradually increased his stake to 43%, but his multi-club ownership model (which also included Olympique Lyonnais and Botafogo) created regulatory issues with UEFA. In June 2025, Textor agreed to sell his 43% stake to Woody Johnson for approximately £190 million. The sale was completed in July 2025 after approval from the Premier League's Owners' and Directors' test.

On May 17, 2025, Crystal Palace won the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history, defeating Manchester City 1-0 in the final at Wembley Stadium. Eberechi Eze scored the winning goal. The victory qualified Palace for the UEFA Europa League, but UEFA demoted the club to the Conference League due to concerns about Textor's multi-club ownership conflict with Lyon. Palace appealed the decision but the demotion stood.

In the 2025-26 season, Crystal Palace competed in the UEFA Conference League for the first time. On May 20, 2026, Palace defeated Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the final at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring the winning goal. The victory earned Palace approximately £21.5 million in prize money and qualification for the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League.

Oliver Glasner, who had managed the club since February 2024 and delivered both the FA Cup and Conference League titles, departed at the end of his contract in June 2026. His departure marked the end of the most successful period in the club's history.

In June 2026, reports emerged that the club's American ownership group was exploring a sale, working with bankers at Raine Group to evaluate options including a full sale or new capital investment. The club's valuation was estimated at approximately £550 million based on Johnson's 2025 purchase price.

Crystal Palace's most significant regulatory issue involved UEFA's multi-club ownership rules. When John Textor held a 43% stake in both Crystal Palace and Olympique Lyonnais, UEFA ruled that Textor had a "decisive influence" over both clubs. Because Lyon also qualified for the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League, UEFA demoted Crystal Palace from the Europa League to the Conference League. Palace appealed, arguing that Textor did not have decisive influence, but the demotion stood. The resolution came when Textor sold his stake to Woody Johnson in July 2025, removing the multi-club ownership conflict going forward.

The club's ownership structure has drawn scrutiny from fan groups who have expressed concern about the increasing Americanization of English football ownership. The departure of Oliver Glasner in June 2026, despite his unprecedented success with the club, generated criticism from supporters who questioned whether the ownership group was sufficiently ambitious in attempting to retain the manager.

Selhurst Park has been a subject of ongoing debate. The stadium requires modernization to increase capacity and revenue, but redevelopment plans have been delayed by planning permission issues and funding considerations. The club's relatively small stadium capacity compared to Premier League peers limits matchday revenue, a structural disadvantage that the ownership group has not yet resolved.