Crystal Palace is not a very well known football club, but it might just be one of my favorite premier league matches I have been too. Crystal Palace’s stadium, Selhurst Park has a maximum capacity of merely 25,465. While that might seem bad, I would argue that a smaller stadium actually makes for a better experience during the game. Yes, when teams chant it is not as loud or as impressive as it is in places like Liverpool and Manchester City. But there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. Even the seats that are furthest up are close to the pitch, and they are cheaper than most seats in larger stadiums like Tottenham.

Crystal Palace is also a stadium that is somewhat hidden. We took a cab there so we did not have to worry about parking. There were food truck and places to play games like corn hole and soccer tennis, like at Manchester City. I also bought another game day scarf here.

Also like Manchester City, we stayed in the hospitality suite. I would say the food was much better here and the service was more personalized. This would make sense as Crystal Palace is one of the smaller clubs. There was even rules on how we had to dress. Jerseys for any team, not just Crystal Palace were not allowed. No sneakers.

After we stopped in the suite and had some lunch, it was time to head out to the game. most of the stands are covered overhead, which was a very good think because it started to rain while we were at the game.

Something different about crystal palace is the way the players enter the field and the traditions they have right before the match. The players from both teams walk out to start the game like normal, except, they walk through two lines of cheerleaders. It reminded me of something that would happen in the NFL, although it does not have as much flare as the NFL does.

At every home game, before the start, a bald eagle flies from one end of the stadium to another. This is probably my favorite tradition that Crystal Palace has. The bald eagle is named Kayla and she is the mascot of Crystal Palace. There are also a male and female eagle mascot for Crystal Palace.

The match that we watched that day was Liverpool vs Crystal Palace. Liverpool won. After the game was over, we were walking out of the stadium and noticed a large group of people next to a big red bus. We soon realized that bus belonged to the Liverpool Football team, and people were lining up around it to see the players leave. This is not something I had done at a stadium before, but my parens

and I decided to wait it out until the players arrived and I’m very glad I did. I was able to see some of

my favorite players, like Virgil Van Dijk and only be a couple yards away. Overall, Crystal Palace has a great stadium and great staff that made our time there unforgettable.