Crystal Palace F.C. (1861)

Crystal Palace
Full name Crystal Palace Football Club
Founded 1861
Dissolved 1876 (1876)
Ground Crystal Palace Park

Crystal Palace F.C. was a short-lived amateur association football club who were formed in 1861 and became founder-members[1] of the Football Association in 1863. Along with Wanderers F.C., Barnes F.C. and the N.N. Club, they were described by Charles W. Alcock as being the four clubs who formed ‘the backbone of the Association game’ in its early years.[2] The club disbanded and disappeared from historical records around 1876.

Formation

The club was formed in 1861[3] by the Crystal Palace Company which owned the Crystal Palace Exhibition building. It had been lobbied by existing members of their Cricket Club to provide a continuation of sporting activities during the winter months. All of the football club’s management-committee and most of its original players were previously members of the Crystal Palace Cricket Club, which had been founded in 1857[4] by the Crystal Palace Company and played on the same pitch within Crystal Palace Park.[5]

Commercial Structure

Although both the Crystal Palace Cricket Club and Crystal Palace Football Club were amateur, they formed part of the Crystal Palace Company’s commercial enterprise, intended to generate revenue for the Company.[6] Membership of the club was by subscription only, at a price of one guinea per season, and spectators who wished to watch the games had to pay the one-shilling entrance-fee into Crystal Palace Park.[7]

Players

The football club’s players were not company-employees; typical membership was formed from wealthy upper-middle-class businessmen, men who could afford the subscription and who had the leisure-time to participate in sport.[8]

Crystal Palace F.C. committee-member and goalkeeper, Croydon-born wine merchant James Turner (1839-1922) became the first treasurer-proper of the Football Association after its formation,[9] and numerous Palace players were influential committee-members of the F.A. during its formative decade.[10]

When international football was commenced in 1870 and 1872, Crystal Palace footballers featured in both the official[11] and the ‘unofficial’[12] versions of the first-ever international games.

Four players from the club appeared for England:

Support of Association Rules

Delegates of Crystal Palace F.C. attended every AGM of the Football Association for its first crucial decade, during which time the Laws of the game were evolved. In 1867 when only five delegates turned up at the AGM, it was only the vote of Crystal Palace’s representative Walter Cutbill (1844-1915) which prevented the adoption of two major Sheffield Rules laws. Proposals to adopt rouges (secondary goals either side of the main goal) and the virtual abolition of offside were defeated by a single vote.[13]

Creation of the FA Cup

At the F.A. Committee meeting held on 16 October 1871 to discuss the creation of the FA Cup competition, Crystal Palace Club captain, share-registrar Denison Allport (1844-1931) proposed the formation of a committee to draw up the rules for the competition.[14] He was also part of the delegation which selected the trophy. Palace competed in that first competition, reaching the semi-final stage.[15]

Demise of the club

The Crystal Palace Company experienced a financial crisis in 1875-76 as a result of being sued by its refreshment contractor.[16] As a consequence it engaged in a number of cost-cutting measures among the attractions being offered in its park, one of which was its football club. At this time, Crystal Palace F.C. were still very active: they included current England international players in their team[17] and were also still on the management committee of the Football Association.[18]

Aftermath

The Crystal Palace Company began hosting the FA Cup Final on a regular basis in 1895[19] which was played at the sports stadium in Crystal Palace Park. The company then decided in 1905 to form a new football club to play at the stadium. The current Crystal Palace FC was formed as a professional outfit and played at the Cup Final venue until 1915.

Records

References

  1. ↑ Bell’s Life in London and Sporting Chronicle 12 December 1863
  2. ↑ Football, The Association Game, by Charles Alcock (1905), p14
  3. ↑ Athletics and Football, Sir Montague Shearman, 1887, p276
  4. ↑ The Spectator, 18 April 1857
  5. ↑ The Origin of Crystal Palace FC, Volume I. Steve Martyniuk 2016.
  6. ↑ Morning Chronicle, Monday 25 May 1857
  7. ↑ The Origin of Crystal Palace FC, Volume I. Steve Martyniuk 2016.
  8. ↑ The Origin of Crystal Palace FC, Volume I. Steve Martyniuk 2016.
  9. ↑ Sporting Life 05 November 1864
  10. ↑ Bell’s Life in London and Sporting Chronicle 24 February 1866
  11. ↑ Sheffield Independent 02 December 1872
  12. ↑ Pall Mall Gazette, 05 March 1870
  13. ↑ Sporting Life 27 February 1867
  14. ↑ The Sportsman 18 October 1871
  15. ↑ Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle 24 February 1872
  16. ↑ York Herald 17 February 1875
  17. ↑ Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser 06 March 1876
  18. ↑ Sheffield Independent 01 March 1877
  19. ↑ The Times, 30 November 1895
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