Palace saved from closure

Crystal Palace Football Club has been saved from extinction this evening after the consortium attempting to buy Crystal Palace Football Club agreed a deal with Lloyds Bank for the purchase of Selhurst Park. The club's ground was the deciding factor in the deal as the consortium maintained that obtaining the ground was necessary for them to buy the struggling club.

300 Crystal Palace supporters today met in London Bridge and chanted their way to the Lloyds Headquarters, not knowing whether or not they would still have a club to support by the end of the day. This was less than 24 hours after a mass protest outside Selhurst Park and was the result of communication between the consortium and the fans on the Palace Bulletin Board (http://www.cpfc.org/) where fans were told of the problems with Lloyds Bank- this type of communication between buyers and fans unseen before in a football club.

The club was placed in administration at the start of the year and since then, has faced transfer embargoes, selling of players, a relegation fight and ultimately, the potential closure of the club. However, Palace have now confirmed their place in the Championship at the start of next season much to the delight of thousands of supporters.

I am, myself, a Palace fan and am extremely proud of what the supporters did today; what the club has achieved and am proud to be a Crystal Palace supporter. It has been a rollercoaster ride this season and for thousands of people, heartache has turned into relief...but we wouldn't have it any other way.