​London City Lionesses have entered discussions with the Mayor of London’s office about the possibility of staging matches at the National Sports Centre stadium in Crystal Palace Park. At this stage, no agreement has been reached to bring football back to the park, and sources say conversations are still early, though talks with Sir Sadiq Khan’s office are continuing about relocating to the NSC stadium on Sydenham Hill in south London. If a move were to happen, it could more than double the team’s home capacity, since the NSC ground seats about 15,500, compared with the current Hayes Lane stadium used by Bromley FC, which holds roughly 6,000 spectators.
The Lions’ attendance peak in their inaugural Women’s Super League season last year was 5,414 for a 2-0 loss to Arsenal, while their average turnout stood at around 3,000 after moving to the Hayes Lane venue ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. London City is part of businesswoman Michele Kang’s multi-club portfolio and has ambitions to continue growing. The club, established in 2019 as a breakaway from Millwall Lionesses, was acquired by Kang in December 2023. In September of last year, the team secured planning approval to build a brand-new training centre in Ditton, Kent, in the southeast of England. The project, described as a “performance campus,” is intended to rival the facilities of a men’s Premier League club and will be tailored to the needs of female players.
London City has not publicly confirmed the discussions and states that they have no knowledge of such talks taking place. The Athletic has sought comment from the mayor’s office. The NSC, which opened in 1964 and saw the Jubilee Stand completed in 1977, now stands in a state of disrepair after receiving limited investment. It has ceded prominence as London’s premier athletics stadium to the London Stadium in Stratford following the 2012 Olympic Games. The NSC is also notable for its historical ties to football; it was the original home of the modern Crystal Palace Football Club, formed in 1905, inspired by an amateur team that first played there in 1861. Palace has previously considered returning to the park on several occasions, including as recently as 2020, but ultimately chose to redevelop Selhurst Park instead, a project that is only now moving forward after years of delays.
The NSC also holds a place in football history, having hosted the first women’s FA Cup final in 1971, when Southampton defeated Stewarton Thistle 4-1 to win the trophy. Most recently, Croydon FC, which competes in Division One of the Southern Counties East League (step 10 of the English pyramid), briefly played at the NSC in 2020 after being unable to use Croydon Arena due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Crystal Palace Park remains a strong sporting landmark, with football historically serving as a major attraction in the grounds around the Palace. However, the NSC stadium has effectively become a white elephant since athletics moved to east London for the Olympics and beyond, underscoring the potential need for a revitalising plan that could attract major football events to the park in the future.