EAGLES OLDEST LEAGUE CLUB CLAIM AGAIN GROUNDED

 

NATIONAL FOOTBALL MUSEUM BACKS FA IN KNOCKING BACK CRYSTAL PALACE 1905 CLAIM TO BE LINKED TO THE 1861-1876 CLUB OF THE SAME NAME

Six years ago, Crystal Palace came up with the absurd claim to be the oldest league club in the world.

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stoke-crystal-palace-oldest-club-4111485

No doubt with an aim to profit from this claim the owners of the club that was formed in 1905 have spent quite a sum of money including by making a film.

Initially it looked like they might get their claim recognised until Clive Nicholson and myself, who along with Clive’s dad Ralph, wrote the FLYING OVER AN OLIVE GROVE book on Fred Spiksley produced our own examination of the evidence. This work – Why the Eagles claim to be the oldest league club can be grounded - can be viewed at:-

https://markwrite.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/01.-cp-11-may-update-2.pdf

And whilst the FA never made a big fuss about this they later confirmed our view. Palace though continue to propagate their nonsense.

Just recently the National Football Museum has produced a very short video in which Craig Dobson, the NFM marketing and content coordinator, examines the Palace claim.

This can be viewed at:-

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1391959185730578

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dc9qi_ksy0z/

Thankfully, Craig Dobson rightly dismisses the Palace claim by saying that the museum does not endorse the new foundation date for the current Crystal Palace club. 

 

It appears that Notts County fans, the actual oldest league club, are particularly pleased, and, of course, many Crystal Palace fans have also previously said they don’t believe there was any relationship between the first Crystal Palace, who played a major role in the early years of organised football, and the current club that was formed in 1905.

 

17th September 2026




 

See also Stuart Hibberd’s book. Stuart is a Palace fan.

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