Marcus Chan
A stadium which hosted the FA Cup final has been left to rot after being unused for three years.
The FA Cup final is one of the biggest days in the British sporting calendar.
Last weekend, Crystal Palace made history at Wembley as they won the FA Cup for the first time by beating Manchester City 1-0, thanks to a goal by Eberechi Eze.
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The new Wembley has been the home of the FA Cup final since 2007, with the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff the venue from 2000 to 2006.
Before that, the original Wembley played host to the showpiece final from 1923 to 2000.
Between 1895 and 1914, the FA Cup final was held on the same site as the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.
As reported by The Sun, the complex in South London shut in November 2022 due to safety concerns.
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It has been suggested that the concrete pillars holding up the floodlights were deemed to be unsafe.
The venue hosted the London Grand Prix prior to 2012 and the FA Cup final was held on the same site between 1895 and 1914, with the current stadium opening in 1964.
After the venue was closed, it has been claimed that the place was left to rot, with the running track partially ripped up and the scoreboard and stands litered with fox and rat droppings.
Speaking to The Guardian, the chair of Crystal Palace Sports Partnership, John Powell said: "At the moment you’ve got an indoor track with rats on it and pigeon excrement all over the place.
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"There are trees growing out of the West Stand and then there was the floodlight farce, which meant no one can train there after dark now."
He added: "London is the only capital city in Europe that doesn’t have a dedicated athletics centre.
"Crystal Palace is the most accessible athletics stadium in the country so it’s a total joke what has been allowed to happen."
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Looking ahead, it has been said that extra funds have been made available to rejuvenate the venue.
The running track has now been relayed, with more work pencilled in for the coming years.
London Assembly Member for Bexley and Bromley, Thomas Turrell, said: "The phased target openings for facilities across the estate remain for 2027 and 2028."