Wilfried Zaha Makes 'Substantial' Donation To Crystal Palace Ladies In Brilliant Gesture

Crystal Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha has stepped in to help the club's women's team after The Guardian said some members of the reserve squad were told to find £250 themselves or through sponsorship in order to keep playing for the club.

Palace Ladies play in the FA Women's Championship, which is the division below the Women's Super League. But with their position in the second tier under threat, youth product Zaha, who recently signed a new deal at Selhurst Park, has made a "substantial" donation to help.

"We are delighted to announce that Wilf Zaha has contacted the club to make a substantial financial contribution to support the development of our amateur players," a statement on the Crystal Palace Ladies site read.

"Everyone knows what Crystal Palace means to Wilf and he wants to give the same opportunities to the next generation of aspiring players at Palace Ladies that he enjoyed when coming up through junior teams.

"We are grateful for Wilf's support and for the ongoing support of Crystal Palace football club and Utilita Energy, which enables our senior team to play in the FA Women's Championship."

While one would wonder how and why Palace aren't providing themselves investment, it's a wonderful and kind gesture from the Eagles' No.11. He's adored by Palace supporters and this will only make them love him even more.

Image: PA

In their aforementioned statement, Palace were also quick to address recent media reports and clarify the situation.

"We encourage players to seek personal sponsorship to help raise the club's profile and build links with the business community, but it is not a condition of playing for Palace Ladies," the club stressed.

"Our senior squad currently consists of 21 players, all of whom are contracted to Palace Ladies and either receive a wage or are paid expenses.

"All our other teams operate on an amateur basis and, as with any grass-roots membership club, players pay an annual subscription fee. To help the development of our reserve team players, we have heavily subsidised their annual membership fees."

Topics: Football News, Football, Wilfried Zaha, Premier League, Crystal Palace

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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