Wednesday 18 March 2015

Palace purchasers looked at Charlton

Josh Harris, the American private equity investor, who is heading up a consortium buying Crystal Palace for £100m, also considered purchasing Charlton. Preliminary talks were held in 2013, reports today's Times, but they did not lead to a conclusion. Harris then put in an unsuccessful bid for Aston Villa.

It is not known why the talks were unsuccessful, but it has been suggested that there may have been concern about the age profile of Charlton supporters. The average age of an East Stand season ticket holder is understood to be 56 and it may be higher in the West Stand. The Covered End, of course, would be more youthful.

The Crystal Palace 'ultras' have been the subject of favourable media attention in the United States: Atmosphere

In contrast, The Valley does seem to have become more like a library.

More on the Palace takeover here: Plans for Palace

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