A record-breaking number of Crystal Palace fans have raised over £80,000 in this year’s Marathon March, Palace for Life Foundation's annual fundraiser to improve the lives of young people in South London.
Bright and early on Saturday, 12th October, a record 225 Palace fans gathered at Selhurst Park to take part in the eighth annual Marathon March – a 26.2 mile walk through South London, all in aid of projects supporting young people in our community.
While the event has now concluded, there is still time to donate to our grand total here.
On arrival, Marchers received this year’s official t-shirt; an eye-catching yellow number, inspired by Palace’s 2003/04 away kit; along with a reversible bucket hat, which proved useful when the afternoon rain rolled in!
Among those returning for the eighth consecutive year was former Palace striker and Director of U21s Development, Mark Bright, who is also a Patron of Palace for Life.
Joining Mark and our local supporters were three Palace fans – Kent, Mikael, and Tomas – who flew in from Sweden especially, and not for the first time. We were also thrilled to welcome back the Women’s Walking Football Team, as well as a record number of staff from the club, Palace for Life, and our headline sponsor, Utilita Giving.
The route took our marchers through Croydon High Street, and on to parks: Wandle Park, Beddington Park, King George’s Park, and Wandsworth Park, with plenty more sights along the way. Though the afternoon saw its share of heavy rain, our Marchers powered through, and crossed the finish line shortly after the skies cleared.
They were greeted by players from our Down Syndrome Football Team, who handed out medals and invited everyone to take part in a lap of honour, before enjoying a well-deserved drink and dinner.
The Foundation were absolutely thrilled with the turnout, and can’t wait to see even more of you join us for our ninth march in October 2025.
While this year’s March is over, there’s still time to help us reach our goal of £100,000.
Every donation is hugely appreciated and will support three key areas of our work:
A huge thank you goes to headline sponsors Utilita Giving – who are the official charity of Utilita Energy – and help people out of fuel and food poverty.
Growing up in south London has never been tougher, but the Palace for Life Foundation are in a unique position to drive positive change.
The Foundation use the power of sport to change the lives of young people within our community, particularly the most hard-to-reach and hard-to-help. They work in schools and the community, with extra focus on those not in education, training or employment, those caught up in the criminal justice system and those with disabilities, physical and mental health challenges.
South London is a diverse community with hundreds of thousands of talented young people who, given the right opportunities, will contribute so much to the future of our city. Your donations will directly support our work and make a real impact, for real people.
To read more about how your donations make an impact, visit Palace for Life's news page or read the inspiring story of Jesse, a young person who turned things around thanks to the Foundation's mentoring programme.
By donating, you’ll be helping to improve the lives of more young people like Jesse – all through the unique power of Crystal Palace.
To donate, head here. Thank you.
