When supporters returned at the end of pre-season for the Montpellier game they saw changes across the ground including artwork and new branding.
Explaining further Selhurst enhancements pre-Arsenal
The work never stops at Selhurst Park, with the stadium having had a host of improvements made to it in the final week before the season opener.
In the days between then and the Premier League opener against Arsenal, even more has been done.
Supporters will also notice the new JD branding wrap across the Arthur Wait, Holmesdale and Whitehorse, an eye-catching new design on the corner mesh of the Arthur and Holmesdale, new Club Shop signage, a refurbished Fanzone and an updated floor design in front of the dugouts, featuring the new 1861 crest.
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The work requires a huge pool of staff to complete, with Director of Operations Sharon Lacey explaining a few quirks: “The storm we had before the end of last season damaged the fascia badly, so we were unable replace it straight away. Straight after the storm we had abseilers up removing jagged edges to make it safe.
“Once the new sponsor was confirmed, we then needed to hire abseilers to make the fascia safe and add a new fixture/support for the banner. If you look at the fascia you will see various paint colours, consistent with all the sponsors over the years, because the secure fixing won’t allow us to go edge to edge. Therefore the banner falls short of the fascia.
“The edges need to be hand-painted in black, and the fascia is over 115m long. It needed four abseilers to install it, and they couldn’t use lifts to avoid damaging the pitch. Not a small job!
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“Repainting the steps and nosings on the stairwells required 980L of paint, and I have to thank Mark Costello and his in-house maintenance team for their hard work throughout summer, as well all the operations staff.
“Getting the stadium ready is a tough job. People often ask what do we do when the season breaks – do we go on holiday? – but the truth is it’s busy for us all. We do miss things and we will pick them up over the next few weeks. My expectations are very high of my team, but they all care about making the stadium a better place to be.
“I should shout out the ticketing team also, who worked hard over summer. They are a wonderful bunch, as are the pitch team, who work in such a small window to get the pitch ready.”
“Continuing to improve Selhurst is a constant task, and we’re always working to do more – with a lot in the pipeline over the coming months. The winter break in particular gives us a chance to make further improvements, because we know supporters want us to look at upgrades such as the toilets, PA system, furniture in the lounges, and seating. Rest assured we’re aware of that, and can guarantee more work over the coming months and years.
“As a club, we’re also focused on reducing our carbon footprint, cutting waste and being a sustainable organisation.”