Member Article

Steve Parish ‘really hopeful’ for Crystal Palace’s proposed US investment deal

Crystal Palace is on the brink of a US takeover deal led by NHL and NBA franchise-owners, David Blitzer and Josh Harris.

The South Norwood club’s co-chairman, Steve Parish told the BBC he was “really hopeful we can get it done.”

Parish is expected to manage day-to-day operations at the club while the US investors will support improvements to the club’s Selhurst Park home ground.

Blitzer and Harris, who co-own the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, are set to ownership of 18 per cent shareholdings with Parish, who brought the club back from the brink of bankruptcy in 2010.

As a result of the US deal, current shareholders Stephen Browett, Jeremy Hosking and Martin Long will see their 25 per cent stakes reduced to 15.33 per cent.

Speaking to BBC Sport in New York, Parish said: “I think this club can be massive and it’s a great opportunity.

“I want to move fast and to do that you need big funds. I’m prepared to do my bit, the three boys who are involved with me are prepared to do their bit.

“But we need to bring some new people in to accelerate it and make sure we’ve got everything we need. If I was a Palace fan, and I am, I’d be fantastically excited about the future.”

The cost of the building work on the ground ranges from a reported £50m to £150m.

Parish continued: “If this deal doesn’t happen the team will be fine,” said Parish, who attended a 76ers game with Harris on Monday.

“But I really want to see the club fulfil the potential it should have fulfilled. We’ve had our share of bad luck: it’s time we put the record straight.”

“The world began here in football three years ago, so to everybody here we’re just a Premier League club - we’ve managed to erase the rest of our history,” Parish joked.

“There is a real buzz about soccer, football, in the US and we need to capitalise on it. So we’ll be back and forth here as much as we can trying to grab our fair share of support.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .