The story of Selhurst's Croydon Hospital Broadcasts

Club

27 Dec 2024

Selhurst Park isn’t just a Premier League football ground, but the heart of a vibrant and diverse community, whose stories stretch back a century. At this festive time of year, we hear from Roger Dickson (above, right) – an iconic voice of Selhurst Park whose association with the ground now stretches back four decades...

This season is a special one for both myself (Roger Dickson) and Chris Winter, as we celebrate 40 continuous years of commentating from Selhurst Park – and, in my case, also from many grounds around the country.

It was in August 1962, with Palace’s season-opening match against Halifax Town, when broadcasts began from Selhurst Park to hospital patients at Croydon’s Mayday Hospital, now named Croydon University Hospital.

At this time, they were known as “Croydon Hospital Broadcasts”, made by four commentators: Roy Preston, Roy Topp, Steve Stuart and John Henty.

Dickson pictured with Henty, Eddie McGoldrick, Topp and Winter in a half-time presentation to celebrate 50 years of Radio Mayday broadcasting from Selhurst Park in April 2013

From a few seats at the back of the Main Stand in 1962, then later in 1965 to a new hut on top of the Park Road terracing, and organised by Dick Graham, commentaries were sent via Post Office landlines to Croydon General, Queens Park and Mayday Hospitals.

With promotion in 1969 and the construction of the new Arthur Wait Stand, the then-Chairman himself provided a purpose-built commentary box situated in the back corner of the stand at the Whitehorse Lane end.

Over the course of the following decade, Croydon Hospital Broadcasts became part of Radio Mayday, the seven-day-a-week broadcasting service at Mayday Hospital.

From 1984, Chris and I took over the running of the commentary service. Using high-quality ISDN lines, links were developed to other Hospital Radio Stations over the country, enabling patients to follow matches when Palace played away, and also for supporters of teams playing at Selhurst Park to receive the commentaries in their own local hospitals across England.

The service continued to grow and in the 1990s, with the support of Selhurst Park’s groundsman, Bill Harrison, blind and partially sighted supporters were invited to attend home matches.

Technical staff from Radio Mayday installed receivers and headsets on 12 seats in front of the commentary box, which were kindly provided free of charge by the club. At this time, links were developed with Redhill School for the blind.

Through this service, Selhurst was also able to accommodate blind supporters from visiting teams, many of whom became regular visitors each season when their teams played away.

Dickson and Winter in the commentary box in the back corner of the Arthur Wait Stand

The arrival of Charlton Athletic as ground-sharers at Selhurst in September 1985 meant there was football coverage every week for hospital patients.

Five years later, John Laughland and Graham Kendall took over as commentators for the home matches of another temporary resident of Selhurst Park, Wimbledon, and in the 90s and early 2000s, I organised a number of bucket collections before and after both Palace and Wimbledon matches in SE25 to help boost the Mayday funds.

Over the past 40 years, Chris and I have been joined on the microphone for short periods by Gary Stevens (from 1991-94); Terry Murrell (1995-97), who painstakingly painted the commentary box with red and blue stripes; and Chris Clark. More recently, Andy Bull has joined to become a regular third voice on the microphone.

In 1999, we both received a certificate from Club President Peter Morley to acknowledge 15 years of commentating (below). The 2012/13 season marked the 50th anniversary of match commentaries at Selhurst Park, with both John Henty and Roy Topp returning to the ground to join us on the pitch and receive an award from Eddie McGoldrick (pictured above).

Peter Morley presents Winter and Dickson with certificates for 15 years of match commentaries at Selhurst in September 1999

In 2016, Chris, Andy and I received the “Equality Award” presented by Steve Parish and in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I was honoured to receive a “Disability Champion” award.

Sadly, in 2018, many hospital radio stations over the country closed down due lack of finances, coupled with the cost of bedside units increasing. This included the closure of Radio Mayday.

At a similar juncture, it was determined that the commentary box to that point would be demolished to make way for additional away supporters’ seats. We were instead provided with a new platform adjacent to the Press Box, from where our commentaries now continue via an internal loop, providing audio descriptive commentary for dour edicated blind, partially sighted and disabled supporters.

This season, we are delighted that the club have introduced the “GiveVision” headsets for our partially sighted fans, which have greatly enhanced their view of the games thus far.

Away from the microphones, over the years, Chris has written and illustrated three books on Palace: A Biased Commentary (1969-1990) and its sequel, which covers 1990-2011; as well as the Complete Biased Commentary (1969 – 2021).

As for myself, I have collected every home and away league and cup programme from the past 74 years, along with match reports, and I also own 85 percent of all home and away reserve programmes! My hope is to one day donate thes.e to the Palace Museum, planned for the new Main Stand development.

Got a Selhurst story to tell? Let us know by emailing selhurst100@cpfc.co.uk!

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