A poem for Palace: Rise like an Eagle

Last season, we were a part of A Poem for your Club, a project run by the National Literacy Trust and funded by Arts Council England and The Compton Poetry Fund.

A Poem for your Club is a project by The National Literacy Trust and Arts Council England aimed at tackling record low levels of writing enjoyment, using children and families’ connection to their local football club to inspire a new generation of writers. The project, funded by The Compton Poetry Fund, connects local professional poets to five football clubs (Blackburn Rovers, Stoke City, Crystal Palace, Luton Town, and Portsmouth) and their trusts or charitable arms, to deliver workshops with the local community – including young football fans – to create an official poem for their club.

A Poem for your Club was created in response to declining writing levels nationwide and inspired by the impact sport and non-traditional environments can have on empowering people to enjoy writing and explore their creativity. The five football clubs are in ‘priority’ communities, where there has historically been a lack of investment in cultural opportunities for local people, which can have a negative impact on their engagement with important skills like writing.

In South London, Poet and Palace fan Dan Simpson has been working with participants from across our programmes, from primary school pupils and young people in our community programmes to adults in our health sessions to explore what Crystal Palace means to them. Their words have helped shape our very own Crystal Palace poem, which you can find below! Introducing Dan Simpson’s ‘Rise Like an Eagle’…

Rise Like an Eagle

Gazing through the smog of history

there’s a name that’s getting hazier

we were born of sandman dreams

we used to be The Glaziers.

From a Victorian palace of iron and glass

long gone to fire and smoke

arises not a phoenix – but the Eagle

from broken windows: soaring hope.

From Sydenham Hill to Selhurst Park

in Croydon is this Eagle’s nest

the jewel in South London’s crown

this steel and concrete fortress.

Men and women grace this pitch

the players in the Palace grounds

Kings and Queens who rule this land

where rival houses bow down.

Compared to the Lions, we are braver

and the Addicks are far less regal

though the fiercest fight takes to the skies

or down the A23 against the Seagulls.

But back home this club is a heartbeat

a lifeline pumping out opportunities

with care for the streets in which this club lives

that deep love for our local communities.

Improving lives through football on and off the pitch

every generation pulling the next one up

that’s the legacy of the club and Foundation

though not to brag, but: we also won the FA Cup.

We are a red and blue army that’s Glad All Over

the pride of South London’s people

we have history, we are present, we fly to the future

we are Crystal Palace: we are The Eagles.

Poet Dan Simpson said:

“It’s been eye-opening and heart-warming to see the brilliant and vital work the Palace for Life Foundation are doing in the community. This club is so much more than success on the pitch – though ‘FA Cup Winners’ does have a nice ring to it! In a time of particular hardship, Palace is a lifeline for many through outreach and education programmes like ‘A Poem for Your Club’.

I hope, in leading creative writing workshops for children and adults, I’ve supported people to find their voice, increase their confidence, and their ability to express themselves. As a lifelong fan of the Eagles, I’m so grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this work, and to share this new poem about our incredible club.”

Jim Sells, Senior Programme Manager, Sport and Alternative Provision at the National Literacy Trust said:

“Sometimes described as poetry in motion, football has a unique ability to connect people through a shared language and experience. The relationship between football and poetry is more obvious than it may seem, and A Poem for your Club has given young fans and other groups in the community an opportunity to explore their creativity and love for their team. We know that sport can be a great motivator for inspiring reluctant or disengaged children and young people to get involved with writing and we are thrilled to have been able to bring our wealth of experience connecting sport and literacy into new communities through this project.”

Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England said:

“Football and creativity bring people together, and A Poem for Your Club has done just that. In places that, historically, have been underserved for cultural investment, local poets and participants of all ages have united as a community to celebrate their love of their teams through poetry. These powerful pieces speak to loyalty, loss, and belonging, and we hope they’ll inspire a lifelong love of reading and writing in the people who helped shaped them, as well as the fans in the stands.”

To help us reach more young South Londoners, you can donate here.

ABOUT ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. Its vision, set out in its strategy Let’s Create, is that by 2030 England will be a country in which the creativity of each person is valued and given the chance to flourish, and where everyone has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences. Between 2023 and 2026 it will have invested over £467 million of public money from Government, alongside an estimated £250 million each year from The National Lottery, to help ensure that people in every part of the country have access to culture and creativity in the places where they live. Until autumn 2025, the National Lottery is celebrating its 30th anniversary of supporting good causes in the United Kingdom: since the first draw was held in 1994, it has raised £49 billion and awarded more than 690,000 individual grants. Readers can visit the Arts Council’s website to learn more about its work.