The end of the season is fast approaching and that means we are entering the football awards season, Crystal Palace’s own awards night is being held at Fairfield Halls in Croydon on 13th May.
One of the awards that is up for grabs is the Fan of the Year award which has been organised this year by the Crystal Palace Supporters’ Trust and after 142 nominations, a shortlist of five has been drawn up with our very own editor Chris Hambling in the running.
We will of course be endorsing him throughout until voting closes but in the wake of fairness, we will also tell you who else made the top five and tell you a little bit about them and why they think, they should win the Fan of the Year award just days before the Eagles take on Liverpool at Anfield in their final Premier League way game of the campaign.
Full details on how to vote will follow but first, here are the nominees and a little bit of information about them:
Chris Hambling
I’ve been a Palace fan since 1990 – since the FA Cup semi-final win over Liverpool to be precise. From a young age I loved football but as I did not come from a family where supporting a football team had any real importance. Whilst sitting down to watch the FA Cup Semi-Final my Dad asked me who I wanted to win. Ever the non-conformist, I reasoned that since all of my school friends seemed to support Liverpool, that I would pick the other team.
From then on Palace became my obsession and I guess it’s from there that people have seen fit to vote for me. As soon as I could afford a season ticket, I have had one. First in the Lower Holmesdale and now in the Arthur Wait. I have been involved as a moderator of fans’ website Holmesdale.net for many years, where I began my online discussions with other fans. From there I developed Holmesdale Radio with the creator and producer of the venture, Michael Fairlie, and together we have put together a small band of fans who love talking about the club, with myself as lead presenter. From doing this we have managed to reach out to fans all over the world and share our love of this wonderful football club.
Lou Arnold
I was born and raised in Beckenham and don’t remember life without Palace. My family home was a bit different from the “norm” as my dad and brother are dedicated fisherman, while it was mum and I that were football fans. In the 80s we had our season ticket in their family enclosure, on away games we travelled on Joyce’s away coach and every home game I would be down the front with my autograph book. As a teenager I went to home and away games with school friends, this is how I built up my nine straight seasons personal best without missing home or away games. I became a programme seller and even a ball girl to be more involved with the club.
Having been a part of the Palace family for many years, I have friends from all four sides of Selhurst. I love helping out fellow fans with tickets for the games, fans as far as America. Last year I travelled to Austria being the only female in a nine-seater minibus to watch Palace play away to GAK in Graz. I made some great friends there and as a result created a CPFC GAK page on Facebook. I have been back since and we have welcomed GAK fans to Selhurst Park.
Nick Timotheou
I’m Nick Timotheou, although a lot of you will know me as Bubbs or Bubbs11 on the forums. Been Palace mad since my dad took me to my first game in 1978 as a five year old. That was it – I was hooked. I’ve been passionately following the Eagles up and down the country ever since. I’m now living in Scotland, but that doesn’t stop me getting to as many games as I can.
I guess I’ve been nominated for my ‘A Palace Minute’ animations. When I began them about five years ago, I never thought that they would be so warmly received. They are a bit bonkers, take me an age to do, and you have to question why a man in his 40s still plays with plasticine. But 24 episodes later, i’m glad that some people still really enjoy them.
Norman Ogden
My step dad took me my first Palace game at Selhurst in August 1938 when i was five years old. I attended Stanley Tec and stood at the back of the Holmesdale Bank with my mates. In 1970 I retired to my birthplace in Rhyl, North Wales, and visits to Selhurst were rare until I retired. These days I make the 500 mile round trip, despite being registered disabled, to take up my season ticket seat in the Stephenson Lounge, in the Main Stand.
I make a weekend of it when I come to home games. I travel first class, stay at the same hotel where I know all the staff, meet up with my Palace mates and eat and drink out. My friends and family don’t think I’m mad for making that journey – they know it’s in my blood!
Paul Phelan
My passion for Palace wasn’t passed down to me, I’ve developed it myself from scratch since the late 80s. With no family into football, I had to wait until 1994 to be old enough to go on my own to my first game. 83 grounds later and my passion only ever gets stronger. Originally in the AW, I’m now an upper tier man at home. At away games I can always be found right at the back of the stand, giving it my all and I regularly start and lead songs.
For over four years, I’ve organised away travel for my mates to every game, including organising match tickets and driving the minibus both ways for most games. My current run of consecutive competitive matches (home & away in all comps) stretches over five years and at the end of this season will be 245 straight games. I attend the vast majority of friendlies (1st team & club XI’s), including games in Ireland, Germany and Austria. I’ve been to around half the U21s home games, the odd away games and occasionally the U18s too. Probably my toughest of all this seasons trips was battling terrible traffic to Huddersfield for a very wet and windy midweek FA Youth Cup game.
You can vote for your Fan of the Year (Chris Hambling) by clicking here – voting closes 6th May 2015.
