Rise Like An Eagle: the club poem being played out to a packed Selhurst Park on Saturday. It might have helped to inspire the late winner against Liverpool
New chapter: the club poem was featured in Saturday’s match programme
During their latest, remarkable victory, this time over champions Liverpool at Selhurst Park on Saturday, Crystal Palace revealed their club poem, put together by local poet Dan Simpson after a year’s work with fans, as part of “A Poem For Your Club” – a national project from the National Literacy Trust and Arts Council England.
The poem, Rise Like An Eagle, was revealed during half-time alongside a live poetry reading in the fan zone and the poem being featured in the match programme.
The project, funded by The Compton Poetry Fund, connects local professional poets to five football clubs across England (Blackburn Rovers, Stoke City, Palace, Luton Town and Portsmouth) to deliver workshops with the local community – including young football fans.
Simpson teamed up last season with the Palace for Life Foundation – the club’s official charity – to work closely with fans.
Poem For Your Club was created in response to declining writing levels and inspired by the National Literacy Trust’s two-decade long partnership with the Premier League, and aims to use the power of football to spark creativity and a love of writing with children and the local community.
Research from the National Literacy Trust found that just 1-in-4 children and young people say they enjoy writing in their free time. Writing enjoyment has halved in 15 years.
Simultaneously, young people’s writing skills have declined. Last year, almost 3-in-10 11-year-olds left primary school without the writing skills expected for their age, with those from disadvantaged backgrounds worse affected.
Local schools, fan groups and community members joined workshops at the stadium last season, where Simpson helped participants unlock their creative voices through poetry. Their ideas and words shaped the final poem, which opens:
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
“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,” said Palace’s poet-in-residence Simpson.
Well-staged: Dan Simpson read the poem, and saw three points secured
“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 that in leading creative writing workshops for children and adults supported by the National Literacy Trust, I’ve helped 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.”
Crystal Palace, in South Norwood, and the other selected football clubs are in the Arts Council’s “priority” communities, where historically there has 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 and creativity.
The poem will be shared far and wide by the club, with the aim to introduce more fans to poetry by encouraging them to read the poem about the team that they love, which for some may be their first time reading poetry for enjoyment.
Rise Like An Eagle, according to James Jenden, the Palace for Life’s education manager, is “a heartfelt poem that captures the pride, passion, and spirit of being a Crystal Palace fan, told through the words of those who live it every day”.
Jenden said: “This poem symbolised what it means to no only be Crystal Palace but to be from South London, and Proud!”
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