Arthur John Wait (5 April 1910 — 27 June 1981) was an English builder and life president and former

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of Crystal Palace F.C. Wait was a local builder who joined the board of Crystal Palace F.C. as a director sometime between 1948 and 1950."New Man Bloye Kills 'Moneybags' Tag", ''Croydon Advertiser'', Oct 27 1972, p.58" In 1958 he became the Chairman, before being replaced by Raymond Bloye in 1972, and he then became Life President of the club, a position he held until his death in 1981. The Arthur Wait Stand at

Selhurst Park Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst, in the London Borough of Croydon, England, which is the home ground of Premier League club Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted interna ...

is named in his honour. Wait was a lifelong Palace supporter who used to sneak into the ground as a schoolboy. During his time as chairman he oversaw a successful period for the club, gaining promotion to the First Division in 1969 and he also helped the club achieve distinction when he invited

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

over to play their first ever game in London to celebrate the installation of the new

floodlights A floodlight is a broad-beamed, gas discharge lamp#High-intensity discharge lamps, high-intensity artificial light. It can provide functional area lighting for travel-ways, parking, entrances, work areas, and sporting venues to enable visibil ...

at Selhurst Park. Wait and the board initially wanted to invite a famous club from the north of England, but after discovering the fee demanded, Wait declared: "If that's what they are going to do to us, we might as well try to get Real Madrid." Wait secured the services of the Spanish giants for a fee of £10,000 and expenses. On the evening of 18 April 1962, the Spanish

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

switched on the floodlights and Madrid secured a first half lead of 3–1 and then held on to win 4–3.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wait, Arthur J Crystal Palace F.C. directors and chairmen English football chairmen and investors 1910 births 1981 deaths People from Croydon 20th-century English businesspeople