One of the two hill country representatives in the Dialog Champions League – Crystal Palace FC looks a side that plays a long calculated game.
Khans with a vision
Founded by the two Khans – Mohamed and Arafath; in 2006 Crystal Palace FC has come up the ranks to join the elite clubs within a decade. Since the club’s inception, Palace has been dominating the Gampola Football League, showcasing their class gradually in the past years. In the past decade Crystal Palace got promoted from division III, division II and more recently in 2013 from division I to be in Champions League. Although they are yet to win a major title, they were able to cut it close at Division I and Division III tournaments twice within the past 4 years. 
The road to the top division
The club managed to bag the runner-up trophy at the 2011/12 division III tournament of the Gampola Football League; and a second runner-up trophy when their fine performance upgraded them to the Champions League in 2013/14. Even though a gut wrenching 1-0 loss to Thihariya Youth in the finals at home in the division I was hard to swallow it made Crystal Palace a much stronger unit and a rising underdog in the Champions League.
Creating history in top flight
Crystal Palace showed they had learned and matured from the division I finals loss to Thihariya Youth by finishing 15th – 5 places above Thihariya Youth in the 2014 Champions League; their first ever season in top flight.
Crystal Palace managed 5 wins and 5 draw in their 20 matches while breaking a 44 year old record. They trounced the oldest and the most successful golden boys of Sri Lankan football; Saunders SC 8-3 in their debut season. Saunders had only been beaten once before by 7 goals to 1 back in 1970 by Negombo Youth SC.
This win changed fate for the Crystal Palace players as they went on to make themselves fierce target in the eyes of the competition. Later on in the season, New Youngs SC, Don Bosco SC and Police SC were tributes to Crystal Palace’s attacks while exacting revenge on Thihariya Youth for the division I final loss. They also drew the matches with Renown SC, Negombo Youth SC, Pelicans SC, Matara City SC and Kalutara Park SC, all of which were tough opponents.
Youth the way forward
The club has made an effective and notable addition when they signed in Charith Rathnayake; current Sri Lanka squad member. The former Pelicans SC player is not only an asset to the team through performance, but his experience will be quite useful for the team as they progress in the league. 23 year old Charitha, also represented Sri Lanka in junior levels and was also a member of the small crop of young talents to visit Manchester United for a training
Along with Charith, the second highest goal scorer in the Dialog Champions League Tournament last year, Issac Aba, will be one of the club’s key players that their rival teams must definitely watch out for. The average squad age of Crystal Palace is just under 20 with the oldest Nandasiri Ekanayake being 25 years old. They have 8 school players and this young squad will have an uphill task against some of the more experienced teams but the youth will prove a force for the others as well.
This season, the club has taken chances in plenty of young players straight from school to broaden and add fresh talent to their team. Two U16 players from Gampola International College – Ifam Mohamed and Mehadi Azmil have joined the club along with Akram Mohamed from Gampola Zahira College and Shamil Hilmy from Kingswood College, Kandy. Hilmy is a part of the current Kingswood team that won this year’s All Island Schools Division II championship. Another two relatively young players in form this season are Zaid Tariq and Shimak Khan.
Captain with a target
This youthful team will be captained by a dynamic and skillful captain in Shifan Mohamed. According to their head coach, Mr. Devasagayam, skipper Shifan has great potential to push the team onwards and upwards. His goal for the league is to win the tournament and take CPFC to international grounds.
Head Coach Mr. Devasagayam with plenty of experience in the field is assisted by Mr. Fawzi Zahir. Together they have made powerful tactical strategies for the season with the hope of driving the team to victory.
Squad
Goalkeepers
Sohan Nawaratne – Mohamed Yaseer – T Gunarooban
Defenders
Khalid Azmil – Shimaq Khan – Charitha Rathnayake – Buddika Silva
Midfielders
Mohamed Shifan © – Mohamed Anas – Jean Francois – Zaid Tarik – Shamil Hilmy – Nandasiri Eakanayake – Akran Zaweer – Mehadi Azmil
Forwards
Issac Aba – Mohamed Rawzan – Criss Udobushi – Mohamed Ifam
