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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Simon Collings

Wilfried Zaha and Stormzy join forces to buy local club AFC Croydon Athletic

Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha and rapper Stormzy are closing in on a deal to buy non-League side AFC Croydon Athletic.

The pair are part of a three-man consortium, along with former Crystal Palace kit man Danny Young, that has exchanged contracts with the existing owners.

Croydon holds a close place in the trio’s hearts, with Zaha moving there from the Ivory Coast when he was four and coming through Palace’s academy. Rapper Stormzy was born and raised in Croydon.

A club statement said: “The consortium will own, operate and develop their childhood hometown club.

“The three consortium members are excited about developing a community asset in the borough that gave them their own opportunities. They hope to take the entire community on this exciting journey with them.”

AFC Croydon Athletic compete in the Combined Counties League Premier South Division, step five of the English football pyramid.

The club were founded in 2012 after Croydon Athletic FC withdrew from the Isthmian League and later folded.

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