Palace Aid 2024 - The full line-ups, revealed!

Foundation

24 May 2024

Following a successful first match at Selhurst Park last year, Palace Aid, Palace for Life Foundation’s annual charity match, is returning with a new cast of celebrities and former players – including a number of household Eagles names – to raise money to help end youth violence in south London.

Comedian and Creative Doc Brown and Palace legend Andrew Johnson will each captain a side each in this year's charity fixture – and you can find out how the two star-studded teams will line-up in full below!

The famous faces will come together to compete for the revered Palace Aid trophy, all in aid of raising money to help end youth violence in south London. Profits will be divided between violence reduction charity Power The Fight and Palace for Life Foundation.

The match will take kick-off at 13:00 BST at Selhurst Park on Saturday, 25th May.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.

Buy Palace Aid tickets

Fans will watch the match from the views of Selhurst Park’s Main Stand from 13:00 BST on Saturday 25th May.

On the same day, Selhurst Park will also host the 2024 Crystal Palace Beer Festival. Beer Festival ticket holders will be able to watch the game, but we encourage them also to purchase Palace Aid tickets to support the fixture's good causes.

Andrew Johnson's XI

AJ’s side will be looking to avenge their 6-2 defeat in 2023 with some new and familiar faces...

Goalkeeper

Ashley Inkz, owner of the Foundation's sponsors Addicted 2 Inkz, is in goal for AJ’s XI.

He put in some impressive performances across the two training sessions, and he’ll be hoping to replicate that form on Saturday.

Defenders

A solid back line for AJ’s XI includes former Palace defender Gary Borrowdale. A Palace debutant at the age of just 17 in December 2002, left-back Borrowdale grew into a first-team berth in south London and, by the age of just 21, had already made 100 appearances in the red and blue, being named Young Player of the Season in 2006/07.

Returning to Palace Aid is comedian and Palace ultra-fan Chloe Petts. She put in a decent shift last year, but will be eager for a better result this time out.

Paul Gorton, known for his outstanding skills as a Traitor on the BBC's Traitors Season 2, also joins the AJ defence. Paul was looking sharp in training and will be hoping he can hold his own against rival Harry Clark in the Doc Brown midfield.

Luke Trotman, footballer and Love Island contestant, joins Borrowdale, Petts and Gorton in defence He’s got a wealth of experience on the field and has expressed his love of south London, as his family grew up in the area.

Ife Ogunjobi, afro-beats trumpeter, also in jazz band Ezra Collective, completes the defence for AJ’s XI. He put in a solid performance at training last week and always plays with a smile on his face – we can’t wait to see what Ife’s got.

Midfielders

Arian Kalantari, co-founder of the digital media giant LADbible, is swapping viral content for the football pitch. Trust us when we say this, Arian can play.

Also joining The Traitors alumni is Ross Carson, the other half of ‘Diana Ross’. He’ll be going up against his mum, Diane, but will have the backing of fellow star and teammate Paul Gorton on match day.

Ben Lindsay OBE, founder of Power The Fight, who we are partnering with for Palace Aid, has been solidifying his training for Palace Aid. An absolute hero in the world of supporting young people, we’re over the moon to have Ben involved and the support from him and his team has been incredible.

Host of BBC Podcast ‘For Fitness Sake’, Palace and Palace for Life super-fan Matt Thacker re-joins the squad after an incredible goal followed by what has become his staple celebration last year.

Guvna B, the award-winning rapper, is stepping onto the pitch to make his debut at this year’s Palace Aid. Known for his positive influence through music, he’s eager to channel that same vibe into football.

Well known comedian Eddie Kadi will be looking to translate his sharp wit into sharp shots at Palace Aid 2024, we can’t wait to see what he’s got!

Actor and filmmaker Femi Oyeniran moved from Nigeria to London at the age 10 before starring in UK urban cult classics like Kidulthood and Adulthood – no stranger to the spotlight, we’re sure Femi’s going to have a big impact.

Forwards

A strong forward line for AJ’s XI includes three former Palace stars; captain Andrew Johnson, Wayne Routledge and Sean Scannell.

Johnson's clever running and predatory finishing saw him bag 32 times in the 2003/04 season as Palace gained promotion from the Championship, before a further 22 goals in his debut Premier League campaign led to the first of eight caps for the Three Lions.

Routledge, meanwhile debuted for Palace at the age of 16 and helped the Eagles attain promotion alongside Johnson in 03/04, before playing every game in their ultimately unsuccessful survival bid in 04/05.

And Croydon-born joined Palace aged 14 and made his debut three years later at Loftus Road in December 2007, before scoring a 90th minute winner on his home debut against Sheffield Wednesday. He was named Palace's Young Player of the Year award in 2008; a year later he was voted Championship Apprentice of the Year, and ultimately played 141 times for the club, scoring 13 times.

Returning for round two is musician and Palace for Life supporter Nadia Rose, who grabbed assists left right and centre in training, Nadia is somewhat of a playmaker, but we know she’ll be over the moon if she get’s a goal on Saturday.

Founder of SportBible, James Parrot lives and breathes the game. We’re expecting some strong link-up play between James and LadBible founder Arian.

Completing AJ’s line up is Ramz, best known for his single ‘Barking’, whose passion for south London knows no bounds. An all-round super-star, we can’t wait to see him score a few.

Comedian Michael Dapaah, best known for portraying the fictional rapper Big Shaq (also known as Roadman Shaq), and who is also known for his mockumentary SWIL (Somewhere in London), is another strong selection for AJ’s XI. He’s going to bring energy, charisma and dedication to the game.

Management

Sheridan Kawaley, Palace for Life’ Premier League Inspires Officer has been appointed AJ XI Manager after last year’s colossal defeat. The squad will be hoping that Sheridan’s relaxed and friendly demeanour will help the team out this time around.

Joining Sheridan as his assistants are Palace for Life’ Head of Football Development and Primary Education Luke Hirst and The Traitors faithful Zack Davies, who, despite being unsuccessful on the show, will be bringing his outside-of-the-box way of thinking to AJ’s style play.