The week got off to a thrilling start with a visit from Steve Parish, Chairman of Crystal Palace FC and himself an Old Colfeian, bringing the gleaming 2025 FA Cup and Community Shield trophies won by the club in the most spectacular season in the club’s history.
Pupils and staff were enthralled as standing alongside the shining silverware, Steve gave very special assemblies to both junior and senior schools, speaking about his own time at the school, the special place it holds in his memories, the pride he has for his lifelong football club and the joy of winning the FA Cup.
Steve spoke extremely fondly about his time at Colfe’s senior school, telling the pupils of the lifelong friendships he made at school, the support from teachers, the diversity and breadth within the pupil body, and the opportunities he was offered. One such opportunity – a lucky introduction to an early Apple model in a budding Computer Studies club – forged a passion for computers, graphics and technology, leading him to establish his own advertising production company.
The reason he spoke about this, he explained, was that many years later this business enabled him to enter the world of his other passion: football, and specifically his beloved Crystal Palace FC. In 2010 the club was in crisis, facing administration and imminent liquidation. Steve led a consortium to rescue the club and negotiated a deal to buy its ground Selhurst Park, becoming co-owner and Chairman. He spoke of the highs and lows of the club’s journey, and the absolute elation of winning the FA Cup and Community Shield at the end of the 2024-25 season, before screening a short film reliving that journey.
Two senior Assemblies were held, followed by an Assembly for junior children from Years 1-6 that included an exuberant Q&A session that prompted many lively questions including ‘did you ever play football yourself’, ‘How did you manage to buy the club’, ‘Why did you sell [Arsenal and England midfielder] Eze’ and ‘Do you have a girls’ team’.
Steve’s story was, he said, born from his very time at Colfe’s: “I am so delighted to be back here. My life was built in the corridors of this very school. It has been fantastic to come back. Much has changed and been developed here but the feeling of Colfe’s remains – it was and still is a school grounded in its south London community, diverse, supportive and ambitious. I will always be grateful for the lifelong friendships I made, the incredible support and encouragement from teachers, and the opportunities I was given. School is for its pupils and I really wanted to encourage the children today to try everything, make the most of every single opportunity they are given to find out what it is that they love and that they find most fulfilling.”
Headmaster Dan Gabriele said: “It was an absolute delight to welcome Steve Parish back to Colfe’s. He spoke movingly to pupils at every stage in three separate Assemblies, delivering such an important and inspiring message about seizing the opportunities school presents and the importance and joy that lies in discovering and igniting a passion, whatever that might be.”
