 was an amateur football club formed in 1861 who contributed a major role in the development of association football during its formative years.They went on to become founder members of the Football Association in 1863, and competed in the first ever FA Cup competition in 1871–72.The amateur club was thought to have disbanded around 1876, but historians have made claims that the professional Crystal Palace football club that exists today is directly linked and have provided supporting evidence that they should be recognised as the same club, the theory being that the original club was re-formed as opposed to a completely new club being created, as 
they were both owned by the same Crystal Palace Company.