Crawley Town Bolster Attack with Signing of Malcolm Ebiowei

July 24, 2026

Crawley Town Football Club have continued their summer recruitment drive with the capture of experienced winger Malcolm Ebiowei on a two-year deal, providing a timely boost as the club prepares for the 2026/27 League Two season.

The 22-year-old, who was a free agent following his departure from previous clubs, brings Premier League experience having previously featured for Derby County and Crystal Palace. Manager Colin Kazim-Richards, who knows Ebiowei well from their time together at Derby, expressed confidence that the signing will add creativity and goal threat to the Reds’ attacking options.

“Malcolm is a player I’ve worked with before and I know exactly what he can bring to the team,” Kazim-Richards told the club’s official website. “He has pace, technical ability, and the potential to cause real problems for League Two defences. We’re delighted to have secured his signature and look forward to seeing him in a red shirt.”

Ebiowei’s arrival comes amid a busy summer for Crawley Town. The club has already seen several key departures, including winger Harry Forster, defender Josh Flint, and experienced full-back Scott Malone, prompting a focused rebuild ahead of the new campaign. The signing is viewed as a strategic move to inject quality into the squad following these exits.

Supporters have reacted positively to the news, with many highlighting Ebiowei’s potential despite recent career setbacks. The player himself took to social media to express his excitement about the new chapter. “Ready to get going and help this club achieve great things,” he posted alongside images of himself in the new Crawley kit, which features a striking red, orange, and black design with modern graffiti-style accents.

As pre-season training intensifies, Crawley Town recently participated in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Chelsea under new Blues manager Xabi Alonso. While the result was not officially disclosed, sources indicate the fixture provided valuable minutes and insight for the Crawley squad against top-level opposition. The club is also scheduled to face further pre-season tests as they build fitness and cohesion.

Off the pitch, Crawley Town have enjoyed positive developments. The club recently announced the renewal of their sponsorship with Underwood Motor Company, underlining continued local business support. Additionally, CEO Summer Update 2 provided fans with insights into ongoing infrastructure improvements at Broadfield Stadium and long-term strategic plans for sustainable growth in League Two.

Currently, the Reds sit in a transitional phase following a challenging previous season. With several new faces integrating into the squad, the focus remains on avoiding another relegation battle and building a competitive side capable of pushing for mid-table security or better.

Ebiowei is expected to feature prominently in upcoming pre-season matches, giving fans an early opportunity to assess his impact. His versatility across the forward line offers Kazim-Richards tactical flexibility as the team shapes up for their opening League Two fixture.

As the transfer window progresses, Crawley Town officials are likely to remain active in the market. The club aims to balance youth and experience while creating a squad that reflects the ambition shown in recent seasons. Fans will be hoping that Ebiowei’s arrival marks the beginning of a more stable and successful period at Broadfield Stadium.

The full fixture list for the 2026/27 season has already been released, with Crawley’s home opener generating significant excitement among the local support. With new signings settling in and pre-season momentum building, there is cautious optimism around the club as they head into another competitive campaign.

Home of Crawley Town FC

Opened 1997

Capacity 6,134

History (from Wikipedia)

Crawley Town FC spent 48 years at their Town Mead home until the land was sold to developers in 1997. The club then moved to the Broadfield Stadium, about two miles across town.

In January 2012 the application for the new 2,000-seater East Stand (and facilities including new turnstiles and 
Premier League standard flood lights) was accepted by Crawley Borough Council.[4] The upgrade is required to meet the league rules which require a minimum 5,000 capacity stadium. After just one week of construction, the new East Stand was completed on 2 April 2012, bringing the total capacity of the Broadfield Stadium to 5,500. Upon completion, Crawley's first game with the new stand was against League Two side Crewe Alexandra on 6 April. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with a new record crowd of 4,723, the previous best being 4,522.[5][6]

The record attendance reached 5,880 on Saturday 5 January 2013 when Crawley Town hosted Reading in the FA Cup.
[7]

Between 2013 and 2018, the stadium was called The Checkatrade.com Stadium as part of a sponsorship deal with the online trades comparison company Checkatrade.
[8]

Stands[edit]

West Stand[edit]

The West Stand is the main stand, running two thirds of the length of the pitch. It contains club offices, merchandise shop, changing rooms and hospitality. It is raised above pitch level meaning that fans have to climb a small flight of stairs at the front to enter the seated area. Prior to the building of the East Stand, it was the only stand in the stadium to contain seats and a small section at the north end of the stand was available to away supporters. It is now entirely for home support.

North and South Stands[edit]

The North Stand and South Stand are two identical small roofed terraces. The South Stand contains the most vocal home support and the North Stand is allocated to away fans. Both stands curve around the corners of the pitch to meet up with the West Stand. The South Stand has been known as the Structured Communications Stand since December 2015.[9]

East Stand[edit]

The East Stand is an all seated roofed stand with a capacity of 2,154.[10] It is mainly for home fans although some seats at the north end of the stand are available to away supporters. The stand opened for the first time on Good Friday 2012 for the League Two home game against Crewe Alexandra.

The stand was planned following promotion to the football league in May 2011, to comply with Football League regulations. Work on the East Stand of the stadium started in early February 2012. It replaced the uncovered East terrace which was a standing area. Between 2013 and 2015 it was known as the Checkatrade.com Stand
[3] but was renamed The People's Pension East Stand in December 2015 due to a sponsorship deal with B&CE.[11]

Things to do in Crawley.