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Charlton Athletic FC
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Charlton Athletic FC Information
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| Address: |
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The
Valley, Floyd Road, Charlton, LONDON. SE7 8BL |
| Telephone: |
(020)
8333 4000 |
| Fax: |
(020)
8333 4001 |
| Founded: |
1905 |
| Stadium: |
The
Valley |
| Website: |
www.cafc.co.uk |
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Charlton Athletic FC History
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Founded in 1905, Charlton Athletic
F.C. play at The Valley, in Charlton, southeast London.
Charlton were formed in June 1905 - as a boys club in an area of
Charlton which is no longer residential - near where the London
Flood Barrier is now. During their formative years playing at
the Valley there was a lack of facilities at the ground. They
often used to use a local fishmonger/fish and chip shop as a
place to get changed for games. This is where Charlton's famous
nickname is derived from "addick" as a corruption of Haddock the
main ware of this particular shop. Others claim the fishmonger
nailed a haddock to a board and made a noise during games by
slapping the two together this seems some what far fetched.
After success as a boys, amatuer and semi-professional side,
Charlton were elected to the Football League in 1921. They
gained promotion to the First Division in 1936.
In 1937 Charlton finished runners up in the First Division ,in
1938 finished fourth and 1939 finished third. They were the most
consistent team in the top flight of English football over the
three seasons immediately before WW2. This continued during the
war years and they won the "war" cup and appeared in finals.
They remained in the First Division, being finalists in the 1946
FA Cup and winning the FA Cup in 1947. In this period of renewed
football attendances - Charlton became one of only eleven
English football teams to average over 40,000 as their
attendance during a full season. The Valley was the largest
football ground in the League, drawing crowds in excess of
70,000. In 1957, as their manager from 1932 Jimmy Seed was
undermined by the then board, Charlton were relegated.
From the late 1950s until the early 1970s, Charlton remained a
mainstay of the Second Division. Relegation to the Third
Division in 1972 caused the team's support to drop, and even a
promotion in 1975 back to the second division did little to re-invigorate
the team's support and finances.
However in 1974 and 1975 the Valley, Charlton's home ground
hosted "The Who" in concerts attended by over 75,000 people.
In 1979/80 Chalrton were relegated again to the Third Division
winning immediate promotion back to the Second Division in
1980/81. Even though it did not feel like it; this was a turning
point in the clubs history leading to a period of turbulence and
change including further promotion and exile. A change in
management and shortly after a change in club ownership led to
severe problems and the club looked like it would go out of
business.
In 1984 financial matters came to a head and the club went into
administration, to be reformed as Charlton Athletic (1984) Ltd.
Away from The Valley
From the mid 1980s Charlton played at Crystal Palace's football
ground, Selhurst Park, as the team's financial situation
prevented much-needed refurbishment of The Valley. Winning
promotion to the First Division in 1986 did little to aid the
failing club.
In 1990, the club again faced relegation. That same year, club
supporters formed their own political party in response to the
London Borough of Greenwich's refusal to allow the proposed
stadium refurbishment. The Valley Party won 15,000 votes and was
able to force the council to approve plans to renovate The
Valley.
The next year, Charlton left Selhurst Park for West Ham United's
ground, Upton Park.
Return to The Valley
In 1992, at last, they returned to a new and improved Valley.
Under the leadership of manager Alan Curbishley, Charlton
returned to the top flight (now known as the Premiership) in
1998, only to be relegated again on the last day of the season.
They returned to the Premiership in 2000, where they look likely
to remain for some time. After a poor start to the 2002/03
season, losing all of their first four home games, the team
found its form with runs of four and five consecutive wins
taking them up the table. Curbishley was rewarded for this
success with the Manager of the Month award for February 2003.
In the same month the players Scott Parker and Paul Konchesky
(both graduates of the club's youth academy) were selected for
the England squad for a friendly against Australia. While only
Konchesky actually played in the match, it was the first time
ever that two Charlton players had been picked in the same
England squad.
While Charlton remains a club with a reputation for spending its
money sensibly, the current squad boasts an encouraging blend of
quality players from home and abroad. In January 2004 Scott
Parker was sold to Chelsea in controversial circumstances for
around £10 million, and in the following summer, many new
players were bought, including the Danish international Dennis
Rommedahl, Francis Jeffers and Danny Murphy from Liverpool.
Charlton became the first Premiership club to establish a formal
youth academy in the United States; the club announced that it
will open an academy in Tucson, Arizona in May 2005, and will
eventually expand the academy throughout Arizona. Charlton
already operates youth academies in Spain and South Africa, as
well as in its London home. |
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Charlton Athletic FC Honours, Trophies & Awards
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