The Valley - Charlton Athletic FC

The Valley is the home to Charlton Athletic FC. The Valley is easily accessed via Charlton Train Station. The Valley of today has a crowd capacity of more than 27,000, which compares to nearly 75,000 in its 1930s heyday.

The story of the Valley is one of the most remarkable in the history of the game. In 1919 Charlton were a relatively successful London football team in search of a new stadium. The venue for the new ground was a chalk pit in the centre of Charlton Village. The team then took the unprecedented step of asking the fans to help build the stadium- they turned out in their droves and dug out one of Britain’s largest Football Stadiums with picks and shovels. The chalk and clay were piled up in huge banks at the edge of the pitch and inspired the title ‘The Valley.’ Despite this heartening show of support from the fans, Charlton did not manage to emulate the success of the other large London clubs and often found themselves in the relegation battle. The lowest point came in 1985, following new safety laws every club had to undergo extensive renovations. Charlton simply could not afford to keep the Valley and were forced to share grounds with Crystal Palace and West Ham.

After 8 years away from the Valley the club finally returned in 1992, and have grown dramatically ever since. At the beginning of 2020 the club was formally bought by East Street Investments from Abu Dhabi, such that there is an expectation of good things to come from a performance and commercial perspective - watch this space!

The Valley has many facilities including a Charlton Athletic superstore where kit and books on the colorful and unpredictable history of the Valley can be purchased.