The Valley – Charlton Athletic

The opening of the North Stand in 2002, completely transformed the look of the ground. What was a single-tiered separate stand, is now a large two-tiered affair, extending and completely enclosing the North East & North West corners. In total it houses 9,000 fans. Both sides were also redeveloped in the mid-1990’s and anyone who saw the derelict Valley some years back, now wouldn’t believe their eyes. The West Stand on one side is a good sized two-tiered stand, whilst opposite is the smaller single tiered East Stand, where the vast open terrace, reputedly the country’s biggest, was located until demolished in the 1990’s. There is a row of executive boxes that run across the back of this stand and it has a television gantry suspended beneath its roof. The older South Stand, behind the goal, is given to away supporters and now looks out of place in its smart surroundings. On one side of this is a police control box.

The stadium doesn’t have any floodlight pylons as such but has rows of small floodlights running across the tops of the stands. The stadium is overlooked by a block of flats beyond the South Stand and it is not uncommon to see fans out on their balconies watching most of the game for nothing and others hanging flags from their balconies in support of other teams. In one corner of the stadium between the Jimmy (South) Seed & East Stands is a large video screen. Outside the ground, there is a statue of Charlton’s legendary former goalkeeper Sam Bartram.

Mike Keeler informs me; ‘The Club have now got planning permission from Greenwich Council to increase the capacity of the Valley to 30,900. This will involve adding a second tier to the East Stand as well as the ‘filling in’ of the South East corner of the stadium’. However formal time scales have yet to be announced as to when this will take place.

George Packman adds; ‘The Club intend to increase the capacity of the Valley to over 40,000. Following on from the first phase of the scheme, which would see an additional tier added to the East Stand, the Club then intend to re-develop the Jimmy Seed (South) Stand. This would be replaced with a similar looking structure to the existing North Stand. This would result in the Valley becoming totally enclosed and boosting capacity to 37,000. Lastly a third tier could be added to the new South Stand at a later stage, meaning that the Valley would have a final capacity of 40,600’.

Away fans are housed in the Jimmy Seed (South) Stand at one end of the ground, which is slightly raised above pitch level, making for a generally good view. Up to 3,000 away fans can be accommodated in this end. Peter Inwood a visiting Leeds fan adds; ‘There is one solitary supporting column in the entire ground and guess where it is? Right in the middle, behind the goal, in the away supporters end. Very annoying it is as well. However, I would commend the stewards, who took a relaxed attitude to the away supporters who stood throughout the match, although expect to be searched on the way in’. Otherwise, the height between rows is good and the stand quite steep, keeping you fairly close to the playing action. It is worth noting that there are refreshment areas on either side of the stand. As to be expected those located by the entrance turnstiles, tend to be busiest, whilst those on the other side of the stand are normally less congested. Food on offer includes a range of Pies; Peppered Steak (£4), Chicken Balti (£4) and Cheese & Onion Pies (£4),  These outlets are supplemented by separate hot dog stalls (£4 per Hot Dog). There is also a Ladbrokes betting kiosk inside the ground. Adam Hodson a visiting Stockport County fan adds; ‘There is a decent fish and chip shop at the top of Floyd Road, which you pass on the way to the away fans entrance.’

I was quite impressed with the atmosphere at the Valley and I can see why many away fans see it as one of their favourite away days to the capital. The Charlton fans are clearly passionate about their team but in a non-intimidating way. I had a pleasant day out and would go again. I was particularly impressed with the loud P.A. system that played some great music before the game commenced which rocked around the stadium. It is worth noting that you can only gain entrance to the ground by ticket, which you have to buy from a ticket booth beforehand.

With the main pub for away fans the Antigallican closing down and the nearby ‘Rose of Denmark’ no longer admitting visiting supporters, the choice of pubs for away fans has been severely depleted. One alternative is the Angerstein Hotel on Woolwich Road, which is around a 15 minute walk away from the Valley, going towards Greenwich/Woolwich. This pub welcomes away supporters, has televised sports and also has accommodation (see advert below). To find this pub then as you come out of Charlton Station turn left and at the traffic lights (where the closed Antigallican is on the right) turn left and proceed along Woolwich Road. Go past the Rose of Denmark pub on your left, under a bridge and then straight across under the busy flyover. The Angerstein Hotel is just on the left. Alternatively when leaving the railway station turn right at the traffic lights and there is a bus stop a short way down on the right. Take any bus heading towards Woolwich and get off after a few minutes journey, once you have gone under the flyover

Otherwise there is the Anchor & Hope pub, which is also around a 15 minute walk away from the Valley Ground. It is situated beside the Thames and although on the small side it does have some tables outside from which you can sit looking across the river. To find this pub then if you come out of Charlton Railway Station and turn left and then with the Antigallican Hotel on your right and go straight across the dual carriageway and into Hope and Anchor Lane. Just proceed straight up this road (going across one small roundabout) and at the end, turn left and the pub is just on the left. Alternatively, alcohol is available in the away end in the form of; John Smith’s (£4 pint), Fosters (£4 pint), Bulmers Cider (£4 bottle 330ml) & White Wine (£4.50 miniature bottle).

For those travelling by train, then you could get off at Blackheath (just four minutes journey time from Charlton Railway Station) and go to the pubs there. Near the station is the appropriately named Railway pub. A few minutes walk away; are the Crown, O’Neills, the Morden and Zerodegrees Microbrewery. Whilst overlooking Blackheath itself is the CAMRA Good Beer Guide listed Hare & Billet. If travelling via London Bridge then there are a number pubs close by, including some excellent ale houses around Borough Market. Blackheath is a pleasant place to wander around although the pubs can be somewhat on the pricey side.

If you have a bit of time of your hands and want to experience a different way of going to a football match, then you could catch a River Bus that sails along the Thames from Westminster to Greenwich. There are then a number of pubs and eating places in Greenwich itself and you can get one of a number of buses that run down the Woolwich Road to Charlton. See bus route map (PDF document).

Angerstein Hotel

The Angerstein Hotel is located on Woolwich Road around a 15 minute walk away from Charlton railway Station and the Valley Football Ground, or only a few minutes by bus. It has a comfortable bar showing both Sky and BT Sports. It has a good range of draught beers and has a pool table. It welcomes away supporters and also has 21 accommodation rooms. These can be booked by calling 0208 293 5695 or online via Booking.com. It is accessible to coaches, although no parking is available for them at the pub.
Address: 108 Woolwich Rd, East Greenwich, London SE10 0LE (Location Map)
Tel: 0208 858 5459
Angerstein Hotel Facebook Page

Leave the M25 at Junction 2 and follow the A2 towards London. After around 12 miles the road splits with the A2 going off to the left and the right hand lanes becoming the A102. Proceed on the A102 towards the Blackwall Tunnel. Leave the A102 at the next slip road (sign posted Woolwich & Ferry A206). At the bottom of the slip road turn right at the traffic lights towards Woolwich/Charlton. Proceed along the A206 passing the Antigallican pub on your right (the ground and away entrance are diagonally behind this pub). For the main club entrance and car park go straight over the next roundabout, passing a retail park on the left. At the next roundabout, go right around it turning back on yourself along the A206. Then take the first left into Charlton Road (beware that there is a seven feet width restriction along this road). Cross over the railway and after passing the Royal Oak pub on the right, turn right into Harvey Gardens. The ground is down on the left.

Parking at the ground is for permit holders only. There is street parking, but due to a local residents parking scheme, not in close vicinity to the ground or Charlton railway station. However as you come off the A2 onto the A206, there is some street parking to be had on your right, in a couple of streets, before you reach the Rose of Denmark pub. There is also the option of renting a private driveway near in the local area via YourParkingSpace.co.uk.

Colin Gilham informs me; ‘There is some street parking to be had around the industrial estates in the area, in Westmoor Street, Eastmoor Street (the very road where the club was apparently formed 100 years ago!), Warspite Road and Ruston Road.  If you are coming up the Woolwich Road from the the Blackwall Tunnel, then as you go past the ground, the industrial estates are on the left hand side.

Post Code for SAT NAV: SE7 8BL

The ground is a short walk from Charlton Railway Station, which is served by trains from Charing Cross, London Bridge and Waterloo East stations. On Saturdays there are also services from Cannon Street station.

Colin Gilham informs me; ‘Come out Charlton station into Charlton Church lane (all exits lead onto this road). and turn right and cross over to the other side. Take the next left into Floyd Road and then right into Valley Grove for the away section entrance’.

Darryl Chamberlain adds; ‘Although Charlton station is very close to the Valley, many people will find it easier to take the (far more reliable) London Underground. Using the Jubilee Line to get to North Greenwich station and then take a short ride on buses 161, 472 or 486 to get to the ground’.

Remember if travelling by train then you can normally save on the cost of fares by booking in advance.

Booking train tickets in advance will normally save you money! Find train times, prices and book tickets with Trainline. Visit the website below to see how much you can save on the price of your tickets:

Charlton Athletic are synonymous with The Valley but they haven’t always played their home matches there. The Addicks started out playing at Siemens Meadow for a couple of years before spending a year on Woolwich Common. Next up was a longer period, five years, at Pound Park before Angerstein Lane gave them a place to host matches through to the start of WWI. After the war had ended, the club moved into the Valley.

It’s hard to believe given that Charlton still play their games at the Valley but four years after opening, it looked like Charlton would be changing stadiums. A club merger was on the cards but failed meaning there was just a one year hiatus away from the Valley. Fast forward through the years and Charlton were making developments to their ground.

Charlton and their beloved Valley did have a break further down the line though. A combination of tightening their belts and safety red flags at the Valley meant they spent the best part of a decade playing their games at Crystal Palace’s and West Ham’s stadiums. In 1992 though, they moved back home.

The Club operates a category system (Gold and Silver) for matchday ticket prices, whereby the most popular games cost more to watch. Gold prices are shown below with Silver prices in brackets:

Jimmy Seed (South) Stand

Adults £24 (£21)
Concessions £19 (£17)
Under 18’s £10 (£10)
Under 11’s £5 (£5)

Official Programme £3.
Voice of the Valley Fanzine £2 (issued eight times a season).

When it comes to Charlton and their rival clubs, they are a rather bizarre case. They are located in South London and by the pure volume of football teams in the general vicinity have a few grudge matches. Despite that, all of their nearby clubs tend to have bigger fish to fry when it comes to derby day. The biggest clashes they have are with Crystal Palace, Millwall and West Ham.

Charlton Athletic FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website).

If you require hotel accommodation in London then first try a hotel booking service provided by Booking.com. They offer all types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced Apartments. Plus their booking system is straightforward and easy to use. Just input the dates below that you wish to stay and then select from the map the hotel of interest to get more information. The map is centered to the football ground. However, you can drag the map around or click on +/- to reveal more hotels in the City Centre or further afield.

For details of disabled facilities and club contact at the ground please visit the relevant page on the  Level Playing Field website.

Record Attendance

75,031 v Aston Villa
FA Cup 5th Round, 12th February 1938.

Modern All Seated Attendance Record:
27,111 v Chelsea
Premier League, 17th September 2005.
(This record has subsequently been equalled).

Average Attendance
2019-2020: 18,017 (Championship League)
2018-2019: 11,827 (League One)
2017-2018: 11,844 (League One)

Official Web Site:  www.cafc.co.uk 

Unofficial Web Sites:
Charlton Life
Cafc-Fans (Message Board)
Supporters Club

If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail at [email protected] and I’ll update the guide.