Charlton Athletic F.C. Under-23s and Academy
| Charlton Athletic crest | |
| Full name | Charlton Athletic Football Club (Under-21 Development Squad and Academy) |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Addicks |
| Founded | 1905 (reserves) 1998 (academy) |
| Ground | Sparrows Lane, New Eltham, London |
| League | Professional Development League 2 (South Division) |
The Charlton Athletic Academy refers to the teams and players in the youth system of English professional football club Charlton Athletic; they play the majority of their home games at the club's training ground in New Eltham, London.
The Under-21 Development side consists mainly of Charlton's academy players who are aiming to break into the first team squad and in the near future, while senior players occasionally play when returning from injury. The current senior professional development coach for the under-21 squad is Chris Lock. They compete in the Professional Development League, League 2; the club's Under-18 team plays in the same category of the lower age group.
Reserve team history
[edit ]From 1999 until 2007, Charlton Reserves were members of the FA Premier Reserve League Southern; however, due to the relegation of the first team at the end of the 2006/2007 season from the Premier League to the Football League Championship, they were demoted to the Football Combination Central where they played against other Football League reserve teams and successful Football Conference reserve sides. At the end of the 2008–09 season the first team were again relegated to Football League One and the reserve side was dissolved as a competitive team.
Under Glynn Snodin
[edit ]In 1999 the team joined the FA Premier Reserve League Southern. Led by reserve-team coach Glynn Snodin had relative success in their first season, finishing 2nd, however in comparison the next three seasons were disappointing as the club finished 8th, 7th & 7th respectively. After this however things picked up, and Charlton became unexpected winners of the league in 2003/2004, and this was then followed by a second success at the Charlton team won the division again in 2004/2005, just a season later. This was followed by another good season, seeing the Addicks finish fourth, however popular reserve-team coach Snodin left to join Southampton as first-team coach.[1] Snodin was replaced by Mark Robson for the remainder; however, this was short-lived as Charlton faced a managerial re-shuffle after the resignation of Alan Curbishley, Mervyn Day and Keith Peacock.
Under Mark Kinsella
[edit ]With the installation of Iain Dowie as head-coach, Robson was moved to development coach, working with both the Reserve & First Team sides, however after Dowie was fired he was named assistant head-coach, under Les Reed. Mark Kinsella replaced Robson as development coach until this hiring of current club manager Alan Pardew when Kinsella was moved to reserve-team coach.[2] Despite a hectic season the team still managed to finish 6th, however due to the relegation of the first-team the club were demoted to the Football Combination Central where after spending much of the season top of the table were pipped to the post by Southampton Reserves on the last game of the season.[3]
In 2008 Mark Kinsella moved to a more senior role within the first team under Caretaker manager Phil Parkinson while the club sought after a replacement for Alan Pardew, who parted company with the club 22 November 2008. He was replaced by the club's U18 Youth Coach, Damian Matthew, for the interim period.[4] When Parkinson assumed the role of first team manager Matthew was designated Development coach, based on the same role Mark Robson had held previously.
In 2009 the reserve team was disbanded as a competitive side. With the relegation of the first team from the Football League Championship to the Football League One it was decided that the team would no longer play in the Football Combination and instead only played a number of friendly matches throughout the season.
Home ground
[edit ]
In the last nine years the reserves had many different stadia. In their first season they played their matches at Welling United's ground, Park View Road, but the stay was short-lived. For the 2000/2001 season the reserve team played their matches at the first-team's ground, The Valley, however when there was a clash in matches the reserve teams would play their games at Park View Road. This system continued until the 2006/2007 season, when the team moved their matches to Gravesend & Northfleet's ground, Stonebridge Road. The reserve team continued to play their games there in the 2007/2008 season, after the change of club name from Gravesend & Northfleet to Ebbsfleet United.
Reserve team managers
[edit ]| Name | Dates | Achievements |
|---|---|---|
| England Glynn Snodin | 2000 – March 2006 | Premier Reserve League South Champions (2003–04, 2004–05) |
| England Mark Robson (as Development Coach) | March 2006 – November 2006 | |
| Republic of Ireland Mark Kinsella | November 2006 – November 2008 | Football Combination Central Runners Up (2007–08) |
| England Damian Matthew (as Development Coach) | November 2008 — January 2011 |
Recent reserves seasons
[edit ]| Season by season record (1999–2008)[5] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Competition | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Pos |
| 1999-00 | Premier Reserve League Southern | 24 | 15 | 2 | 7 | 57 | 36 | 47 | 2/13 |
| 2000-01 | Premier Reserve League Southern | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 35 | 44 | 30 | 8/13 |
| 2001-02 | Premier Reserve League Southern | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 37 | 41 | 34 | 7/14 |
| 2002-03 | Premier Reserve League Southern | 26 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 40 | 37 | 34 | 7/14 |
| 2003–04 | Premier Reserve League Southern | 28 | 17 | 6 | 5 | 46 | 19 | 57 | 1/15 |
| 2004–05 | Premier Reserve League Southern | 28 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 46 | 21 | 61 | 1/15 |
| 2005–06 | Premier Reserve League Southern | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 38 | 29 | 46 | 4/14 |
| 2006–07 | Premier Reserve League Southern | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 28 | 24 | 25 | 6/10 |
| 2007-08 | Football Combination Central | 18 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 39 | 17 | 37 | 2/10 |
| 2008-09 | Football Combination Central | 18 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 7/10 |
Under-21s squad
[edit ]Current squad
[edit ]- As of 12 March 2025[6]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Academy history
[edit ]The Charlton Athletic Youth Academy was a development of Charlton's commitment to develop young players, a scheme which started in the early-mid-1990s when there was an explosion of young talent under joint managers Steve Gritt. Notable players such as Scott Minto, Kim Grant, Anthony Barness, Lee Bowyer, Richard Rufus, Linvoy Primus, Shaun Newton, Jermain Defoe, Jlloyd Samuel, Jamie Stuart, Kevin Lisbie, Paul Konchesky and Scott Parker all came through the ranks.
This was followed by the creation of the Youth Academy in 1998, aiming to find the best local, and worldwide talent to bring to Charlton at a young age. Numerous players have gone on to play in the top two tiers of English football, having begun their footballing career at the Charlton Youth Academy, including Carl Jenkinson, Harry Arter, Tareiq Holmes-Dennis, Kasey Palmer, Michael Turner, Robert Elliot, Jonjo Shelvey, Jordan Cousins, Callum Harriott, Darren Randolph, Joe Gomez, Ademola Lookman, Morgan Fox, Dillon Phillips, Ezri Konsa, Karlan Ahearne-Grant, Chris Solly and Harry Lennon.[7]
The Under-18 team play in the U18 Professional Development League 2 however the academy takes boys from the ages of nine upwards.
Valley Gold
[edit ]The Valley Gold scheme was previously set up to aid Charlton's return to The Valley. When a supporter signs up to the scheme, they now have the opportunity to win up to 15,000ドル at half-time on home match days, as well as getting 15ドル off the price of their season ticket and the opportunity to have first priority to away games or high demand home matches.
Since Charlton's return to the Valley in December 1992 the scheme has since used to give financial support to the Charlton Youth Academy, to help nurture Charlton stars of the future.[8]
Under 18s squad
[edit ]Current squad
[edit ]- As of 12 March 2025[9]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaching staff
[edit ]| Role[10] | Name |
|---|---|
| Academy Director | England Steve Avory |
| Academy Manager | England Tom Pell |
| Head of Coaching (U9-U16) | Wales Rhys Williams |
| Senior Professional Development Lead Coach (U21) | England Chris Lock |
| Senior Professional Development Lead Coach (U18) | England Jason Pearce |
| Lead Youth Development Phase Coach (U15-16) | England Kieran Culleton |
| Youth Development Phase Coach (Under 12-14) | England Daniel Gill |
| Academy Recruitment Manager | England Bert Dawkins |
| Head of Youth Academy Sports Science | England Alex Brown |
| Lead Academy Sports Scientist | England William Groom |
| Academy Physiotherapist | England Ashar Magoba |
| Performance Analyst (Development Squad) | England Daniel Mahony |
| Academy Performance Analyst | England Tidjane Balde |
| Kit Assistant | England Sam Perre |
Notable players
[edit ]National Team Caps
[edit ]- Nigeria Semi Ajayi Nigeria U20/Nigeria
- Jamaica Karoy Anderson Jamaica
- Algeria Wassim Aouachria Algeria U18
- Republic of Ireland Harry Arter Republic of Ireland U17/19/Republic of Ireland
- England Ade Azeez England U19
- Wales Grant Basey Wales U17/19/21
- Antigua and Barbuda Daniel Bowry Antigua and Barbuda
- England Lee Bowyer England U18/21/England
- Wales Jason Brown Wales U21/Wales
- England Mason Burstow England U20
- Jamaica Jamal Campbell-Ryce Jamaica
- Northern Ireland Michael Carvill Northern Ireland U21
- Grenada Regan Charles-Cook Grenada
- England Jamaica Jordan Cousins England U16/17/18/20 & Jamaica
- Republic of Ireland Harry Doherty Republic of Ireland U17
- England Archie Edwards England U16/17
- Republic of Ireland Rob Elliot Republic of Ireland U19/Republic of Ireland
- Jamaica Simon Ford Jamaica
- Wales Morgan Fox Wales U21
- Lebanon Hady Ghandour Lebanon U16/19/Lebanon
- England Joe Gomez England U16/17/19/21/England
- England Karlan Grant England U17/18/19
- Ghana Kim Grant Ghana
- Republic of Ireland Ruairi Harkin Republic of Ireland U16/17/19
- England Guyana Callum Harriott England U19 & Guyana
- England Tareiq Holmes-Dennis England U18
- England Finland Carl Jenkinson England U17/U21/England & Finland U19/21
- Sierra Leone Daniel Kanu Sierra Leone
- Northern Ireland Mikhail Kennedy Northern Ireland U17/19/21
- England Paul Konchesky England U18/21/England
- England Ezri Konsa England U20/21
- Fiji Joshua Laqeretabua Fiji U20
- Jamaica Kevin Lisbie Jamaica
- England Nigeria Ademola Lookman England U19/20/21 & Nigeria
- England Stacy Long England U16/17/18/19/20
- Republic of Ireland Sean McGinty Republic of Ireland U17/19/21
- Bulgaria Dimitar Mitov Bulgaria U16/17/19/Bulgaria
- Republic of Ireland Antigua and Barbuda Keiran Murtagh Ireland U17 & Antigua and Barbuda
- England Shaun Newton England U21
- England Kevin Nicholls England U18/20
- England Jamaica Kasey Palmer England U17/18/20/21 & Jamaica
- England Scott Parker England U16/18/21/England
- England Uruguay Diego Poyet England U16/17 & Uruguay U20
- Republic of Ireland Darren Randolph Republic of Ireland U21/Republic of Ireland
- England Richard Rufus England U21
- England Ghana Lloyd Sam England U20 & Ghana
- England Osei Sankofa England U16/17/18/19/20
- England Jonjo Shelvey England U16/17/19/21/England
- England Tobi Sho-Silva England U18
- England Chris Solly England U16/17
- Cyprus Alex Stavrinou Cyprus U17
- England Jamie Stuart England U18/21
- Turkey Tamer Tuna Turkey U19
- Nigeria Daniel Uchechi Nigeria U20/23
- England Antigua and Barbuda James Walker England U18 & Antigua and Barbuda
- England Antigua and Barbuda Myles Weston England U16/17/18/19 & Antigua and Barbuda
- England Josh Wright England U16/17/18/19
- England Rashid Yussuff England U16/17/18
Other academy graduates
[edit ]- England Kasim Aidoo
- England Nathan Ashton
- England Aaron Barnes
- England Anthony Barness
- England Steve Brown
- England Dean Chandler
- England Ben Dempsey
- England Alfie Doughty
- England Jonathan Fortune
- England Barry Fuller
- Republic of Ireland Dylan Gavin
- England Adam Gross
- England Brandon Hanlan
- England Alistair John
- England Jason Lee
- England Harry Lennon
- England Paul Linger
- England Sam Long
- Republic of Ireland Neil McCafferty
- England Charlie MacDonald
- England Yado Mambo
- England Ollie Muldoon
- England Harry Pell
- England Dillon Phillips
- England Joe Pigott
- England Johl Powell
- England Linvoy Primus
- Guinea-Bissau Junior Quitirna
- England Henry Rylah
- Nigeria Onome Sodje
- England Donovan Simmonds
- England Paul Sturgess
- England Jason Tindall
- England Aswad Thomas
- England Michael Turner
- England Josh Umerah
- England Alex Varney
- England James Vennings
- England Scott Wagstaff
- England Freddie Warren
- England Lawrie Wilson
- England Brendan Wiredu
Honours
[edit ]Reserve team/Under-23s
[edit ]| Competition | Achievement | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Premier Reserve League South | Champions | 2003-04 |
| Premier Reserve League South | Champions | 2004-05 |
| Football Combination Central | Runners-Up | 2007-08 |
| Professional Development League 2 | National Champions | 2013 |
Youth
[edit ]| Competition | Achievement | Year |
|---|---|---|
| FA Youth Cup | Finalists | 1987 |
| Professional Development League 2 | National Champions | 2015 |
| Professional Development League 2 | National Champions | 2016 |
| Professional Development League 2 | National Champions | 2018 |
References
[edit ]- ^ "Snodin set for Saints switch". Charlton-Athletic.co.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "New contract for Kinsella". cafc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Football Combination Central 2007/2008 Final Table". theFA.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
- ^ "Gritt relishing cup clash". cafc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2008.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Charlton Athletic F.C. Reserves History". fchd.info. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
- ^ "U21s : CAFC". cafc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ Charlton Athletic Youth Academy Archived 8 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Charlton Athletic Valley Gold Archived 27 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "U18s : CAFC". cafc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "Coaching Team". Charlton Athletic FC. 3 April 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.