3. parking will be given on a first come first serve basis. In the late 1930s, The Valley was one of Englands largest stadiums, and the massive east terrace the largest in the country. At this stage we hadn't seen one home fan! No further than 10 minutes west in the direction of Asda along the A206 is the Rose of Denmark and The Pickwick which are decent backups if the Antigallican is too full, as is often the case on matchdays. Soon after it was 2-0. 5 seemed excessive although this was a one-off, as the club had also combined it with their 'Yearbook', so plenty of reading material! Expect to be searched on entering the ground and there are two levels to the away stand so ask which path to follow or you may end up in the wrong section/tier. The Valley is a strange ground, the home ends seem relatively smart and modern and the away end is the total opposite. Siemens Meadow (19051907), Woolwich Common (19071908), Pound Park (19081913), Angerstein Lane (19131915), The Mount (1923-1924), Darren Bent, Luke Young, Chris Powell, Matt Holland, Jason Euell, Alan Curbishley, Lennie Lawrence, Steve Gritt, Alan Pardew, Lee Bowyer. The rivalry with Crystal Palace started in the mid 1980s when The Addicks left The Valley and played their home matches at the Selhurst Park. I had never seen this cuisine before for fans, and it was a pleasant change to the standard pie and cup of tea. Children with Cancer UK Kit An enjoyable easy to reach and very smart ground to visit, both sets of fans mingled outside without any hostility. They wanted to build new stands, too, but the local council refused them permission. Having originally intended to attend a Championship game that those helpful folk at Sky switched to a Monday night I had to settle for this east London derby and I had one of the best days out for ages. 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. Other buses mainly connect the stadium with parts of London further south or east. Q:Does the club provide any disabled supporters information i.e. One thing I found very strange was that there were no lights on in the toilets, people had to use their phone torches to see where they were aiming! The pub seemed to offer a wide range of food and drink and it is in the tourist trap of Greenwich. Visitlondon.com Official London city guide. If riverside views are your thing then the Anchor and Hope is a great shout for a pre-match pint. Choose your desirable Charlton Athletic's match / fixture and click "View Tickets". The away end had it's own outdoor facilities for food and drink including those partial to a pint of London's finest (well maybe not) so we choose to hang there with like minded people even though City fans had a pub locally sorted and it was sound place to congregate and got very busy indeed. I would recommend the Valley if you are in the area. However, it must also be noted that as wed entered only seconds before kick-off, the other impression I got of tonights encounter was of a far reduced turnout in the home stands than on previous visits. You may want to get a bus along the A206 towards Greenwich, and there are multiple bus routes available on this route. Q:How many wheelchair bays are available for your home supporters? ESE. Otherwisethere is the Anchor & Hope pub, which is also around a15 minute walk away from the Valley Ground. The journey takes 15 to 25 minutes depending on where you get on. 4. I didn't really get a chance to speak to the home fans but they seemed friendly and jovial enough. Back on the bus and got off near Charlton station. Floyd Road, Charlton, London, SE7 8BL It was an even first half, although Shrewsbury missed a penalty. Modern All Seated Attendance Record: 22 The Village, Charlton, London SE7 8UD (020 3417 5996). Having first visited in 1978 the ground has developed thru the years, and given the fact it was almost turned into a housing development in the 80's we are lucky to still have it. Get off at stop Charlton Park Road. Q:Is there a place for a personal assistant to sit with the wheelchair supporter? Left for the ground and found a chippy right next to the away end entrance. On the more positive side, The Valley had always been a pleasant away day with no problems in the past with the home fans, stewards, or the police, and one can usually enjoy good football chit-chat with the home supporters on the train both before and after the match. So we decided to give it a miss and had a drink inside the ground instead. Charlton Athletic Football Club - YouTube The home support was subdued but the away support was vibrant with 1,017 Posh fans in attendance . The first against Leeds the previous season the kick-off was delayed for half an hour due to a pitch inspection and against Blackburn on a freezing grey FA Cup 3rd Round day in the New Year the floodlights somehow went out after just 20 minutes,but thankfully came back on 10 minutes later after the players were ordered back to the changing rooms! I was very impressed upon entering the Valley ground, it's definitely up there with the nicest grounds in League One. He could easily have asked. Tours of The Valley take place every Thursday, although private tours can also be arranged. 2 further rows are in front of row A. A1 & A2 are not marked on the steps. I did not expect much from the game but the poor free kick decision cost us the break. The plan dramatically failed as the timetabled trains came passed rammed to the doors with angry football fans. Otherwise, the height between rows is good and the stand quite steep, keeping you fairly close to the playing action. Police seemed fairly intent on ensuring there were no problems outside the ground going towards Charlton Railway Station. Luckily my memory served me well as even though it was after 2pm there wasn't the usual throng of crowds to latch onto and follow! It was just along from the away entrance. We dominated both games but we came away with a 1-0 in the cup and even though Albion exerted loads of pressure, had a greater amount of shots on and off-target we gifted them two goals which has been our downfall this season and came away with a 2-2 draw. So when the opportunity arose whilst visiting Salisbury for a weekend, that Charlton were playing on the Sunday (which meant I could get another game in at Southampton on the Saturday), then off to the Valley I headed. The single-tiered East Stand compliments the ground well. I then drifted towards the smells of fast food outlets, till the friend reminded me that we could not enter a football ground without tickets. Surprise Surprise. Decent toilets that way too. E -Tickets will be sent via Email - you will have to print them out and use them at entrance. I guessed that the match risked being one that both teams might be more scared to lose, rather than going for the win. Leave the M25 at Junction 2 and follow the A2 towards London. Then an easy tube ride home; Alan and I met another Rovers supporter Steve from Chesham so passed time talking to him. Leave the A102 at the next slip road (sign posted Woolwich & Ferry A206). Charlton are hard to dislike. At the end of the First World War a chalk quarry was identified as a potential playing field, and Charlton quickly got to work levelling the playing field by removing large debris and rocks. There are no limits on the number of seats available for either home or away ambulant disabled supporters and these seats will be no further than three rows from an access point or gangway. The friend had been a regular player for the university football team, and would look at the game in a much more analytical view than what I could ever offer. With King Billy back in charge at the City Ground it seemed only right to attend his first away game back and it had the potential to turn into an absolute great day. About the match. This was to be a new ground visit for me. The North Stand, or home end was given an extra tier and extended to meet both the East and West Stands in 2002 or thereabouts and dramatically oomphed up the appearance of the stadium; you can still pick out the contours of the original seating within the lower tier of the stand and visualise how the ground used to look. 2. I. row. I could only ever envisage myself using any other method of transport for fixtures at The Valley if the railways were non-operational for whatever reason. The Valley - Charlton Athletic - London - The Stadium Guide Club: Charlton Athletic | Opening: 1919 | Capacity: 27,111 | Description: Charlton had already played at various ground when they moved to The Valley in 1919. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlton_Athletic_F.C. Fans mixed well before the match. The away end is quite open so quite chilly if cold and a wind blowing. Ridiculous priced drinks and food 4.80 for a small plastic warm bottle of cider. Personal Basket Edit. As for our hosts, the result effectively meant wed swapped places as they now sat in the bottom three. We won which makes a change when I go away. Voice of the Valley Fanzine 2 (issued eight times a season). Another benefit of where we were seated, is that a few rows behind us, there is a gigantic pillar, right behind the goal. Average Attendance After use the radio must be returned back to west stand main reception. How very wrong we were! Finding the ground was straightforward with just a five minute walk from Charlton Station. Soon after the restart Derek Adams brought on two players for Argyle Fletcher and Taylor-Sinclair on for the below par Lamieras and Songo. Always a pleasure to visit the Valley, nice to see a win. The beer was typical football standard and priced accordingly. Club: Charlton Athletic FC | Opening: 1919 | Capacity: 27,111 seats. Our new Latvian striker, Deniss Rakels made himself an instant folk-hero by scoring the winner in about the 4th minute of additional time right in front of the away fans cue riotous celebrations. The home supporters seemed friendly and seemed happy to share their pub with Forest Fans. I was now intrigued how we would fare in a few days time down at the south coast at the runaway league leaders , Brighton. One minute before half time, the impossible thing happened. Another ground to tick off the list. We were situated about ten rows from the front and to the right of the goal. Responsibly, London Hotels - Find and Book Yours And Help Support This Website, Location map of the Valley football ground, railway station and listed pubs. Use our mobile apps to share photos & reviews or find a view on the go. A lot of other people I knew were sitting behind the pillar, and there view was effected by it. Gillingham vs Charlton at the Valley for the first time in 20 odd years. Covid Restrictions may be in place when you visit The Valley in 2023. So after travelling there reached Charlton station in good time. It welcomes away supporters and also has 21 accommodation rooms. The stadiums name comes from the valley-like appearance of the area it was built in, with the first game at the ground being played before any seats or terraces were in place. Alternatively, please email ifollow@efl.com - note that live chat is recommended for the quickest response on a matchday. system that played some great music before the game commenced which rocked around the stadium. We've seen so many games involving our club where the other side would nick an unlikely goal & steal all 3 points. Ticket prices range from 17.00 for a seat in one of the corners to 29.00 for a central seat at the main stand. Then I found out that the Dartford Crossing had roadworks going on, removing the toll barriers in preparation for online toll charging a friend who lives nearby told me that the motorways had been gridlocked for days. We noticed that some stewards were just about to get a little over zealous in the policing of said area, so we jocularly asked if there were indeed box junction fines in operation at The Valley. A great day out for my birthday, great ground to visit before the game, during the game and after. The home fans and stewards were very friendly. A few minutes walk away; are the Crown, ONeills, the Morden and Zerodegrees Microbrewery. Grass Club Nickname: Stadium address: Floyd Road, Charlton, SE7 8BL. They sometimes stock a very nice organic bottled conditioned pale ale. we made our way down a hill to the Valley Stadium for 1pm. It's only a 15 minute amble to the ground but it's out the way enough to avoid the throng of other supporters if you want to avoid that sort of thing. A cracking game end to end football, how football should be. Although the food and beverage kiosks were well manned with staff, queues were still quite long. 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. The game itself was dominated by Forest which resulted in a comfortable 2-0 win, with goals from Radi Majewski and Henri Lansbury. Although I have done most of the current London clubs that are currently in the Premiership, I have not really touched the league outfits. The area around Maze Hill station is typical inner London suburbia. Im surprised the neighbours arent complaining about the noise. The biggest clashes they have are with Crystal Palace, Millwall and West Ham. There is a large area just outside the South Stand that is marked out with hatched yellow paint; it transpires that its the zone where you physically could stand with a drink and watch the action, hence it was marked out as what we christened the box junction and was being firmly policed as a no drinking zone. It has a comfortable bar showing both Sky and BT Sports. The match was fun, although with some classically Championship frustrating moments, but the atmosphere is welcoming, and The Valley does have a certain character about it. This stands on the site of what was claimed to be one of the biggest terraces in English football. Even as we approached the stadium it is well hidden from view. Home fans were awesome. I still viewed Charlton in the crucible of Matt Holland, Darren Bent and Darren Ambrose, as well as the quiet, folksy but world weary personality of Alan Curbishley. Finding the Valley Ground is a bit tricky as it is in a residential area. Rows with photos. In contrast, the away end was full and raucous, generating considerable noise drowning out the announcer and the noughties rock music. Also hats off to the person in the North Stand who banged the drum throughout. Photos Schedule & Tickets Hotels Restaurants About. Very poor from Leeds. Go past the Rose of Denmark pub on your left, under a bridge and then straight across under the busy flyover. With a stop on the way at a service station for 45 minutes, the journey took five hours, reaching the Valley Stadium at 6:45pm. I travelled on the supporters' coach so I had another tedious journey down the M1, which must win the prize for "most boring motorway in the Uk", though the huge wind turbines in Northamptonshire make an interesting change. Q:Is the club accessible to all supporters, including disability supporters and those with access requirements? A non-stop train that only takes an hour and 23 minutes. All too soon the game ended and I managed to get to the station and on a train back to central London almost straight away. My seat was in the top row of the West Stand which had great views. It is a noble ambition. Currently, Charlton Athletic Tickets are not available, keep following for live updates. Charlton started the match brightly and were clearly the best team in the opening half hour. Stewards were laid back enough and friendly. He is not an active traveller to games, but was willing to enjoy a late Summer Championship game. In the cup game, however, the stand to our right and the upper tiers were all closed. I enjoyed my trip to this game. 5. The only "bad" side is of course the away end as it's the oldest but it was absolutely packed with very noisy QPR fans so it was still an impressive site. A plenty simple affair. Your Charlton Athletic Tickets are secured for you. Even when The Valley opened the club didnt feel totally comfortable, with the 1923-1924 season seeing Charlton play their home games at The Mount Stadium in Catford ahead of a possible merge of the club with Catford South End FC. Charlton Athletic Football Club contact info: Phone number: +44 2083334000 Website: www.cafc.co.uk What does Charlton Athletic Football Club do? It took a while for all the fans to filter out of the away end as there is only one main exit. It was generally okay but not much leg room if tall. London away days are a great day out and Charlton was a ground I've always wanted to visit. Simply a case of turning right from the station exit, left at the Sainsburys convenience store, then following the road; turning right into Valley Grove the ground opened up in view. Add. The Valleyis the 27,111 capacity home ground of Championship side Charlton Athletic Football Club. In the 76th minute, Charlton introduced French midfielder Alou Diarra into the action. 75,031 v Aston Villa I could tell that the views would be decent from most areas. Once we got past the turnstiles it was very crowded in the concourse. From Delafield Road briefly turn right onto Charlton Church Lane follow by a sharp left to Floyd Road. Getting out the ground was no problem Albeit a walk up the hill to the car in thunder and lightning! The most notable thing about the public address system though was not its content but the decibel level, which is the loudest I have ever come across. Not wanting to brutally axe the day at the entrance of a classically dreary suburban London station, we walked back along to A206 to the next railway station along the line, Westcombe Park. Charlton had more possession and more shots but didn't create any good chances, it ended 2-0. A little bit of goading from the home fans but all in good spirit. Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Valley ground? 2. I watched a young student walk out of a barber shop, gentling patting his shorn hair with the desperate hope that everything had gone alright in the chair. Okay. The view was amazing. I thought Charlton was a great day out and to be able to tick off a new ground and come away with the three points and a clean sheet was fantastic. Not a bad view, will stay dry. After sampling a good few I walked the short distance to Charing Cross to catch the train direct to Charlton. Football and Travel: Independent stadium guides and travel information for football fans across the world, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Valley_(London). Take the next left into Floyd Road and then right into Valley Grove for the away section entrance. The stewards were okay but had the cheek to ask away support to sit down when we could see a few of the Charlton fans standing by where their drums were located. To say it's basic is an understatement! Comment on getting away from the ground after the game: 1200 supporters really getting behind the team. The Jimmy Seed Stand is a lot smaller than the others. I couldn't initially make up my mind whether to go to the previous week's FA Cup match or not but decided on the league match for my first visit to The Valley. The Valley does seem a ground worthy of a higher level of football and if they carry on playing as they are they could well achieve that at the end of the season. I must add and say, Isn't it strange that the only pillar in the ground is located right behind the goal in the away end? 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. The concourse was spacious with agood arrangement of refreshments and whilst not cheap, it was no more then you would expect to pay in London. 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. After wed retaken our seats for the second half, we enjoyed more of the same with Preston North End comfortably in control, and it was little surprise to any-one when Daniel Johnson curled in a cracking shot from some distance to give us a third on the night and effectively end the game as a contest. The game was cagey at times. Obviously this being a fairly recent development there is sadly no floodlights-just a row of lamps along the roofs of the East and West Stands. The away stand is the smallest at the Valley, with a small pie stand/bar with outdoor concourse on the way in. 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 havent always played their home matches there. After buying a programme for 3, we took up our seats. The older South Stand, behind the goal, is given to away supporters and now looks out of place in its smart surroundings. Possibly a stupid ambition and it is not an especially cheap exercise. At least we didn't lose! Comment on getting away from the ground after the game: Getting away from the ground was very easy and was at Charlton station for 17:05pm. It is around a 15 minute walk up the hill from the coaches to a busy shopping area with plenty of food outlets and then down again on Floyd Road before the ground comes into view. It was a short train journey from Greenwich to Charlton. To be honest the immediate area by the ground is quite run down. As the stand is the oldest & very basic I don't think the facade would be anything spectacular! London is your oyster (card) if youre hoping to stay somewhere the night before or after a Charlton game. The opening of the North Stand in 2002, completely transformed the look of the ground. The same applied inside the away end. Unlike some other grounds which just throw the person out. Contact numbers for fans using the radios will be collected by the receptionist and placed on the sign out form in the event that radios are not returned. I think the owners need to check their history on how Charlton came to return to The Valley. low level serving counters at kiosks? Q:Are there fixed positions in the stadium where commentary is available for blind and/or partially sighted supporters? I hadn't been to the Valley since its redevelopment. Getting across London was easy but I when I got to Charring Cross, was informed there was a far more frequent service from London BridgeStation to Charlton. 2. The club have got permission from Greenwich Council to increase the capacity of The Valley to over 30,000, with a second-tier being added to The East Stand. The atmosphere in the away end was quite good. As the train station was quite close to the ground we chose to have a drink in the Antigalican pub which welcomes away fans. Game was easier than the last two visits which involved early goal then hanging on, then hanging in there with late goal. I had no reason to doubt that this evening would be any different, and I joined my train at Chatham looking forward to having a few pre-match beers with an old school colleague who is like myself exiled in the south-east. At least the second trip had more Baggies on the train. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Valley Ground? Outside this stand is an impressive statue to Sam Bartram, one of Charltons most famous ever players and goalkeeper, who spent 19 years with the Addicks over a period spanning the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Then I got the Tube to Blackfriars and caught the train to Charlton. There is frequent service to Charlton from Cannon Street, London Bridge, and Lewisham stations, and rather frequent service from Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations. Decent toilet block this way too. Here are some of our favourites near to The Valley: Though the grounds newest stand was redeveloped in 2000-2001, the whole place is starting to look its age. It was an early kick off for the Sky Cameras. They served the usual food, that most teams serve. 296 Woolwich Road, Charlton, London, SE7 7AL (020 8473 0038). No problems. The Valley ground is less than five minutes from thestation. Buy Charlton Athletic FC North Stand Suite tickets at Ticketmaster.com. Plan your visit . I travelled by train from my home in Reading. On arriving at the ground I was impressed by how good it looked. I travelled from Wimbledon to London Waterloo, then took the Underground Jubilee line to North Greenwich and then a bus to the stadium. Argyle got off to the worst possible start. A great day out in London and I'd thoroughly recommend an away day at The Valley. The Valley (Charlton Athletic) - The Matchday Man I arrived in London Victoria around 9.30am so I had a look around the shops and had breakfast in a Pret before making my way to the Stadium. The tea I had at half time was quite expensive at 2 plus. This pub welcomes away supporters, has televised sports and also has accommodation (see advert below). 1 Eastern Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1FR. Definitely Premier League standard in my opinion. The stadium, like many these days since floodlight pylons became unfashionable, is invisible until you are right next to it, but when you find it, you are immediately reminded of the colour of Charltons shirts since everything is painted red, red, red. Q: Does the clubaccommodate family groups? 1. Unfortunately, it is not possible to walk completely around the outside of the stadium due to a set of red turnstiles and a red gate leading to the home fans North (and I think) East Stands. The trains all seem to go through London Bridge too which is a help. See and do . Dont know if it down to the size of the travelling support but our coach had to park a fair way from the ground (5-10 mins) and we followed the home fans to the ground. The Angerstein Hotel is just on the left. The stewards were very friendly and thanked us for travelling down to the stadium as we left and wished us a safe journey home. What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly? Even the seemingly inadequate portaloos coped. The shop currently has the following opening times: Alternatively you can browse and purchase all your Addicks related merchandise from the official online store. Q:How many wheelchair bays are available for away supporters? Box 27807. Games regularly finish in 5-5, and 4-2. The journey relatively easy due to travelling on one of the supporters coaches. It was a great view of the playing surface and we were quite close to the playing action. A formal steering group consisting of regional and local policy Join Millions of fans who trust and chose already FootballTicketNet for getting their Charlton Athletic tickets. Soon after, however, the club went into administration, and while a supporters trust managed to acquire the club, the stadium remained property of the previous owner. Click the thumbnails above to enlarge an image of each stand and to read a more detailed description of each part of the Stadium. We took the 177 bus towards the ground. Fill in your details which are relevant to your payment option you have chosen. Their fanbase is an interesting mix of southeast London and Kent working and middle classes. Because of that the travel options open to you are numerous and plentiful. 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. Q: Are away ambulant disabled supporters situated in the away supporters area? The Valley was still owned by the old club owners and this led to Charlton entering into a ground share of Selhurst Park with Crystal Palace.
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