London Charlton Athletic Football Club

Charlton Athletic were founded in 1905 in south-east London and have called The Valley home for most of their existence. The club's history is defined by two remarkable eras: the post-war period that produced an FA Cup victory in 1947, and the Premier League years under Alan Curbishley from 1998 to 2007, when Charlton established themselves as a creditable top-flight side. The Valley itself has its own extraordinary story — abandoned in 1985 due to safety concerns, it was reclaimed by supporters through a remarkable fan-led campaign in the early 1990s that saw Charlton return to their spiritual home in 1992.

The years after Curbishley's departure brought a steep decline. Relegation from the Premier League in 2007 was followed by further drops, and by 2020 Charlton found themselves in League One, battered by a succession of controversial owners — most notably Roland Duchatelet, whose reign provoked sustained supporter protests. The club's nadir came in the early 2020s, with League One mediocrity and ongoing ownership instability testing the patience of one of London's most loyal fan bases.

Stability arrived with Global Football Partners' acquisition of the club, and Nathan Jones's appointment as manager proved transformative. Jones guided Charlton to fourth place in League One in 2024-25, and the Addicks won promotion back to the Championship by defeating Leyton Orient 1-0 in the play-off final at Wembley. It was the club's first return to the second tier since 2020, and a moment of catharsis for supporters who had endured years of mismanagement. Charlton now compete in the Championship for the 2025-26 season, with The Valley once again hosting football at a level befitting the club's stature.