Charlton Athletic F.C.

Charlton Athletic Football Club are a football club from southeast London. The club was founded in 1905 and currently plays at The Valley in Charlton.

History

Charlton were formed in June 1905 - as a boys club in an area of Charlton which is no longer residential - near where the London Flood Barrier is now. During their formative years playing at the Valley there was a lack of facilities at the ground. They often used to use a local fishmonger/fish and chip shop as a place to get changed for games. This is where Charlton's famous nickname is derived from "addick" as a corruption of Haddock the main ware of this particular shop. Others claim the fishmonger nailed a haddock to a board and made a noise during games by slapping the two together this seems some what far fetched.

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After success as a boys, amateur and semi-professional side, Charlton were elected to the Football League in 1921. They gained promotion to the First Division in 1936.

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In 1937 Charlton finished runners up in the First Division, in 1938 finished fourth and 1939 finished third. They were the most consistent team in the top flight of English football over the three seasons immediately before WW2. This continued during the war years and they won the "war" cup and appeared in finals. They remained in the First Division, being finalists in the 1946 FA Cup and winning the FA Cup in 1947. In this period of renewed football attendances - Charlton became one of only eleven English football teams to average over 40,000 as their attendance during a full season. The Valley was the largest football ground in the League, drawing crowds in excess of 70,000. In 1957, as their manager from 1932 Jimmy Seed was undermined by the then board, Charlton were relegated.

Related Topics:
1937 - 1938 - 1939 - WW2 - 1946 - FA Cup - 1947 - 1957

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From the late 1950s until the early 1970s, Charlton remained a mainstay of the Second Division. Relegation to the Third Division in 1972 caused the team's support to drop, and even a promotion in 1975 back to the second division did little to re-invigorate the team's support and finances.

Related Topics:
1950s - 1970s - 1972 - 1975

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However in 1974 and 1975 the Valley, Charlton's home ground hosted "The Who" in concerts attended by over 75,000 people.

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In 1979/80 Charlton were relegated again to the Third Division winning immediate promotion back to the Second Division in 1980/81. Even though it did not feel like it; this was a turning point in the clubs history leading to a period of turbulence and change including further promotion and exile. A change in management and shortly after a change in club ownership led to severe problems and the club looked like it would go out of business.

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In 1984 financial matters came to a head and the club went into administration, to be reformed as Charlton Athletic (1984) Ltd.

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