Valley and Sparrows Lane lease extended to 2040

TootingRedArmy

All I know is I never want to see Charlton play anywhere but The Valley. I was there for the last game in 1984 and that unforgettable return against Pompey, moments that define what Home really means. So a 15-year lease feels like a lifeline and lifetime in football years.  Whatever the future brings, The Valley is where Charlton Athletic belongs. In a world of oligarchs, sheikhs and super-rich owners, it’s good to know our heart still beats in SE7. Where will Charlton be in 2040, none of us knows, EFL or Prem may have really sold its soul long before then an doing an "NFL style" with some league games played Stateside and in Saudi by then...... Cue Wings "Mull of Valley-tyre"

JohnnyH2

TootingRedArmy said:

All I know is I never want to see Charlton play anywhere but The Valley. I was there for the last game in 1984 and that unforgettable return against Pompey, moments that define what Home really means. So a 15-year lease feels like a lifeline and lifetime in football years.  Whatever the future brings, The Valley is where Charlton Athletic belongs. In a world of oligarchs, sheikhs and super-rich owners, it’s good to know our heart still beats in SE7. Where will Charlton be in 2040, none of us knows, EFL or Prem may have really sold its soul long before then an doing an "NFL style" with some league games played Stateside and in Saudi by then...... Cue Wings "Mull of Valley-tyre"

We left in 85 not 84

ElfsborgAddick

Callumcafc said:

The thing about Roland is as soon as you stump up his asking price, he'll add another 10% on.

I do not agree with much you post but I make you on the money here.

ElfsborgAddick

paulsturgess said:

Henry Irving said:

msomerton said:

How much is the land worth, I know that the Archbishop Tennyson School site which is 1.2acres, of Lease Hold and Free Hold land went for £7.8 million in summer 2024.

There's the rub.

Roland based his valuation on housing land in Kensington.

Charlton and New Eltham maybe up and coming but they ain't Kensington.

Plus it would be difficult, although not impossible, to get planning permission for housing on the Valley, even harder on Sparrows Lane so that limits their value to developers.

The figure I heard a few (5?) years ago was £20m to £22m for both but I wouldn't swear to that being the case now.

But £20m is something like 35 to 40 years rent assuming £500+ pa so the owners maybe content to extend the lease, giving more immediate security while chipping away at Roland's stubbornness (my own view, not inside info).

But things can change quickly in football as Luton show.

This is largely true.

but whilst Roland wouldn’t be able to find anyone else to pay that amount for the land, he could say we won’t be able find anywhere else with a fully built Premier League ready stadium. 

Luton are spending £100m+ building their new ground. 

So even if we found a site in the area able to accommodate a stadium…

Willing buyer willing seller, who blinks first etc etc. he’s got his money badly invested but we don’t have anywhere to go too, so…. 

🤷‍♂️

I had a Luton programme from 1982 and they produced an article with artists impressions for a ground in Milton Keynes.

Why it has taken them 43 years to get to this stage is beyond me.

ElfsborgAddick

msomerton said:

paulsturgess said:

Henry Irving said:

msomerton said:

How much is the land worth, I know that the Archbishop Tennyson School site which is 1.2acres, of Lease Hold and Free Hold land went for £7.8 million in summer 2024.

There's the rub.

Roland based his valuation on housing land in Kensington.

Charlton and New Eltham maybe up and coming but they ain't Kensington.

Plus it would be difficult, although not impossible, to get planning permission for housing on the Valley, even harder on Sparrows Lane so that limits their value to developers.

The figure I heard a few (5?) years ago was £20m to £22m for both but I wouldn't swear to that being the case now.

But £20m is something like 35 to 40 years rent assuming £500+ pa so the owners maybe content to extend the lease, giving more immediate security while chipping away at Roland's stubbornness (my own view, not inside info).

But things can change quickly in football as Luton show.

This is largely true.

but whilst Roland wouldn’t be able to find anyone else to pay that amount for the land, he could say we won’t be able find anywhere else with a fully built Premier League ready stadium. 

Luton are spending £100m+ building their new ground. 

So even if we found a site in the area able to accommodate a stadium…

Willing buyer willing seller, who blinks first etc etc. he’s got his money badly invested but we don’t have anywhere to go too, so…. 

🤷‍♂️

I learnt some months back, it costs £5000 to£7000 per seat to build a stadium depending on how comprehensive it is outfitted.

It makes season tickets cheap then

SoundAsa£

YTS1978 said:

A quick Google finds this...so i was kind of right. Seems like a lifetime ago!

https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/mobile/football/teams/c/charlton_athletic/8001820.stm

Cannot open?

gringo

ElfsborgAddick said:

msomerton said:

paulsturgess said:

Henry Irving said:

msomerton said:

How much is the land worth, I know that the Archbishop Tennyson School site which is 1.2acres, of Lease Hold and Free Hold land went for £7.8 million in summer 2024.

There's the rub.

Roland based his valuation on housing land in Kensington.

Charlton and New Eltham maybe up and coming but they ain't Kensington.

Plus it would be difficult, although not impossible, to get planning permission for housing on the Valley, even harder on Sparrows Lane so that limits their value to developers.

The figure I heard a few (5?) years ago was £20m to £22m for both but I wouldn't swear to that being the case now.

But £20m is something like 35 to 40 years rent assuming £500+ pa so the owners maybe content to extend the lease, giving more immediate security while chipping away at Roland's stubbornness (my own view, not inside info).

But things can change quickly in football as Luton show.

This is largely true.

but whilst Roland wouldn’t be able to find anyone else to pay that amount for the land, he could say we won’t be able find anywhere else with a fully built Premier League ready stadium. 

Luton are spending £100m+ building their new ground. 

So even if we found a site in the area able to accommodate a stadium…

Willing buyer willing seller, who blinks first etc etc. he’s got his money badly invested but we don’t have anywhere to go too, so…. 

🤷‍♂️

I learnt some months back, it costs £5000 to£7000 per seat to build a stadium depending on how comprehensive it is outfitted.

It makes season tickets cheap then

now you've gone and done it, expect a massive price hike next year!

YTS1978

SoundAsa£ said:

YTS1978 said:

A quick Google finds this...so i was kind of right. Seems like a lifetime ago!

https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/mobile/football/teams/c/charlton_athletic/8001820.stm

Cannot open?

From BBC at the time:

Charlton have sold their training ground to the club's directors in an attempt to inject money into the club.

The deal for £1.5m sees three sites used for training sold to chairman Richard Murray and honorary life president Sir Maurice Hatter.

Murray told the club's official website: "It might look like asset-stripping is going on, but that certainly isn't the case."

Charlton are bottom of the Championship, 12 points from safety.

The sale of the club's training ground, the Community Trust's Charlton Park rugby ground and the youth academy's Pippenhall sports ground was approved by Charlton plc shareholders on Wednesday.

Murray's Alliance Trust Pensions Limited and Sir Maurice's registered charity, The Maurice Hatter Foundation, made the purchases.

"The three key points are that the assets are in friendly hands, it's a 25-year lease, and if the club wants the facilities back, it can buy them back," said Murray.

"The three resolutions were all approved, so that was good. We explained the logic behind the decisions, and that Charlton won't suffer but will only benefit."

"The 25-year lease means the club has security of tenure and if, by any chance, the club came into some money which it wanted to invest back into the training ground, it's got an option to buy the training ground back."

"As most people will be aware, the directors have pumped a lot of money into the club and unfortunately, people like myself have just come to the end of their financial clout."

A residential site owned by the club near to the Valley, Lansdowne Mews, has also been sold as part of the deal to Bob Whitehand.

Definitely not asset stripping!