Charlton Athletic will be celebrating the 30-year anniversary of their historic return to The Valley with a number of events planned throughout the upcoming 2022/23 season.
This season also marks 30 years of the community programme, now fondly known as Charlton Athletic Community Trust.
The home game against Cheltenham Town on Saturday, December 3rd (3pm) falls closest to the anniversary and will see the Valley faithful come together to celebrate, with full details to be confirmed closer to the event.
Meanwhile, the Women’s team game on the same weekend will also see celebrations surrounding the return to SE7 while a legends game is also set to take place at The Valley.
A committee has been set up to oversee and deliver events throughout the season. Chaired by Steve Sutherland, Community Trust Ambassador and a former Charlton Athletic Commercial Director, it includes Fan Adviser Lucy Bishop, club legend Keith Peacock, club staff and Community Trust staff. Details about upcoming 30-year anniversary events will be announced in due course.
https://www.charltonafc.com/news/30-years-back-valley-celebrations-planned
Comments
To me undoubtedly my best ever Charlton Athletic experience.
I agree with commemorating the anniversary every year, but big celebrations should be left to major anniversaries like 10 and 25
Did I dream that?
There is absolutely no doubt that there could be no celebration if on the ground activists, especially in the media and fanzine movement, and in the wonderful Valley Party had not done their brilliant work.
Any celebration should have these guys front and centre.
Maybe this time will be different, I'm not even sure the guy running it last time was a Charlton fan at all let alone back in 1992 and prior. Last time it just seemed to be about raising money for CACT.
https://www.charltonafc.com/news/view/595526a8e96c0/sir-stuart-etherington-discusses-25th-anniversary-committees-plans
The full committee now consists of:
· Sir Stuart Etherington: Chief Executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. He is Chairman of the Patron's Fund, a former Chair of the University of Greenwich and a Charlton supporter
· Lord Michael Grade: Former Chief Executive of Channel 4 and Chairman of the BBC. A former Director of Charlton Athletic Football Club
· Jason Morgan: CEO of Charlton Athletic Community Trust, started the community programme in 1992
· Keith Peacock: Charlton’s record outfield appearance holder, club legend, former coach and now Club Ambassador
· Paul Martin: Retired senior corporate banker as Head of Charities & Social Enterprise at The Co-operative Bank and long-term season ticket holder in the Covered End
· Chris Parkes: Club Secretary at Charlton Athletic who has been working at the club since 1988
it’s just completely tone deaf.
It certainly smells to be heading the same way if those you would expect to have been part of any planning discussion have not been.
Just read the article properly;
"The club will commit a proportion of event proceeds to the Community Trust in recognition of 30 years of community work. "
Clearly, Jason will represent the views of CACT - appropriate as it is also a 30 year anniversary relevant to them - but as AB asked, who will represent The Valley Party ?
The very wording of the headline announcement from the club today states " 30 years BACK AT THE VALLEY celebrations planned ".
If I remember correctly, when we attended the 25th Anniversary dinner, it was CACT people that were organising the evening which Rob7Lee alludes to but I could be wrong.
I presume these dinners are never set up to make a loss or break even, so where does any profit made find its "home" ?
We wanted to honour the role of fans and the Valley party and that’s what we did with many of them in attendance, we felt a strong affinity with them as you can imagine and had no problem therefore with hanging off their coat tails. The club showed zero interest at the time but some staff members did and helped us.
https://issuu.com/castrust/docs/castrustnews1
https://issuu.com/castrust/docs/castrustnews2/1?ff
I don't get the initial distrust that this initiative wont engage with wider stakeholders - surely its initial meetings will do just that i..e get some ideas on the table and consider who else do they & work with etc. I don't see how at this very early stage it can be 'tone deaf'.
Am I missing something?
I trudged up and down the bleak tower blocks in the Deptford part of Greenwich delivering Valley party leaflets, canvassed around the old Eltham baths area, demonstrated outside the Town hall keeping fans informed by alternating with Andy Lopata using a bullhorn, went down to help paint the new fences at the Valley and so much more, much more.
And I can confidently say my contribution was a minor footnote compared with the contributions of so many others. Quite a few of whom are no longer with us God bless their hearts.
A dreary fund raising dinner eating grey slop may have it’s place for some, but for me the event ought to be more about informing the younger generation about quite how powerful and vibrant the battle for the Valley was, rather than simply marking a moment in time. Not to aggrandise activists, but to let others know about the blood sweat and tears expended.
And how without the return we would have no club.
The club wish to celebrate 30 years since our return - that's great, fitting etc etc.
But they've already set up a committee, which again, like the 25 year Anniversary, doesn't include ANYONE (not just Airman who I'm sure would say himself he isn't the ONLY one or necessarily the key person although probably holds more knowledge on the subject than most) who in reality was involved to any degree in the return.
To be fair last time outside of Chris Parkes they had zero idea about anything that happened in or pre 1992.
Don't you think it would have been a good idea to have included certain elements of the fan base in the initial discussions/set up and preparation/committee prior to the release on the website? Was it discussed at the recent fans forum?
I hope to be proved wrong, but last time in reality it was all about raising money for CACT rather than a celebration of all what was achieved by so many people (my sole contribution was £150 in the VIP scheme so I've no axe to grind as it won't include me, nor should it).
There's one Fan involved, no offence to Lucy but I suspect she was still in primary school for the return in 1992 and probably still in nappies when the Valley Party was being formed/ideas being circulated and likely not even born when we left in the mid 80's. Lets not forget she's 'employed' by the club (all be it in an unpaid role) to advise them on fans, not really represent fans (we have other groups such as the elected members of the CAST Board to do that, have they been consulted?).
So having had a very minor involvement 5 years ago, this to me is heading in the same direction and the same mistakes (which the club/representatives acknowledged were made at the time) are being made.
Whatever anybody might say I would argue that both Steve Sutherland and Jason Morgan…amongst other well known Charltonians like Martin Simons and of course Steve Gritt were part of the whole enterprise back then.