Away fans housed in West Stand Upper - Testing in 25/26 season
Dear loyal Charlton supporter,
Thank you for your support this season. Your passionate backing has been instrumental in our excellent form at The Valley, where we have won our last seven games in a row, and has played a huge part in Nathan and his team competing for promotion to The Championship.
As we work toward becoming the UK's most cohesive, sustainable community-driven club competing at elite level, we're considering ways to improve The Valley's atmosphere and matchday experience, and to make it a more efficient stadium to run.
For a few games next season against clubs with smaller away support, we may close the Jimmy Seed Stand and temporarily place away fans in the south end of the West Stand Upper. This would allow us to test the impact before considering any permanent changes to where supporters are located in The Valley. Some fans may remember that previously the Jimmy Seed Stand was a home end, and this might be something that we consider in the future as the club progresses - though of course no major steps will be taken without significant consultation and the input for the Charlton Advisory Board.
As a West Stand Upper season ticket holder, this might mean relocating you to a different section for those specific matches. If this happens, our ticket office will contact you well in advance to ensure a smooth transition.
If you have any questions, please email fans@cafc.co.uk.
Thanks again for your continued support. We don't take it for granted, and we're grateful for it.
Comments
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Never liked away fans behind the goal anyway! But if it improves atmosphere I'm all for it.
And before the 'West Stand Upper' is quiet and boring, we all gave our reasons for being there.4 -
I actually think the East Stand is the better place to have away fans but would mean the need for extra stewarding for segregation.1
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Think it's a smart move. Just small things like not having away fans behind either goal for penalties for example.6
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So I sit in west upper and don't mind placing away fans somewhere other than the Jimmy Seed.
But the email indicates they'll close the whole stand rather than allow home fans to sit there. I hate the thought of an entirely empty stand at the Valley. It screams "tinpot club" to me.
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The problem with the east is accessibility to away fans. The Jimmy Seed, and the south end of the West can both be access from the current away coach drop off point Valley Grove, and can also be accessed from the station with a minimum of fan interaction. Using the East stand would require away fans to use the Bartram gate, so means away coaching being redirected to Charlton Lane (where there isn't really the parking available) and away fans arriving by train either having to be directed the long way round via The Heights, or have them pass all the home fans on the way to their entrance.cafc_se7 said:I actually think the East Stand is the better place to have away fans but would mean the need for extra stewarding for segregation.
There's no way the police or the licensing authorities are going to be happy with away fans anywhere other than South or Southwest on anything other than a one off occasion.13 -
I have been supporting Charlton for over sixty years and I never knew that the JS stand was the home end.
No wonder I kept getting beaten up.30 -
The club doesn't seem to be confident of promotion by making this announcement at the moment, as most Championship clubs would probably bring much bigger followings than clubs in league 1.
Also, why not just say this might save a few bob, instead of the following bullshit.As we work toward becoming the UK's most cohesive, sustainable community-driven club competing at elite level, we're considering ways to improve The Valley's atmosphere and matchday experience, and to make it a more efficient stadium to run.
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Hmmmn.
Not to accommodate Charlton fans who can take advantage of better acoustics, but maybe that will come.
I am probably in a minority, but am not keen on a great big hollow of emptiness behind one of the goals, feels wrong.
Anyway I like seeing, and admiring the away support, most especially if it is a tiny gaggle of Fleetwood or Accrington fans on a cold midwinter midweek.
For me we should never chant 'your support is effing chite' to clubs with a modest but earnest away following who turn up. That chant should be reserved for when the Jimmy Seed sells out to a club that fancy themselves, but don't sing.17 -
I must admit when Brighton had most of the West Upper a few years ago, it wasn’t as intimating as a full JS stand.5
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This won’t go ahead if we get promoted.5
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I’d like to see the north upper fans/noise closer to the pitch and situated in the north lower. I had a conversation with Bowyer previously and he wanted this to happen for same reasons0
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As Clive has just said it doesn't seem they are confident of going up.
If we do go up this season there are plenty of clubs in the championship who would fill the Jimmy Seed stand.
Seems a bit silly announcing this now when we don't know what league we will be in next season.
As for most cohesive , sustainable community driven etc that's just noise.7 -
I guess if the away support is only a few hundred then squeezing them in west upper closest to jimmy seed stand would save a few quid.0
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When we get promoted..🤷♂️Callumcafc said:This won’t go ahead if we get promoted.1 -
If it means in the medium to long term we redo the JS and permanently relocate the away fans then I'm all for it, but several things would have to happen for that to take place, all of them costly2
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Dave Angel will like the wording on it, but you can’t kid a kidder.It’s there as already mentioned to save money. Anything that brings costs down I’m all for,0
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I f we get back in the Championship I can see a situation where clubs with big away support are allocated the Jimmy Seed and the South end of the West stand.3
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I've always thought giving away fans the whole JS stand is not a great idea, acoustics are very good in that stand and can prove as a negative for us, while a positive to the away team...🙄3
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What a load of bull , and what a rubbish idea , have some faith in getting promoted and sell that away end out most weeks , that’s where the money will roll in10
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In the context of closing a stand to save money the words "cohesive, sustainable community driven club competing at elite level" makes me think of us like an AFC Wimbledon/ Bromley sized club "competing". It's not a dream of ambitious owners is it.
Wasn't closing the Jimmy Seed talked about in that marketing brochure that so many in here poured scorn over.6 -
Higher income per head for visiting fans in the West.
My guess is that for potentially very big following they may consider both JS and West, as long as we're not selling out.0 -
Thinking about it, we could take the roof off and just leave the pole there in the JS stand to make it a shit experience for the away fans. 😀13
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not necessarily - might also be thinking ahead towards the play offs ?clive said:The club doesn't seem to be confident of promotion by making this announcement at the moment, as most Championship clubs would probably bring much bigger followings than clubs in league 1.
Also, why not just say this might save a few bob, instead of the following bullshit.As we work toward becoming the UK's most cohesive, sustainable community-driven club competing at elite level, we're considering ways to improve The Valley's atmosphere and matchday experience, and to make it a more efficient stadium to run.
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You couldn't get them in and out without major problems unless the South Stand was empty and so would therefore be pointless.cafc_se7 said:I actually think the East Stand is the better place to have away fans but would mean the need for extra stewarding for segregation.
It's not a bad idea trialling the Upper West.2 -
can't see it working in the Championship, even for night games.0
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if we get a stockport or a wycombe and they give us 1500, we can give them the same and fill the jimmy seed up with our fans, enhancing our chances of sucking the ball into the net - trial it ona couple of minnows before the end of the season and if we don't go up, save costs next season2
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Virtually impossible to implement.cafc_se7 said:I actually think the East Stand is the better place to have away fans but would mean the need for extra stewarding for segregation.
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