Valley Gold and Jackpot latest

Fanny Fanackapan said:

follett said:

Any idea how many valley gold members we have?

I've wondered that in the past.

Do members ever see an annual breakdown of the income, prize money, admin costs etc and how much is  donated to the Academy?  

I noted that home match Exec Box invitations are no longer offered & replaced by a Hospitality place it seems. 

Those long term members of VG would have joined to support the Academy & not with priority for the purchase of away tickets in mind or indeed, the possibility of monetary prizes. As such, unless I've missed any relevant feedback over the years, surely a pertinent question is what percentage of income directly supports our Academy. 

Just asking....

Sorry, only just saw this. 

We have just short of 3000 members now, reflecting a fairly consistent increase over the last 12-18 months. It's been over 2000 pretty consistently for a few years. 

On average we've given around £100k per annum directly to the Academy for new projects, equipment, etc. in addition to things like the minibuses, sponsoring Player Care etc., but with the increase in members we're currently doing more (and we additionally supported the Cat1 application under Sandgaard with over £150k). We've probably supplemented the Academy by around 10% of their budget, although it's a smaller percentage at present ad the budget has increased. 

When I joined the management committee we were donating in the form of two lump sums a year, but people will recall that the Duchatelet / Meire years and the general lack of trust then meant that we decided instead to respond only to specific requests for funding against trackable projects. 

In the decade since we've funded every player group trip across all age groups, including memorable and life changing trips to Argentina and Spain, training ground dug outs and equipment, we have funded the annual Valley Gold youth tournament, which has given our young players the opportunity to play against some of the biggest clubs in the UK and Europe over the years, and much more. In addition to all the above, we've also sponsored the Crossbar Challenge (£12.5k pa) and funded the Exec Box (you're right that's stopped now - we used to get a discounted rate as it would otherwise have been empty, but the full price the club now demands isn't good value for our members' fees). I reckon all in we've added at least a further £50k on average on top of the donations each year, but could be more. 

We are subject to strict limitations on expenses and prizes under the Gambling Act, which also ensures the club can't make their own decisions about funding that benefits them because the independent chair and two supporters reps hold the majority (it would be illegal for a private company to manage a small lottery organisation for its own commercial benefit) and typically in practice are the only committee members who actually decide on funding. Our expenditure includes a full time Promoter / Administrator, Carlie, who's brilliant by the way if you've ever had need to engage with her. The chair and supporters reps are volunteers and are not funded in any way - I don't believe either of us have ever even tried to claim expenses. 

We could donate more to the Academy if we didn't sponsor the Crossbar Challenge, or gave out fewer prizes. It's always been a balancing act as the fees aren't small (although they've never changed, that said) and people do need to feel there's something in return for their membership. Personally I would make some changes, and I've long felt we'd be able to do even more with more backing from the club.

It's been a cracking scheme, has made a genuine difference to the players and staff (which is the point), and we do provide newsletters via email to keep members updated as to what we do. I've also presented at various supporters meetings and at Trust AGMs and their Academy Q&As over the years. 

If you're missing the newsletter or other updates, drop Carlie a note with your email address and we'll make sure you're on the list.

Thanks for your ongoing support. 

Yes, thanks, rikofold.

But how do I check if my number's still in the hat ? 

The u21 training day at Sparrows Lane that me and my son went to in October was so good, hope they do the same so that others can visit. 

rikofold said:

Fanny Fanackapan said:

Yes, thanks, rikofold.

But how do I check if my number's still in the hat ? 

We always draw a fake person and have a monthly jolly on the cash instead...

Could you not pull F/F's numder out for the crossbar challenge and inssist that she takes it 😀😀😀😀 

CAFCDAZ said:

Not sure if this is the right place, but noticed this year my ST didn't get a VG discount, which for the past 10+ years i have always had. It seems it's no longer a thing, did the club ever mention this as it wasn't something i remember seeing communicated? only positive was the £250 quid i won on VG this weekend, at least that softened a small blow 

Valley Gold

In previous seasons, those with Valley Gold subscriptions have enjoyed a small discount on season tickets. Alongside the Charlton Advisory Board and the Valley Gold committee, we are engaging in a review of potential future membership scheme formats, including how Valley Gold - a much-loved and historic part of the Charlton Athletic family which provides excellent opportunities for our academy including in recent years numerous tours abroad and new academy mini-busses - might develop.

The programme will launch before the start of the 2026/27 season, and include within it a rebate for season-ticket holders at least equal to previous discount levels.

https://www.charltonafc.com/news/202627-season-tickets-sale-now

There never seems to be hardly any winners below 300. Yet loads 5000 plus. Are us long serving members getting punished.