Charlton Athletic confirm 'six-figure' change to The Valley for next season

Charlton Athletic bring their League One season to a close with a trip to Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday afternoon, with Nathan Jones' men having confirmed survival in the third tier.

It's been an impressive job by the Welshman, with the Addicks seemingly looking set for a tough relegation battle when the former Southampton and Luton Town man arrived in February. However, Charlton are on a 14-match unbeaten run now in League One.

That form has fans thinking ambitiously ahead of the next campaign, with Jones recently laying out a rough transfer plan for the summer. The club are also looking ahead and on Friday morning announced a major change coming to The Valley.

Charlton are set to install a new 'state-of-the-art' pitch at the stadium for the 2024/25 season with the hopes of greater durability throughout the long footballing season. The turf will be a 'hybrid-stitched Desso pitch', the club confirmed.

It's a boost for the club, with the greater durability allowing the women's team to play all their first-team league fixtures at the stadium from the 2024/25 season. The instalment is set to cost upwards of £1 million and comes thanks to a £750,000 grant from the Premier League Stadium Fund, which awards funding to clubs to support the improvement of stadium facilities for players, supporters and officials.

Work at The Valley is set to begin next month to ensure the pitch is ready for the men's final pre-season friendly of the summer, which is set to take place on Saturday, August 3.

Charlton Managing Director James Rodwell told the club website: “We’re delighted that our men’s and women’s first-teams will be playing on a new state-of-the-art pitch at The Valley for the 2024/25 season.

“Our vision for Charlton is for the club to become the most cohesive and sustainable community-driven club in the UK competing at an elite level. For us to reach that level, we need to continue to drive standards on and off the pitch. 

“This investment brings our playing surface at The Valley to that elite level. We’re grateful to the club ownership for supporting the vision financially and for the investment from the Premier League Stadium Fund.”

Supporters online reacted to the announcement as ‘fantastic news’ and ‘excellent news’. One added: “One club. One ground. One Valley.”

Louise McGing, General Manager of the Women’s team, added: “This is a game-changing moment in the history of Charlton Athletic Women. The Valley is a fantastic stadium and for us to be playing every league match here from next season gives us the perfect platform to continue to grow.”