Charlton Athletic F.C. Academy - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Charlton Athletic Football Club Youth Academy are the youth team

Youth system

Youth system is a sporting terminology used to refer to a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show enough promise, and to fill up squads numbers in some teams...

of Charlton Athletic

Charlton Athletic F.C.

Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...

. Their Under-18 team play in the highest level of youth football in England, the FA Premier Academy League

Premier Academy League

The Premier Academy League is the top level of youth football in England. It is contested between the Academy sides of The Premier League and some Football League clubs, including Welsh side Cardiff City...

, however the academy takes boys from the ages of 9 upwards.

The U18 team also has strong connotations with the Charlton Reserves

Charlton Athletic F.C. Reserves

Charlton Athletic F.C. Reserves were the reserve team of Charlton Athletic. From 1999 until 2007, Charlton Reserves were members of the FA Premier Reserve League Southern however due to the relegation of the first team at the end of the 2006/2007 season, from the Premier League to the Football...

squad, where senior members of the team may make appearances. The academy is run by the clubs development coach Damian Matthew

Damian Matthew

Damian Matthew is a professional football coach and retired footballer. Matthew is first team coach and former manager for Charlton Athletic Reserves....

who also has important roles in both the first & reserve teams & assistant academy manager Steve Avory.

History

The Charlton Athletic Youth Academy was a development of Charlton's commitment to develop young players, a scheme which started in the early-mid 1990s when there was an explosion of young talent under joint managers Steve Gritt

Steve Gritt

Stephen John "Steve" Gritt is a former English football player and manager. His playing career included spells at Charlton Athletic, Bournemouth and Walsall.-Playing career:...

& Alan Curbishley

Alan Curbishley

Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player....

. Notable players such as Scott Minto

Scott Minto

Scott Christopher Minto is an English former footballer who played as a left back in the Football League and the Premier League for Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, West Ham United and Rotherham United, and for Benfica in Portugal...

, Kim Grant

Kim Grant

Kim Grant may refer to:*Kim Grant , Ghanaian footballer*Kim Grant , South African tennis player...

, Anthony Barness

Anthony Barness

Anthony Barness is a defender, currently playing for Lewes.-Biography:Barness started out as a trainee for Charlton Athletic. It is to be noted that in his first spell at Charlton he scored Charlton's opening riposte after going 3-0 down at Newcastle, this strike was the goal of the match...

, Lee Bowyer

Lee Bowyer

Lee David Bowyer is an English professional footballer born in Canning Town, London, who plays as a midfielder for Ipswich Town of the Football League Championship....

, Richard Rufus

Richard Rufus

Richard Raymond Rufus is a former English football player, who spent his entire career at Charlton Athletic.Born in nearby Lewisham, Rufus progressed through the youth system at The Valley, making his debut for the club as a teenager in 1994 at the age of 19...

, Linvoy Primus

Linvoy Primus

Linvoy Stephen Primus is an English former footballer.Born in Forest Gate, England, to Caribbean-born parents, Primus began his professional career at Charlton Athletic; where he made four league appearances...

, Shaun Newton

Shaun Newton

Shaun O'Neill Newton is an English footballer whose favoured position is that of attacking right-sided midfielder...

, Jlloyd Samuel

Jlloyd Samuel

Jlloyd Samuel is a Trinidadian footballer who last played for Bolton Wanderers as a defender. He is a Trinidad and Tobago international.-Aston Villa:...

, Jamie Stuart

Jamie Stuart

Jamie Christopher Stuart is an English footballer who plays for AFC Wimbledon as a defender and team captain. He started his career in the Football League with Charlton Athletic, Millwall, Bury and Southend United, before dropping into non-League football with Hornchurch, Grays Athletic and...

, Kevin Lisbie

Kevin Lisbie

Kevin Anthony Lisbie is an English footballer who plays for Leyton Orient. He qualifies to play international football for Jamaica.-Charlton Athletic:...

, Paul Konchesky

Paul Konchesky

Paul Martyn Konchesky is an English footballer who plays as a left back. Currently signed to Leicester City, he has previously played for Charlton, Tottenham, West Ham, Fulham, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, joining his present club in July 2011...

& Scott Parker

Scott Parker

Scott Parker may refer to:*Scott Parker *Scott Parker *Scott Parker *Scott Parker *Scott "Jagged" Parker, one half of the professional wrestling tag team 2.0...

all came through the ranks.

This was followed by the creation of the Youth Academy in 1998, aiming to find the best local, and worldwide talent to bring to Charlton at a young age. There are many English players playing in the top tier of English football who began their footballing career at the Charlton Youth Academy, including Arsenal's Carl Jenkinson

Carl Jenkinson

Carl Daniel Jenkinson is a footballer with dual English and Finnish nationality who plays for Arsenal as a defender. He has a British father and a Finnish mother, and has represented both England and Finland at youth international level....

, Liverpool's Jonjo Shelvey

Jonjo Shelvey

Jonjo Shelvey is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool. A midfielder, he has represented and also captained England at U19 level. Previously he played for , for whom he was the youngest-ever first-team player, appearing at the age of 16 years and 59 days...

, Sunderland's Michael Turner

Michael Turner (footballer)

Michael Thomas Turner is an English footballer who plays for Sunderland.-Charlton Athletic:Born in Lewisham, London, Turner started his career at Charlton Athletic. As part of a link-up Charlton had with Internazionale, he spent several months of his apprenticeship with the Italian club's under-19...

, Spurs' Jermain Defoe

Jermain Defoe

Jermain Colin Defoe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, and the England national football team....

and Newcastle's Robert Elliot

Robert Elliot (footballer)

Robert Elliott is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne and St Kilda in the Victorian Football League .He is the younger brother of St Kilda Best and Fairest winner Glenn Elliott....

as well as current Charlton first team players Chris Solly

Chris Solly

Christopher James "Chris" Solly is an English football player, currently playing for Charlton Athletic. He plays as a defender.-Career:...

, Yado Mambo

Yado Mambo

Yado Massaya Mambo is a professional English footballer who plays as a defender for Charlton Athletic.-Career:Mambo started his career in Charlton Athletic's youth academy, before joining Welling United on work experience in August 2009, where he made six appearances in the Conference South,...

, Scott Wagstaff

Scott Wagstaff

Scott Andrew Wagstaff is an English footballer who plays for Charlton Athletic.-Personal life:Born in Maidstone, Wagstaff attended Bennett Memorial Diocesan School in Tunbridge Wells, which he left in 2006 so he could concentrate on football...

and Callum Harriott

Callum Harriott

Callum Kyle Harriott is an English footballer who plays for Charlton Athletic as a left winger.-Career:Born in Norbury, London Borough of Croydon, Harriott made his debut for the Addicks in the Football League One game against Rochdale at The Valley on 25 April 2011, which ended in a 3–1 win for...

.

In June 2010 Steve Gritt's

Steve Gritt

Stephen John "Steve" Gritt is a former English football player and manager. His playing career included spells at Charlton Athletic, Bournemouth and Walsall.-Playing career:...

contract at the club was terminated due to financial restraints. The role of Academy manager was abolished following Gritt's redundancy, and control of the youth set up has been handed over to development coach Damien Matthew & assistant academy manager Steve Avory.

Since 1998 20 Players have made it though the Academy to taste first team Football with Charlton.

National Team Caps=

Scott Parker

Scott Parker (footballer)

Scott Matthew Parker is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team. He is the FWA Footballer of the Year for the 2010–11 season. He has represented England at every level from under-16 to senior. Uniquely, he won his first four England...

England U16/18/21/England Paul Konchesky

Paul Konchesky

England U18/21/England Jamal Campbell-Ryce

Jamal Campbell-Ryce

Jamal Julian Campbell-Ryce is an English-Jamaican professional footballer currently playing for English Championship club Bristol City. He is a Jamaican international, qualifying through his parentage.-Career:...

Jamaica Kieran Murtagh

Kieran Murtagh

Keiran Zac Murtagh is an English born Antigua and Barbudan international footballer who plays for Cambridge United as a midfielder.-Career:...

Ireland U17/Antigua and Barbuda Stacy Long

Stacy Long

Stacy William Long is an English footballer who plays for Stevenage of League One as a midfielder.Long started his football career at Charlton Athletic in 1995 and progressed through the youth system, spending a total of ten years on the club's books, and although a regular in the reserve side he...

England U16 Lloyd Sam

Lloyd Sam

Lloyd Ekow Sam is a professional English footballer of Ghanaian heritage, who plays in midfield as a Winger who is comfortable playing on either side of the pitch. He is currently playing for Leeds United after leaving Charlton Athletic. As a child he spent some of his childhood living in Senegal...

England U20 James Walker

James Walker

-Politics:*James Walker , English MP for Exeter*Sir James Walker, 2nd Baronet , British MP for Beverley*Jimmy Walker , born James J...

England U18 Osei Sankofa

Osei Sankofa

Osei Omari Kwende Sankofa is an English footballer, who plays for Conference South club Boreham Wood. He plays as a defender who can play anywhere across the back line. His father was born in Jamaica and his mother was born in England of Jamaican descent...

England U18/U19 Ruairi Harkin

Ruairí Harkin

Ruairí Harkin is a footballer currently playing for Derry City in the League of Ireland.-Youth career:Harkin began his career at a very young age with Don Boscos...

Republic of Ireland U19 Rob Elliot Republic of Ireland U19 Darren Randolph

Darren Randolph

Darren Edward Randolph is an Irish football goalkeeper playing for Scottish Premier League club Motherwell. He is a Republic of Ireland U-21 international and has also been in the senior Republic of Ireland squad. Randolph has also represented Ireland at basketball.-Early career:Randolph was born...

Republic of Ireland U21 Grant Basey

Grant Basey

Grant William Basey is an English-born Welsh footballer who is currently on loan at Wycombe Wanderers from Peterborough United as a left back or central defender.-Career:...

Wales U17/19/21 Josh Wright

Josh Wright (footballer)

Joshua "Josh" Wright is an English footballer, who currently plays for Championship side Millwall. Wright signed for Millwall in November 2011, having previously played for Scunthorpe United during the 2010–11 season.-Club career:...

England U16/17/18/19 Daniel Uchechi Nigeria U20/23 Harry Arter

Harry Arter

Harry Nicholas Arter is an English footballer of Irish descent, currently playing for Bournemouth.-Club career:Arter signed his first professional two year contract with Charlton Athletic in 2007....

Republic of Ireland U19 Chris Solly

Chris Solly

Christopher James "Chris" Solly is an English football player, currently playing for Charlton Athletic. He plays as a defender.-Career:...

England U16/17 Jonjo Shelvey

Jonjo Shelvey

England U16/17/19 Rashid Yussuff

Rashid Yussuff

Rashid Olatokunbo O. A. Yussuff is an English footballer who plays for AFC Wimbledon as a midfielder.- Career :Born in Whitechapel, London, Yussuff, nicknamed Toks, started as a trainee with Charlton Athletic in 2006 making his only appearance in an FA Cup game in which Charlton beat Norwich City...

England U16/17/18 Alex Stavrinou

Alex Stavrinou

Alexander "Alex" Michael Stavrinou is an English professional footballer, who plays as a midfielder for Ebbsfleet United. He has also represented Cyprus youth at international level.-Club career:...

Cyprus U17 Tamer Tuna

Tamer Tuna

Tamer Hakan Tuna is a Turkish footballer who plays as a striker for Conference South club Bromley.-Career:Tuna, who went to Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School in Sidcup, joined Charlton Athletic at the age of nine and plays as a striker. He made his first team debut for Charlton in a 2–2...

Turkey U19 Carl Jenkinson

Carl Jenkinson

England U17/Finland U19/21 (Sean McGinty) Republic of Ireland U17/19 (Jordan Cousins) England U16/17 (Diego Poyet) England U16

Notable Academy graduates

NB: Bold players are still playing in Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...

Scott Parker

Scott Parker (footballer)

Paul Konchesky

Jason Brown Simon Ford

Simon Ford

Simon Gary Ford is an English-born Jamaican professional footballer who plays as a defender for Football League One side Chesterfield....

Charlie MacDonald

Charles Lea "Charlie" MacDonald is an English footballer, currently playing for MK Dons as a striker.-Football career:...

Michael Turner

Michael Turner (footballer)

Jonathan Fortune

Jonathan Jay Fortune is a professional footballer.-Charlton Athletic:After coming through the Charlton youth ranks and two loan spells at Mansfield Town, Fortune made his Charlton début during the 2001–02 season and became a regular figure in the Charlton first team...

Neil McCafferty

Neil McCafferty is a footballer currently playing in the IFA Premiership with Portadown.-Career:McCafferty began his career at Charlton Athletic in 2000-01. He can play either central midfield or on the right-hand side...

Lloyd Sam

Jamal Campbell-Ryce

Barry Fuller

Barry Marc Fuller is an English footballer, currently playing for Gillingham as a defender, favoured as right-back....

Stacy Long

Osei Sankofa

Adam Gross

Adam Charles Gross is an English footballer, who played a handful of games for Wales at youth level. He has also represented England on a number of occasions, turning out for the National Game XI. He plays as a left-back for Thurrock.-Career:Gross had been at Barnet since 2005, having joined on a...

Darren Randolph

Rob Elliot Nathan Ashton

Nathan Ashton

Nathan Wesley Ashton is an English footballer who is currently with Dover Athletic. He is an ex-England youth international, who had several call-ups to the England Under-20 squad....

Michael Carvill

Michael Carvill is a professional footballer who plays for Irish Premiership club Linfield as a striker.-Career:...

Myles Weston

Myles Arthur Eugene Wesley Weston is an English footballer who plays as a left winger for Brentford. He is also a capable striker.-Club career:Weston was born in Lewisham, London...

James Walker

-Politics:*James Walker , English MP for Exeter*Sir James Walker, 2nd Baronet , British MP for Beverley*Jimmy Walker , born James J...

Lawrie Wilson

Lawrie Robert Wilson is an English footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for League One side Stevenage.Wilson started his career at Charlton Athletic, and played regularly for the club's Under-18 side and reserve team until he was released in 2006...

Onome Sodje

Onome Sympson Sodje is a Nigerian footballer who plays for Vietnamese First Division club Đồng Nai as a striker.-Career:Born in Warri, Delta State, Sodje came through the Charlton Athletic Academy. He scored 14 goals in 19 games in the 2003–04 U17 FA Premier Academy League. He spent time on loan...

Alistair John

Alistair John is a professional footballer currently playing for Combined Counties League team Chessington & Hook United as a midfielder or forward.-Career:...

Grant Basey

Grant William Basey is an English-born Welsh footballer who is currently on loan at Wycombe Wanderers from Peterborough United as a left back or central defender.-Career:...

Donovan Simmonds

Donovan Ashton Simmonds is an English professional footballer, as a striker.Simmonds began his youth career with London side Charlton Athletic, before moving to Coventry City where he failed to make any appearances...

Aswad Thomas

Aswad Kwame L. Thomas is an English professional footballer, currently playing for Braintree Town.-Career:During his time with , Thomas never made his senior debut but appeared on the bench twice, being compared to former Charlton hero Richard Rufus.. He joined on loan in January 2008 where he...

Josh Wright

Josh Wright (footballer)

Scott Wagstaff
Scott Wagstaff
Scott Andrew Wagstaff is an English footballer who plays for Charlton Athletic.-Personal life:Born in Maidstone, Wagstaff attended Bennett Memorial Diocesan School in Tunbridge Wells, which he left in 2006 so he could concentrate on football...

Daniel Uchechi Harry Arter

Harry Arter

Harry Nicholas Arter is an English footballer of Irish descent, currently playing for Bournemouth.-Club career:Arter signed his first professional two year contract with Charlton Athletic in 2007....

Rashid Yussuff

Ruairi Harkin

Ruairí Harkin

Ruairí Harkin is a footballer currently playing for Derry City in the League of Ireland.-Youth career:Harkin began his career at a very young age with Don Boscos...

Chris Solly
Chris Solly
Christopher James "Chris" Solly is an English football player, currently playing for Charlton Athletic. He plays as a defender.-Career:...

Alex Stavrinou

Alex Stavrinou

Alexander "Alex" Michael Stavrinou is an English professional footballer, who plays as a midfielder for Ebbsfleet United. He has also represented Cyprus youth at international level.-Club career:...

Jonjo Shelvey

Harry Pell

Harry David Pell is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Hereford United .-Career:Pell joined the youth set-up at Charlton Athletic at the age of 7, progressing through the age groups until he was sent out on loan to Hastings United in a work experience deal in January 2010...

Tamer Tuna

Yado Mambo
Yado Mambo
Yado Massaya Mambo is a professional English footballer who plays as a defender for Charlton Athletic.-Career:Mambo started his career in Charlton Athletic's youth academy, before joining Welling United on work experience in August 2009, where he made six appearances in the Conference South,...

Carl Jenkinson

Carl Jenkinson

Callum Harriott
Callum Harriott
Callum Kyle Harriott is an English footballer who plays for Charlton Athletic as a left winger.-Career:Born in Norbury, London Borough of Croydon, Harriott made his debut for the Addicks in the Football League One game against Rochdale at The Valley on 25 April 2011, which ended in a 3–1 win for...

Valley Gold

The Valley Gold scheme was previously set up to aid Charlton's return to The Valley. When a supporter signs up to the scheme, they now have the opportunity to win up to £15,000 at half-time on home match days, as well as getting £15 off the price of their season ticket and the opportunity to have first priority to away games or high demand home matches.

Since Charlton's return to the Valley in December 1992 the scheme has since used to give financial support to the Charlton Youth Academy, to help nurture Charlton stars of the future.

Honours

Competition	\|Achievement	\|Year
FA Youth Cup FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...	Finalists	1987

Current squad

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.