Charlton started in 1905 as a youth team but soon turned senior and then professional. They made the Football League in the 1920s and, in the ’30s, became the first team to ever achieve consecutive promotions. For the three years just before the war, they were in the top four in the league. Just after the war, they were briefly one of the biggest…

Their south-of-the-river neighbors Millwall and Crystal Palace are rivals; so is Wimbledon to a lesser extent. Any game between Charlton and either of those is considered a South London derby. Millwall is less than four miles away, Palace about eight. Charlton fans consider Millwall the main enemy, but the other clubs rank Charlton as the…

Charlton Athletic Women’s FC play in the FA Women’s Championship, tier 2 of the pyramid. Home games are a little bit east at VCD Athletic’s ground, The Oakwood, in

The teams come out to a happy, clap-along, big-band-era tune called “Red Red Robin” by Billy Cotton. Otherwise, they have one about being “kings of the south” and hating Palace “because they’re all mouth.” There is also one called “Wanky Millwall” to the tune of “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” This is a good place to point out that their accent is…

On your way to a League One club in a neighborhood that seems ordinary bordering on dull, seeing this 27,000-seat stadium appear seemingly out of nowhere may take you by surprise. It seems bigger than that inside. It also has a steeper pitch to the seats than most stadiums, so it could be loud if it was ever filled. Almost all of what’s here has…

GETTING THERE: The Valley is one of the easier grounds to reach; it’s about a five-minute walk, if that, from Charlton railway station. Service runs there from London Bridge and Charing Cross. PUBS: The Rose of Denmark, close to the station, is a good choice. The Royal Oak on Charlton Lane, on the other side of the stadium from the station, is a…