Charlton Athletic is thrilled to introduce Valley of Dreams, a groundbreaking partnership blending business and football to improve lives throughout London and the southeast of England.
This partnership will be officially launched at the House of Commons on May 23rd. It unites the award-winning Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT), Charlton’s girls’ academy, and boys’ academy under one umbrella, separate from the professional game.
Recently recognized as the EFL Community Club of the Year, Charlton has made a £49.6 million social impact through CACT, positively affecting 25,000 local lives. CACT runs over 65 programs in the region, including a leading equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) program that helped Charlton earn the EFL’s new EDI Silver award. The boys’ academy ranks eighth in the UK, and the girls’ academy has had another successful season.
Valley of Dreams allows businesses to support the Grassroots to Excellence scheme, which helps young people achieve their potential both on and off the pitch, providing pathways into careers in health, education, media, business, and construction.
The initiative also focuses on engaging young people at risk of or involved in the criminal justice system. By employing individuals with lived experience, CACT effectively addresses risk and violence reduction, utilizing their unique insights to positively influence youth.
Charlton Athletic Board member Paul Elliott CBE MBE stated, “The Valley of Dreams initiative will transform the lives of at-risk youth and their communities. Charlton has a legacy of leadership on critical issues such as combating racism and homophobia in football, and Valley of Dreams continues this tradition. As the leading social purpose club in the country, we are making a real impact on lives.
“We aim to do even more to drive transformative change across London and southeast England, and the Valley of Dreams initiative provides an exciting opportunity to achieve this.”
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