45-562: The Unity Cup was an international football tournament held in May and June 2004 at The Valley Stadium , London . Nigeria , Jamaica and Ireland were the competing sides. Nigeria won the competition with Ireland finishing second. The competitors were countries with large diasporas in London. 51°29′11″N 0°02′11″E / 51.48639°N 0.03639°E / 51.48639; 0.03639 The Valley (London) The Valley
90-637: A lease for the club to use the stadium until January 2035. On 24 September 2022, the Valley hosted a charity match, in which the YouTube group Sidemen played against other major YouTube personalities who formed the YouTube All-Stars, which included Darren Watkins , also known as IShowSpeed. Mark Clattenburg was the match referee. The match, the Sidemen's third one at the Valley, ended 8-7 for
135-576: A UNESCO World Heritage Site centred on Christopher Wren 's Royal Naval College and the Old Royal Observatory . Greenwich Community College is the main publicly funded provider of further education in the borough, offering a range of academic and vocational courses and qualifications. Anglian College London is a private college offering further and higher education courses to students from around London and overseas. In September 2013, The Royal Borough of Greenwich Equestrian Centre –
180-767: A further campus of the university at Avery Hill in Eltham , and also, outside the borough, in Medway . The Faculty of Music of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (formerly known as Trinity College of Music) is also housed in the buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital . Ravensbourne University opened its new campus in September 2010 and is located next to The O2 on Greenwich Peninsula . Greenwich Council owns many sports centres and these are operated by Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL). They also run an outdoor swimming pool, Charlton Lido . The largest football club in
225-536: A partnership between Hadlow College and the Royal Borough of Greenwich – opened. At present it offers Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications in horse care, as well as a range of part-time qualifications and a BSc (Hons) degree in Equine Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation. The University of Greenwich main campus is located in the distinctive buildings of the former Royal Naval College . There is
270-528: A supporting pillar. The Valley's highest average attendance came in the 1948–49 season when crowds averaged 40,216, making Charlton one of only thirteen clubs in English football to achieve a seasonal average of 40,000+. The Valley's lowest average attendance is 5,108 from the 1984–85 season. Highest Division One Lowest Division Two Division Three Division Three South Division Two Average attendance for every season since 1993–94,
315-612: Is a London borough in southeast Greater London , England. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963 . The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich and most of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich to the east. The local council is Greenwich London Borough Council which meets in Woolwich Town Hall . Greenwich
360-569: Is a sports stadium in Charlton, London , England with a capacity of 27,111, which has been the home of Charlton Athletic Football Club since the 1920s, with a period of exile between 1985 and 1992. The stadium is served by Charlton railway station , which is less than a five-minute walk away from the stadium. An alternative is to use the Jubilee line , exiting at North Greenwich, and changing for route 161, 472 and 486 buses, which stop outside
405-500: Is below: In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were driving a car or van, 17.5% of all residents aged 16–74; train, 10.2%; bus, minibus or coach, 10.2%; underground, metro, light rail, tram, 9.7%; on foot, 4.1%; work mainly at or from home, 2.5%; and bicycle, 1.5%. Tourism is becoming an increasingly important factor in Greenwich's economy. In 2015, 18.5 million people were expected to visit
450-474: Is high. On 9 April 2021, the club announced that from the start of 2021–22 season, the stand would be renamed to the Alan Curbishley Stand in honour of the former player and manager, and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of when Curbishley was appointed manager of the club - a role he held from 1991 to 2006. Capacity: 8,097 The West Stand was built in 1998 after Charlton's first promotion to
495-647: Is set with small rubies. Since 2000, for elections to the London Assembly , the borough forms part of the Greenwich and Lewisham constituency. The borough contains the constituencies of: All three have represented by Labour MPs continuously since the 1997 General Election. The borough's population in 2011 was 254,557. 52.3% of the community defined themselves as White British . The largest minority groups represented were of Black and Asian heritage. Approximately 44,500 international migrants arrived in
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#1732773205025540-483: Is the location of the Greenwich prime meridian , on which all Coordinated Universal Time is based. The prime meridian running through Greenwich, and the Greenwich Observatory is where the designation Greenwich Mean Time , or GMT began, and on which all world times are based. In 2012, Greenwich was listed as a top ten global destination by Frommer's – the only UK destination to be listed. To mark
585-637: The Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II , Greenwich became a Royal Borough on 3 February 2012, due in part to its historic links with the royal family , but also to its UNESCO World Heritage Site status as home of the Prime Meridian. The area of the modern borough had historically been part of the county of Kent . From 1856 the area was governed by the Metropolitan Board of Works , which was established to provide services across
630-546: The Greenwich Peninsula . It includes an indoor arena , a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas , bars, and restaurants. The following table shows the religious identity of residents residing in Greenwich according to the 2021 census. Arms were originally granted to the London Borough by letters patent dated 1 October 1965. Although much of the 1965 design has been retained,
675-703: The London Borough of Tower Hamlets and between Woolwich and North Woolwich in the London Borough of Newham . The Woolwich Ferry takes vehicle traffic and links the North Circular Road to the South Circular Road which runs through the borough. A cable car crossing linking Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Docks opened on 28 June 2012. The Thames Clippers commuter ferry service runs from Woolwich to Canary Wharf and
720-868: The London Cable Car , Eltham Palace (which expected over 100,000 visitors in 2015), Charlton House and the Thames Barrier . In addition, the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich is starting to promote itself as a tourist attraction. The borough contains the Greenwich Royal Park . A small part of the Metropolitan Green Belt is within the borough. The O2 (formerly the Millennium Dome ) is located on
765-520: The metropolis of London. In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made the County of London . From 1856 until 1900 the lower tier of local government within the metropolis comprised various parish vestries and district boards . In 1900 the lower tier was reorganised into metropolitan boroughs , two of which were called Greenwich and Woolwich . The London Borough of Greenwich
810-513: The City . All stations except Woolwich are served by Southeastern . Woolwich is served by the Elizabeth line . Abbey Wood is served by both. The only London Underground station in the borough is North Greenwich on the Jubilee line . It was opened in 1999 and it is close to the Millennium Dome , which is now The O 2 . The DLR serves Greenwich more extensively and a list of the stations
855-535: The Covered End Upper ahead of Charlton's 2024-25 season , it will have a capacity of 1,064. The club has also received provisional permission to install a safe standing area in the Covered End Lower. Capacity: 5,802 The East Stand was constructed during the 1993–94 season and fully completed in 1994. As part of the first development to the ground since the return in 1992, it replaced
900-508: The Premier League and is also two tiered. This is the main stand at the Valley with the largest capacity, and also houses the club's offices, as well as the director's box, board room dug-outs, changing rooms and the commercial centre (ticket office). There are also many conferencing rooms in this stand which are used for official and community events. There is a large statue of Sam Bartram , (considered to be Charlton's finest player) at
945-507: The Royal Borough between the years 2001 and 2011. Of these, 25% arrived from EU member states, 24.5% arrived from central and western Africa, and 18.9% arrived from southern Asia. The most common country of birth in this period was Nigeria . The Royal Borough in 2015 had a general fertility rate of 72.7 live births per 1,000 aged 15–44, higher than the London average of 63.9 and the England average of 62.5. Central Greenwich Town contains
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#1732773205025990-650: The Sidemen and raised over £1,000,000 split between the Teenage Cancer Trust , CALM , Rays of Sunshine and M7 Education charities. In March 2024, Charlton announced their intention to build a safe standing area which would be completed over the summer. Additional to this, the club had worked worked alongside the Charlton Athletic Supporters Trust to implement one of the UK's first 'Youth Specific Sections' for fans. In 2024, it
1035-477: The adjoining earthworks. The unique circumstances of the ground's initial construction led to an unusually intense bond between the club's supporters and the site that still exists. In the 1923–24 season, Charlton played at The Mount stadium in Catford but in a much more highly populated area. A proposed merger with Catford South End FC fell through and so Charlton moved back to the Valley. In 1967, Len Silver
1080-542: The bends of the river, its waterfront is as long as 8.5 miles. Travelling south away from the waterfront, the ground rises: Shooters Hill in the east and the high ground of Blackheath in the west bookend the borough, Eltham to the south of these hills falls away slightly. Greenwich is bounded by the London Boroughs of Bexley to the east, Bromley to the south, Lewisham to the west and across the River Thames to
1125-527: The borough for a day or more, generating over £1.2 billion; this figure was expected to increase by more than 25% by 2018. Evidence of the tourism boom included the construction of a 452-room InterContinental Hotel near the O2 Arena (opening in 2015). Apart from the many museums and historic buildings in Greenwich town and Greenwich Park , the main tourist attractions are the Cutty Sark , The O2 Arena ,
1170-698: The borough is Charlton Athletic F.C. , a professional club playing in the EFL League One , There are three non-League football clubs, Bridon Ropes F.C. and Meridian F.C. , who both play in Charlton at Meridian Sports & Social Club and Cray Valley Paper Mills F.C. who play in Eltham at Badgers Sports Ground. There are several rugby clubs, most notably Blackheath F.C. , who played at Rectory Field for 158 years, moving to Eltham in 2016. Blackheath Cricket Club still plays at Rectory Field. Greenwich
1215-426: The club's debts led to it almost going out of business. A consortium of supporters successfully acquired the club in 1984, but the Valley remained in the possession of the ownership of the former owner, and the club was unable to finance the improvements needed to meet new safety requirements. Shortly after the start of the 1985–86 season, Charlton left the Valley, entering into an agreement with Crystal Palace to share
1260-510: The entrance of the West Stand. Capacity: 3,469 The Jimmy Seed (or South) Stand is the oldest part of the ground, and dates from the early 1980s. This stand is named after Charlton's manager, Jimmy Seed (1895–1966) – with whom Charlton won the FA Cup in 1947. This stand has a capacity of around 3,000 and hosts the away supporters at games. It is also the only part of the Valley with
1305-614: The first full season since Charlton returned to the Valley. First Division Premier League Championship League One *Last 5 home matches played behind close doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic . **Due to the COVID-19 pandemic all home matches were played behind closed doors except for two matches which had limited crowds. Royal Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich ( / ˈ ɡ r ɛ n ɪ tʃ / , / ˈ ɡ r ɪ n ɪ dʒ / , / ˈ ɡ r ɪ n ɪ tʃ / or / ˈ ɡ r ɛ n ɪ dʒ / )
1350-521: The ground's capacity to over 40,000 by expanding the east side and completely rebuilding the south side, but these plans were abandoned after Charlton were relegated from the Premier League in 2007. In 2004, the Unity Cup was held at the Valley, with Nigeria winning the competition. Charlton's former owner Roland Duchâtelet retained ownership of The Valley after selling the football club in 2020, but subsequent owner, Thomas Sandgaard , negotiated
1395-627: The large terraces were no longer seen as desirable or safe. Charlton Athletic supporters proposed to completely rebuild the stadium so that the club could return there at the beginning of the 1990s. However, the Greenwich Borough Council overwhelmingly turned down the plans to renovate the ground. Club supporters formed their own local political party, the Valley Party, in response to the council's decision. The party ran candidates for all but two Greenwich Council seats, sparing
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1440-488: The latter's Selhurst Park facilities, the first official groundsharing arrangement in the Football League in 36 years. In 1988, the ownership of the club and the Valley were again united and, in a "grass roots" effort that harked back to the ground's initial construction, thousands of supporters volunteered to clean the venue, eventually burning the debris in a huge bonfire on the pitch. By that time, however,
1485-520: The massive east terrace, which had remained closed and prohibited from use since the mid-1980s after the Bradford City stadium fire . The East Stand consists of a single tier of seats and houses the television gantry, and also has numerous executive boxes. Occasionally, for FA and League Cup matches, part of the East Stand is used to house away supporters if the demand for away team tickets
1530-435: The north lie Tower Hamlets, Newham and Barking and Dagenham. The local authority is Greenwich Council, which meets at Woolwich Town Hall and has its main offices at the adjoining Woolwich Centre. Shaped like an astrolabe, the 18-carat gold badge on the mayor's chain depicts the time-ball on the principal building of the old Greenwich Royal Observatory, the meridian line , and lines of latitude and longitude. The ‘time-ball’
1575-498: The promoter at Hackney made an application to open Charlton as a British League speedway club, and plans were proposed to construct a track around the perimeter of the football pitch. The application was enthusiastically supported initially, but was eventually ruled out on the grounds of noise nuisance. For many years, the Valley was one of the largest Football League grounds in Britain, although its highest maximum capacity of 75,000
1620-547: The re-opening faced a series of delays before finally occurring in December 1992. Since then, the ground has undergone some remarkable changes. The north, east and west sides have almost been completely rebuilt, which gave the ground a capacity of over 27,000 by December 2001, when Charlton were in the second season of a stay in the FA Premier League which would last for seven seasons. The club had ambitions to extend
1665-427: The site. An army of volunteer Charlton supporters dug out a flat area for the pitch at the bottom of the chalk pit and used the excavated material to build up makeshift stands. The ground's name most likely comes from its original valley-like appearance. The club played its first game at the ground before any seats, or even terraces, were installed. There was simply a roped-off pitch with the crowd standing or sitting on
1710-433: The stadium. In Charlton's early years, the club had a nomadic existence, using several different grounds between its formation in 1905 and the beginning of World War I in 1914. The Valley dates from 1919, at a time when Charlton were moderately successful and looking for a new home. Fred Barned, the club’s honorary chairman, found an abandoned sand and chalk pit in Charlton, but did not have sufficient funds to fully develop
1755-416: The two councillors who had approved the new stadium plans. The party won almost 15,000 votes in the 1990 local elections, successfully pressuring the council to approve the plans for the new stadium. In 1991, construction began on the new Valley, and the club moved from Selhurst Park to West Ham's Upton Park . It was originally hoped that the club would return to the stadium before Christmas that year, but
1800-548: Was also announced a new hybrid pitch would be installed as part of a six-figure investment by the club's owners, and a £750,000 grant from the Premier League Stadium Fund. As part of the investment, the Charlton women's team would play all of their home matches at The Valley for the first time. Their first match at The Valley took place on 28 April 2024, ending in a 2–0 victory against Southampton in front of 985 fans. Capacity: 9,743 The North Stand
1845-445: Was built as a replacement for the 'covered end', and is still called by this name. It was built during the 2001–02 season as part of the developments to bring the Valley's capacity to 26,500 after promotion to the Premier League in 2000. The North Stand houses the most vocal supporters in the ground in particular the upper tier alongside a drum, along with restaurants and executive suites. A safe standing area will be installed in
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1890-477: Was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963 . It covered the combined area of the two metropolitan boroughs of Greenwich and Woolwich, with the exception that North Woolwich , on the north side of the River Thames , went instead to the London Borough of Newham . The name ' Charlton ' was briefly considered as the name for the new borough. Greenwich Council applied for city status in 2002, but
1935-499: Was one of the five host boroughs for the 2012 Summer Olympics and hosted 34 events in nine sports at three venues across the borough. Greenwich Park hosted equestrian events and modern pentathlon ; the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich hosted shooting events; and The O2 arena hosted gymnastics and basketball finals. There are foot tunnels under the River Thames between Greenwich and Island Gardens in
1980-538: Was only half the capacity of Glasgow's Hampden Park . However, Charlton's long absence from the top level of English football prevented much-needed renovation, because funds dried up and attendances fell. Charlton were relegated from the First Division in 1957 and did not return until 1986. In 1972, the club was relegated to the Third Division for the first time in the post-war era. In the early 1980s,
2025-513: Was turned down. In 2012, to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II , the borough was given the additional honorific status of being a royal borough , in recognition of the area's historic links with the Royal Family and its status as home of the Prime Meridian and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The borough lies along the south bank of the River Thames between Deptford and Thamesmead . It has an area of 5,044 hectares. Because of
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