Charlton Athletic Personalised Gifts
Our Charlton Athletic Gifts are unofficial products, and are in no way affiliated with Charlton Athletic FC, unless specifically stated in the product information.
Charlton Athletic Memorabilia and Gift Ideas
GoneDigging has a fabulous range of personalised Charlton Athletic merchandise, including unique memorabilia and great gift ideas. Below you will find a selection of our most popular Charlton Athletic gifts, in addition to a few interesting facts about the Addicks.
Brief History of Charlton Athletic FC
Charlton Athletic was founded in 1905, when youth clubs in South-East London combined to form a football team. The club turned professional in 1920 and it has since enjoyed many periods of top flight football. The Addicks fell down to the Third Division in 1935, but following two consecutive promotions, they finished as runners-up of the First Division in 1937. Charlton remained consistently successful over the next ten years and reached the FA Cup final in 1946 and 1947. Although the club lost to Derby County in the 1946 final, the Addicks beat Burnley 1-0 in 1947. Results declined in the following decades and in 1972, Charlton Athletic was relegated to the Third Division. As a result, attendance levels dropped considerably and the club began to struggle financially. Charlton was forced to leave the Valley in 1985, but finally returned in 1992, due to the fundraising and political campaigning of fans. The return home inspired the team and they reached the Premiership in 2003.
Did you know…
Charlton Athletic is nicknamed “The Addicks". Some believe this reflects the South-East Londoners pronunciation of the the word ‘Athletic.’ However, it seems more likely that the name is in reference to a local fish and chip shop. The owner, Arthur ‘Ikey’ Bryan, used to shout ‘haddocks’ to help sell his fish and he congratulated the team for every win with a free meal.
The club has played home games at The Valley since 1919. The stadium was originally a chalk quarry, known as ‘Swamps’, and extensive work was carried out to ensure a level playing surface. Following further improvements in the 1930s, The Valley became one of the largest grounds in the country in terms of capacity. In 1938, over 75,000 fans filled the stadium to watch an FA Cup tie with Aston Villa. Charlton Athletic was forced to play elsewhere for seven years between 1985 and 1992, but returned with a 1-0 home win against Portsmouth. Three stands have since been redeveloped and following the Taylor Report’s demand for stadia to be all-seated, capacity now stands at 27,111.
Charlton Athletic Memorabilia
We offer an exciting range of personalised Charlton Athletic gifts, which includes various items of club memorabilia. These presents can be kept for years to come and they are a terrific idea for any fan of the Addicks.
Our Personalised Charlton Athletic Football Book incorporates a variety of match reports written by journalists who were there at the time. This reproduced newspaper coverage forms a fascinating record of the biggest games in the club’s history.
The Football Book opens with Charlton’s promotion to the Second Division in 1929 and it also incorporates promotion to the top flight in 1936. Other highlights include the FA cup triumph of 1947, the thrilling 7-6 victory against Huddersfield Town in 1957 and the historic 1-0 win against Manchester United in 1986. (It was the first time the team had played at Old Trafford for thirty years). The Charlton Book also features the return to the Valley in 1992 and the dramatic 1998 play-off final, which was played against Sunderland and went to a penalty shoot-out. Recent coverage includes Charlton’s dramatic win against Chelsea in the 2005 Carling Cup and Alan Curbishley’s last game as manager in 2006.
Twelve of the best match reports are also featured in our Personalised Charlton Athletic Diary and Personalised Charlton Athletic Calendar. Games include various promotions, the fantastic 6-6 draw against Middlesbrough in 1960 and the 5-0 thrashing of Southampton in 1998. Both gifts can start from the month of your choice and they are a fantastic way to keep track of future events, whilst reminiscing upon former glory days.
More Gift Ideas
Charlton Athletic fans can have a say in the future of the club by purchasing a genuine Charlton Athletic Football Club Share. This unique gift includes a shareholders registration sheet and a certificate of authenticity. Recipients will also receive annual reports on the team and invitations to attend AGMs.
Our Personalised Charlton Athletic Commentaries make unusual and entertaining presents for fans of the Addicks. A professional radio commentator will record an original commentary, based upon your choice of match highlights. Your recipient could become the hero of the Valley by saving a crucial penalty, providing a great assist or scoring a stunning last-minute goal. In doing so, they could also be nominated as Man of the Match.
Another fun gift idea is a Spoof Newspaper Headline. Recipients can become Player of the Year or the New England Manager. Alternatively, they could score a spectacular hat-trick for Charlton Athletic in an FA Cup Final.