CAFC Soccer Schools

The focus of every football club may be its home stadium, but away from The Valley Charlton Athletic are making significant strides across the world.

In December 2006, two-and-a-half years after the first venture was launched in Spain, the Addicks rebranded their overseas operation to give it a stronger Charlton identity.

By that time the initiative had widened to encompass South Africa, China, Belgium, Finland, Denmark and the Ivory Coast.

And with collaborations with a number of clubs ranging from Primera Liga giants Valencia to former Finland champions MyPa 47, Charlton are poised to have a big impact across the globe - a strategy that is set to continue despite relegation from the top flight.

Charlton chief executive Peter Varney explained the club's ever-expanding overseas strategy was increasingly important due to the growing sums being handed to Premier League clubs for their overseas broadcasting rights.

"The revenue from international broadcasting agreements in the top division is currently some £675m over a three-year period and unlike domestic television revenues this money is shared equally between the clubs,” he said.

"We have seen significant increases achieved in all regions of the world, and clubs therefore have a responsibility to the overseas broadcasters and the millions of people around the world who demand of their broadcasters that they buy Premiership football.”

Peter added: "Liverpool and Manchester United in particular have huge followings in many countries. Here at Charlton we cannot expect to emulate that as it is of course regular success in the league, in cup competitions and in European football that underpins that popularity with new generations of overseas fans.

"But while a global reputation like that cannot be attained overnight, we can start to sow some seeds and that is what we have done over the past couple of years.

"Among the benefits of our range of different initiatives include broadening the name of Charlton across the world and also an increased scouting presence, particularly with regard to youth players.”

The importance of the overseas strategy to the club is illustrated by the fact that it was former Addicks manager Alan Curbishley who launched the project in Spain in May 2004, while ex-consultant Les Reed stepped up to become assistant head coach alongside Iain Dowie in August 2006 and then became head coach by the end of the year before being replaced by Alan Pardew.

We can use the strengths we have as a club to promote the name of Charlton Athletic overseas - chief executive Peter Varney

The work builds on that undertaken by the award-winning Addicks community scheme across Greenwich, Bexley, Kent and the entire South East.

And in December 2006 a special logo for each initiative in the different countries was developed, incorporating the flags of the countries involved.

"We can use the strengths we have as a club to promote the name of Charlton Athletic overseas,” said Varney.

"Those strengths lie principally in our hugely successful community programmes, which we believe we can tailor to suit our specific objectives in target countries.

"For example, our community work in South Africa has received much acclaim from UEFA and our own governing bodies, and has opened the door to potential commercial and other opportunities that we will be pursuing.

"We are also hopeful that several of our agreements will lead to player acquisitions.”

He added: "Alongside all the work being carried out it will be important to develop our international membership scheme, and to promote supporters' groups in the countries in which we have a presence.

"The re-branding initiative is part of our developing international strategy, and the intention is to make our programmes more consistent and more visible.

"Rome, as is said, was not built in a day, but the foundations are being laid and one day we hope we can achieve some of the overseas status of the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United.”

Charlton's biggest overseas project currently operates in Spain, somewhat understandably given the club's connections to the country that include club sponsor Llanera and kit manufacturers Joma.

The first overseas project to get underway, back in summer 2004, was the Charlton Athletic European Soccer School, and this is now known as CAFC Soccer Espana.

Peter explained: "In Spain we operate soccer schools and a summer residential scheme in partnership with the ESDE Idiomas language school, and this has been reinforced by a four-year sponsorship with property giant Llanera and another four-year collaboration with Valencia that was finalised in summer 2006.

"Both entities are keen to work with us to implement community programmes in the Murcia, Malaga and Valencia regions, and eventually there will be a Charlton football centre at every major housing development Llanera is planning to build.”

Also in Europe are agreements with 2005 Finnish champions MyPa 47 and Belgians Germinal Beerschot, who lifted the Belgian Cup the same year.

And in March 2007 Charlton swooped to sign Danish youth international winger Martin Christensen from Herfolge Boldklub in a deal that included a link to the youth set-up of one of the country's highest regarded academies and saw playmaker Mikkel Rygaard Jensen make the same trip three months later.

Further afield lies China, where the club has entered into negotiations with that country's Premier League champions, Shandong Luneng (which included the loan of national team captain Zheng Zhi in 2006/07) following the sale of the franchise of Shanghai United, formerly known as Shanghai Zobon.

Out in South Africa, the club's long-term commitment to several townships in Johannesburg and Cape Town - alongside partners the Metropolitan Police, the British government, British Airways and local club Ajax Cape Town - has seen the Addicks create a real stir and leave a legacy of qualified football coaches.

And also on the list is a relationship with ASEC Mimosa of Ivory Coast, the side that has produced some of the most exciting African players of the current generation including Arsenal's Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboué, Chelsea's Salomon Kalou and Tottenham Hotspur's Didier Zokora.

This section of the official website details all of the club's overseas projects, provides a link to the official websites of our partners, and will be updated as Charlton Athletic continue to spread their wings across the world.

Click on the buttons below to find out more about each country the Addicks have links with: