A 12 year review has found that Charlton Athletic have one of the best performing academies in England, according to their website.
The review has found that The Addicks, currently in turmoil in the Championship relegation zone, are one of the best clubs at developing players who go on to have first team careers.
The London club have enjoyed particular success over the last three seasons, the first of the Elite Player Performance Plan.
The review finds that Charlton have the seventh most productive academy out of the 92 in England.
Charltons recent academy graduates include England internationals Jonjo Shelvey and Carl Jenkinson.
The manager of the clubs academy, Steve Avory is delighted with the findings of the review and the progress the club has made.
He said:
“This is important recognition of the hard work and investment that has taken place over the last decade by everyone connected to the Academy: the players, the staff, the club and the fans for their support through Valley Gold.
“It is also confirmation of our success in long-term player development. That starts with our recruitment of players, and we do that well in what is a very competitive part of the country. It continues with a coaching programme that continually reviews and make advances with its staff each year.
“Finally, it is about nurturing players an elite learning environment and developing them into independent decision makers who can be tactically astute. We want every boy coming here to know that if they work hard then there is a pathway to first-team football at Charlton.”
David Joyes, Charltons Chief Financial Officer added:
“The EPPP productivity data is evidence of the long, medium and short term success of the Youth Academy. It is also acknowledgement for the work of Valley Gold and their investment over the last two decades. They have been a key partner in the Academy and Valley Gold members deserve a lot of the credit for the success of our youth development programme.”
The data records academy players developed by clubs who have gone on to play first team football.
It is released on an annual basis to all 92 Football League clubs as part of the EPPP.
