Charlton's academy youngsters beat top level competition to win the prestigious U11 Premier League 5s tournament on Sunday.
The competition pitted the best youngsters in the South of England against each other in a tournament full of Category 1 and Category 2 academies.
Charlton beat the likes of Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton on their way to the final – where they were victors over Cardiff City.
The Addicks had two teams in the competition and didn’t lose to an external team with the two sides playing against each other in the tournament’s semi-final.
The club’s Lead Youth Development Phase Coach, David Chatwin, said: “It was a really good day. For what younger players need in terms of development, this ticked every box. There were loads of attacking and defending actions, it was fast and furious and playing against the best players, so it was a real test of the boys quality, so it was really good to come through and pick up the trophy.
“It was pleasing, as you put kids in a competitive situation and some take to it easily and some grow throughout the day, it was a really good individual test of where we are at technically, physically and psychologically.”
Chatwin reserved praise for U11 coaches Osman Kamil and Tim Moffatt, as well as the team’s physio, Georgina Allan.
He added: “It was a perfect tournament to test the boys, it had everything from an attacking, defensive and transitional point of view. It was a really good test for the boys against the best.”
Charlton fans can support the academy by signing up to the Valley Gold scheme. Valley Gold enables fans to support the clubs academy in unearthing the talents of tomorrow, as well as giving them the chance to win cash prizes.
Click here for more information on how you can become a Valley Gold member.