The sheer size of The Valley is a sight to behold. For a club in the third division of English football, Charlton Athletic punches well above its weight with a stadium capacity of over 27,000, making it one of the biggest stadiums in League One.
If your idea of a matchday starts well before kick-off, Charlton hosts one of the best fan-zones we’ve seen to date. With bars, DJs and activities for the kids, you’d be forgiven for bypassing pints at the local and spending your pre-match amongst the fans in and around the stadium.
We were lucky enough to attend a sold out match against Hollywood highfliers Wrexham, so the atmosphere was especially charged with fans hoping to upset the table-topping team from Wales.
There was rarely a moment of silence with chants rattling around the stadium for the full 90 minutes. Fans of all ages got amongst the fun, making it feel like a family-friendly day out, if you can excuse the odd expletive that comes with any good stadium atmosphere.
Local vendors were feeding hungry fans outside the stadium and the club's offerings were more than acceptable. If you’re sitting in the south stand, which we highly recommend for the atmosphere alone, pop your head into the carpeted stadium bar at half time for a kitschy walk down memory lane.
Getting to and from the stadium is a breeze, with the nearest station situated on the Northern line and passing through Liverpool Street Station, making it accessible for fans coming from near and far.