Charlton Athletic Women Head Coach Karen Hills, alongside Assistant Coach and Pathway Lead Charlie Cave, recently delivered a training session for female players at Charlton Athletic Community Trust’s (CACT) Post-16 Football and Education Academy.
After being invited to watch Hills and Cave lead a first-team training session and meet members of the Addicks’ squad, CACT’s Post-16 players then took to the pitch themselves. The group received coaching from the pair, taking part in drills focused on passing, close control and patterns of play that mirror those used within the first-team environment.
The experience marked another milestone for the female pathway within the programme, which has been running for three years. CACT are currently recruiting players for the 2026/27 cohort, which starts in September across three locations in south-east London and Kent. To find out more and register your interest in talent ID events ahead of 26/27, click here.
CACT’s Women’s and Girls’ Development Officer Lucy Bailey said: “Attending the training session was a great opportunity for the girls to see the level of the first-team players. Taking part in a session delivered by Karen and Charlie then gave them a real taste of the professional game and the standards required.
“There aren’t many Post-16 academies linked to a WSL 2 club that can offer access to watch players train and then be coached by first-team staff. It was a really unique experience and we were very lucky to have this opportunity.”
Assistant coach and pathway lead Cave was full of praise for CACT's Post-16 squad, adding: “There are a lot of very talented players here who can definitely aim to play professional football one day. It’s great to give them access to our environment and show them what it looks like, while hopefully inspiring them to keep working hard.
“As a coach, it’s also brilliant to come in, share what we do and support their development.”