Charlton's youngsters recently flew out to the Spanish capital to compete against some of Europe’s best in the 2025 Madrid Cup.
Alongside the likes of European heavyweights Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, the Addicks fielded a side consisting of 13 U13s and five U14s as they took to the international stage in Madrid.
Head of Academy Operations Dan Gill said: "The Madrid Cup is a key fixture within our academy calendar. It’s been going for a number of years now and it's a great opportunity for our boys to experience, for some of them, their first international trip with us. It’s always a fantastic opportunity against a great calibre of opposition.
"We started off quite slow, losing the first two games. After that, we went on a run of four games unbeaten. It was a bit of an eye-opener for some of the boys, playing away, in the heat and against unfamiliar opposition."
"It’s something we’ve looked at including in the academy across all age groups when we're looking at reviewing our games programme to offer a broader range of footballing experience - the likes of the Madrid Cup, the SuperCupNI and other opportunities to take all of our age groups abroad throughout the season," he added. "We believe that it's hugely important for their development, not only from a footballing view but also a personal one.
"It's opportunity to experience a variety of different cultures, being away from families and being in each other’s pockets for two or three days at a time. A lot of the boys will have never experienced that before - the learning is a lot more than just on the pitch. We go there with the aspiration and expectation of giving a good account of ourselves."
The Addicks finished 17th in the tournament, matching last year’s finish in the club's fourth appearance in Spain.
"From a footballing point of view, we played six, lost two and won four. When you look at that on paper it looks like quite a positive tournament. In terms of the other aspect, we won’t see until the boys hopefully get an opportunity again to see if they can learn from the experiences of travel, the heat, different opposition and dealing with mentality."
Gill also extended his praise for the support of Valley Gold, emphasising the fact that without their continuous support, opportunities like this simply wouldn't be possible.
"The support of Valley Gold is invaluable to us," Gill explained. "The boys all realise the work that Valley Gold does for them and we can’t thank them enough for their incredible support."
Charlton fans can support the academy by signing up to the Valley Gold scheme. Valley Gold enables fans to support the club’s 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.
