As Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) continued to fulfil its vision of delivering healthy, happy, resilient and thriving communities throughout 2025, here’s a look back at some of the key achievements that made this another memorable year for the Trust’s participants, staff and partners.
Winning League One Community Project of the Season
CACT entered 2025 looking to build on the success of being named as EFL Community Club of the Season for 2023/24. The Trust did exactly that by winning the 24/25 League One Community Project of the Season award, thanks to the groundbreaking work of its Youth Engagement Vehicle Programme, which stood out in a competitive category of impressive projects from clubs across the division.
Discussing why this project was recognised by the EFL, CACT CEO Jason Morgan said: “Through a targeted approach in challenging areas, the vans have created a safe space for young people to meet and engage with staff and youth mentors, while also providing the wider community with reassurance through their presence. We are thrilled that our work towards crime reduction was again recognised by the EFL this year.”
Double delight at Wembley
On the same afternoon the men’s first-team sealed the club’s Championship return, St Mary’s Catholic Primary School enjoyed a historic moment of their own under the Wembley Arch.
Eltham-based St Mary’s earned the right to represent Charlton in the national final of the Utilita Kids Cup (an EFL tournament giving junior footballers the chance to play at Wembley) after winning CACT’s local schools tournament and then coming out on top in the regional finals against 11 other League One clubs.
Ahead of their big day, the squad trained with play-off winning captain Jason Pearce and, on the morning of the final, received advice at Wembley from Charlton legends Alan Curbishley, Chris Powell and Kevin Lisbie.
A tight final under the arch against Blackpool-based Norbreck Primary Academy ended goalless and went to penalties, where goalkeeper Finn Wilson made a crucial save before Franco Obertelli-Young dispatched the winner to earn a 3-2 shootout victory. The team then walked up the famous Wembley steps to the Royal Box, where they lifted the trophy on behalf of Charlton and CACT.
Revealing record-breaking social value and charitable spend figures
CACT’s life-changing work was underlined by the Trust’s recently released Impact Report and Annual Report, which highlighted a record £83,630,780 of social value generated across 2024/25. This figure measures the real and long-lasting change created by the work of charities, such as improved wellbeing, stronger community cohesion and increased skills.
This impact was made possible by recording the highest charitable spend in the Trust’s 33-year history, with £7,589,000 invested directly into programmes and services. This record level of spend has allowed CACT to commit more resources than ever to continue its groundbreaking work in health improvement, education, youth engagement and inclusion across south-east London and Kent.
Working with enough participants to fill The Valley
Another key figure highlighted in the recently released Annual Report is the staggering number of participants CACT has worked with: 28,000 people. That’s enough to fill The Valley - and still leave people outside.
These included 1,110 individuals mentored across the region, 186 people supported through Mental Health projects and 3,170 residents referred for cost-of-living support. Hundreds of these participants were recognised at The Valley in November, when the club marked Community Day by welcoming them pitchside at half-time for a lap of honour.
Player and staff support
A significant number of player and staff appearances across the past year have once again helped highlight the life-changing impact of CACT’s programmes, with men’s first-team boss Nathan Jones playing a starring role in 2025.
Jones took centre stage in the first-team’s competitive Training Ground clash against the Upbeats in March, with the match highlights attracting more than 250,000 views across social media to create wider awareness of the annual Upbeats Walk, which raised £41,000 for CACT’s Down’s syndrome programme.
He also attended the 2025 CACT Awards at the House of Lords, praising the “phenomenal work of CACT” while presenting the Outstanding Staff Contribution of the Year award to winner Ola Ishola.
Jones supported the launch of Friends of CACT in November, the Trust’s new fundraising initiative encouraging supporters to back its award-winning community work through regular monthly donations. If you’d like to support CACT’s work by joining the growing Friends of CACT network and unlocking the exclusive benefits that come with it, watch the manager’s video below and click here to find out more.