Charlton Athletic’s Managing Director James Rodwell has reflected on what he has described as 'an astonishing year'.
The club’s men’s first-team secured promotion to the Sky Bet Championship in May, while the women’s first-team are unbeaten in the Barclays WSL 2 since November 2024.
In an interview with CharltonTV’s Charlotte Richardson, Rodwell looked back on 2025, looked ahead to the January transfer window and updated on changes in the staffing structure at the Addicks' Sparrows Lane training ground.
Review of the year
"It's been an astonishing year," Rodwell said. "I haven’t really sat back and reflected on it. I’m proud of the people that are here. We came through a difficult spot last year. November and December were a difficult spot for us and things turned because we were doing all of the right things. I see how hard people work here every single day. I see how proud people are of this football club - whatever people think, you don't see that at all football clubs. This is a very special place."
Attendances at men’s first-team matches are at a 17-year high and Nathan Jones’ side have averaged 2.3 points per game at The Valley in 2025.
"I’m proud of the people: the players, the supporters, the owners," he added. "The owners have done an incredible job, they’ve supported us through thick and thin. They challenge us, they drive us in the right way and they're ambitious. I’m incredibly proud of the way they’ve behaved. Charlton fans have something they believe in."
Transfer window
The Addicks have signed 11 players since securing promotion in front of nearly 40,000 Addicks at Wembley.
Rodwell said: "The strategy in the summer was quite clear. We wanted to do things in a sustainable way, as much as possible. We wanted to give opportunity to some of the very best players that showcased their talents in League One, and we think we've done that. We think our strategy was the correct one and we stand by that."
With the January window approaching, Rodwell added: "This transfer window is the same as every other transfer window, you hope that you come out with a stronger squad than when you went into it.
"There isn’t going to be wholesale changes and loads of players coming in in January, it’s just not that type of window. We made the changes we wanted to make in a very strategic way in the summer. Come January, we'll look to strengthen - it will depend on where we have injuries, but we will look to tweak the squad certainly. Every window you have to try to grow and evolve. We'll be busy with a bit of business, but not like what we did in the summer."
Injuries
The Addicks have been impacted by injuries to a few key players in recent weeks.
After overcoming similar challenges at a similar time last season, Rodwell said: "People are making their way back onto the training pitch at the moment, so hopefully come Christmas time, the squad looks a bit healthier than it maybe did a couple of weeks ago. Injuries are a part of the game and they give an opportunity for other people."
Charlton Athletic Women
Rodwell praised Charlton Athletic Women, who sit top of the Barclays WSL 2 table thanks to an incredible unbeaten run that has gone on for more than a year.
He said: "They've been incredible. Karen Hills is something else. The job she and her team are doing is incredible."
He added that extensive improvements were being made to the women’s first-team's training facility at the club’s Sparrows Lane training ground and urged Charlton supporters to come and watch the team at The Valley. Karen Hills' side are back at The Valley on Sunday, December 21st for the visit of Nottingham Forest.
Staff updates
Rodwell confirmed the arrivals of Connor Park as Head of Football Operations and lifelong Charlton fan Jack Tebbutt as Head of Player Wellbeing, both of whom worked at Premier League side Burnley until recently.
He added: "That helps us in other regards too. Tom Pell is leaving us for pastures new - he's been headhunted by Spurs in the Premier League, which I guess is testament to us that people want our people because they're good, and hopefully the football club improves while they're here."
He explained that bringing in Park to lead on the administration side throughout the club allows Charlton to make sure the incoming Head of Academy can be football centric.
He confirmed that the search for Pell’s replacement was down to a final two and in the interim legendary Academy Director Steve Avory would return to his previous role in leading the academy.
He said: "Steve's been with us ever since he stepped out, Steve 's never left the academy. He's going to step in as Interim Academy Director which is very kind of him. He's going to be aided by [Head of Academy Coaching] Rhys Williams, who's going to step up in that period so we're very well catered for in that regard. It's amazing that we have people like Steve and Rhys to call upon, and we'll hopefully have someone in the building by spring."
Investment in facilities
Rodwell also talked about the investment in facilities at the training ground, which include pitch and building improvements. He said: "All these things are desperately important for a club with aspirations to go further. We have to promote and provide an environment for our players and staff."
He also praised the upgrades at The Valley and the contribution of the fans to the atmosphere: "I think people had maybe even forgotten a bit what The Valley was like until it started buzzing again from the second half of last season. Let’s just keep it that way."
