The Valley ( stadium ) The Valley Full name The Valley , Floyd Road Nickname Death Valley , Red Floyd Built 1919 ( reconstruction began in 1991 ) Opened 1919 Capacity 27 , 111 Home of Charlton Athletic F . C . Pitch size 112 x 73 yards The Valley is a 27 , 111-capacity football stadium in Charlton , London . It is the home of Charlton Athletic F.C. , and briefly hosted London 's main rugby league team , London Broncos ( now Harlequins Rugby League ) , for two different periods . History The North West corner of the Valley. ( L-R : West and North Stands ) The ground dates to 1919 , at a time when Charlton Athletic was moderately successful and looking for a new home . The club found an abandoned sand and chalk pit in Charlton , but did not have sufficient funds to fully develop the site . An army of volunteer Charlton Athletic supporters dug out a massive pit for the pitch , and used the spoil from the excavation to build up the sides . The ground 's name most likely comes from its original valley-like appearance . The club played its first game at the ground before any seats , or even terraces , were installed ; there was simply a roped-off pitch with the crowd standing or sitting on the adjoining earthworks . The unique circumstances of the ground 's initial construction led to an unusually intense bond between the club 's supporters and the site that exists to this day . The South Stand For many years , The Valley was the largest league ground in London ( with a capacity of up to 75 , 000 ) . The East Stand ( or rather bank ) was by far the largest stand in English football . However , Charlton 's long absence from the top level of English football prevented much-needed refurbishment . Eventually , the club 's debts led to bankruptcy administration . A supporters ' trust successfully acquired the club in 1984 , but The Valley remained under the ownership of the club 's former owner . The next year , Charlton Athletic left The Valley , entering into what became the first official groundshare in The Football League , with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park . Valley In disrepair In 1988 , the ownership of the club and The Valley was again united , and in an event that harkened back to the ground 's initial construction , thousands of supporters volunteered to clean the ground , eventually burning the debris in a huge bonfire on the pitch . By this time , however , the large terraces were no longer seen as desirable or safe . Charlton Athletic supporters then proposed a brand-new stadium to surround the original pitch . However , the Greenwich Borough Council overwhelmingly turned down plans to renovate the ground . Club supporters formed their own local political party , the Valley Party , in response to the council 's refusal . The party ran candidates for all but two Greenwich Council seats , sparing the two councillors who had approved the new stadium plans . The party won 15 , 000 votes in the 1990 elections , successfully pressuring the council to approve the plans for the new stadium . In 1991 , construction began on the new Valley , and the club moved from Selhurst Park to West Ham 's Upton Park . The modern stadium opened in December 1992 . There are now plans to expand The Valley in three phases , with a final capacity of 45 , 600 . The first phase , which will see capacity increased to over 30 , 000 , was granted planning permission in 2005 . The Valley 's south stand is named after Charlton 's legendary manager , Jimmy Seed - with whom they won the FA Cup in 1947 . The north stand is affectionately known as The Covered End , though these days all of the ground is covered . There is a large statue of Sam Bartram , ( considered to be Charlton 's finest player ) at the entrance of the West Stand . Where the jumbotron is erected ( in the south-east corner of the round ) there is an extensive fox den , with many foxes seen to be running around the pitch when a match is not on . Details Address Floyd Road Charlton SE7 8BL Phone numbers Main Telephone : 020-8333-4000 Main Fax : 020-8333-4001 Ticket Office : 020-8333-4010 Ticket Office Fax : 020-8333-4011 Records Record Attendance : 75 , 031 v Aston Villa , February 12th , 1938 ( FA Cup Fifth Round ) Average attendances ( Premier League ) : 2005-06 : 26 , 196 2004-05 : 26 , 403 2003-04 : 26 , 293 2002-03 : 26 , 256 External links Aerial shot of the Valley Pictures at The Valley FA Premier League Venues 2006-2007 Anfield | Boleyn Ground | Bramall Lane | City of Manchester Stadium | Craven Cottage Emirates Stadium | Ewood Park | Fratton Park | Goodison Park | JJB Stadium Madejski Stadium | Old Trafford | Reebok Stadium | Riverside Stadium | St James ' Park Stamford Bridge | The Valley | Vicarage Road | Villa Park | White Hart Lane Categories : Rugby league stadiums in the United Kingdom | Charlton Athletic F.C. | Sports venues in London | Football venues in England | FA Premier League venues | Planned or proposed stadiums In other languages : Français | Norsk ( bokmål ) The Valley The Valley , Floyd Road Death Valley , Red Floyd 1919 ( reconstruction began in 1991 ) 1919 27 , 111 Charlton Athletic F.C. 112 x 73 yards 