VALLEY GOLD E-NEWSLETTER

Welcome to our September edition of Gold newsletter.

At the Valley on the 19th and 20th September the annual Academy evening was held for parents and the boys. This was well attended and presentations were made by the senior Academy management and by Valley Gold.

As a member of Valley Gold I am sure you are aware that Valley Gold sponsor the majority of Tournaments the Academy attends. It was a busy period over the summer and these are the tournaments the Academy attended

Team Dates Where Under 13’s 8th to 9th July 2017 Liverpool Under 14’s 30th July to 4th August 2017 Sheffield Under 16’s 30th July to 4th August 2017 Sheffield Under 18’s 24th to 28th July 2017 Loughborough Under 23’s 30th July to 3rd August Lillishall 2017

After attending the Parents evening many of the boys, parents and coaches asked me to express their thanks to Valley Gold for the support for the Academy.

Another change in the summer was the appointment of Paul Nottage as Valley Gold Promoter. Paul was originally one of the supporter representatives on the Valley Gold committee but has now moved across to be an employee. He is a lifelong supporter of Charlton Athletic and his family have supported Valley Gold for a great number of years. He was also chairman of the original Greenwich and Bexley supporters club and helped to arrange the player of the year function for six years. We hope you will see a number of changes in the content on the website going forward.

The Valley Gold booklet is close to completion and we hope to have this in the post to all of our members in the next few weeks. To ensure you receive your copy please ensure we have your up to date details on our files. If you have changed your address recently please let us know by e-mail.

If your membership is due for renewal or if you have persuaded other members of your family to join you can now pay by pay pal on our website (www.valleygold.org.uk) or over the phone. The usual ways to pay are still available too (cash, cheque, standing order, internet banking and bank transfer). SPOTLIGHT ON AN ACADEMY PLAYER

Reeco Hackett-Fairchild

Date of birth : 09/01/1998 Place of birth : West Ham, East Position : Forward

What school did you go to? Blatchington Mill School in Brighton and then Debden Park in Essex.

What was the first team you played for? Hove Rivervale, a Sunday league team in Brighton. Charlie Gilmour, who is now at Arsenal, was in my team and a couple of the lads went on to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Do you have a nickname? Reecs

How were you spotted by Charlton? I was at Dagenham & Redbridge as a scholar and I went on trial to a few clubs, including Charlton and they signed me from there.

Who has been the biggest influence on you since joining the club? I would say Jason Euell. I came from a lower level where things are different and he helped me a lot to adapt to things here. Joe Ranson (Academy Physiotherapist) as well, has helped me. I used to be quite injury-prone but he’s kept me fit.

What are your strengths as a player? I think I’ve got a good strike on my left foot and I have a decent touch.

If you could improve one part of your game what would it be? My heading.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given? To never give up. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs and a lot of changes and my mum has always said that to me. Just keep going and things will get better, which they have.

What boots do you wear? Bright yellow Nike Mercurial Vapors.

Are you any good at any other sports? I used to play a bit of tennis when I was younger.

What other non-footballing sportsman do you most admire? Floyd Mayweather.

Who are your best friends in football? Charlie Wakefield who’s at Chelsea. I grew up with him and he’s my closest friend since we were kids.

What is the best goal you have ever scored and could you describe it? I was playing for Brighton U13s against Leyton Orient. The keeper kicked the ball out and I met it with a first-time volley that flew straight in.

Who do you think is the best footballer in your position in the world? Robert Lewandowski and Suarez. They are the best ‘number nines’ in the world.

Which player did you look up to as a kid? . Everything about him inspired me.

Tell us something about yourself we might not know. My cousin sent down Crystal Palace. He’s Jon Fortune!

MMMMMMMM THE LAST ANSWER REMINDS ME OF A TONY CHRISTIE SONG !!!!!!

If you have any thoughts or ideas as to what you would like to see in this monthly e-newsletter please e-mail the following [email protected] [email protected]

On most matchdays you can always find Paul in Crossbars from 2.00pm onwards if you want to chat about any aspects of Valley Gold.