South Africa project continues

Charlton's work in its ever expanding community is continuing this week after club officials again jetted out to South Africa.

Members of both the Charlton Football in the Community scheme and community liaison department headed out to follow up the work that began last year.

Among the projects initiated by the club was the training of 18 youth workers, police officers and teachers to be qualified football coaches - the first time the Football Association's Level One coaching course had ever been carried out outside England.

Those new coaches have been holding football sessions in local schools and youth clubs in Alexandra township, Johannesburg, over the past 12 months.

And on the latest trip a further 20 students will complete the coaching course under the guidance of community scheme officers.

The club is working in partnership with the Metropolitan Police, John Cabot School, in Bristol, and British Airways on the project, which includes workshops on healthy lifestyles, citizenship and fun-filled football sessions that help to spread Charlton's name across the world.

Football club chairman Martin Simons (pictured below), speaking from South Africa amid some very English weather on Tuesday, said: "It's another week of extremely hard work.

"We have got the first lot of 200 kids coming this afternoon, and in total we expect to see 1,000 youngsters this week.

"When we left last year we were really hoping that things would take off in this township, and that's exactly what has happened.

"The coaches that we trained have seen more than 4,000 kids since we were last there, and it's important to remember that they're carrying out all of this work voluntarily - they're not getting paid.

"A lot of the coaches that we trained last yar are helping again this week and it's great to see. The kids love it and you really feel like you are making a difference."

A special presentation event, hosted by Barclays, has been planned for Friday, and discussions are taking place to see if the company wants to become involved with the project, possibly as a sponsor.

Simons added: "One of the big considerations in everything we do is whether or not the work is sustainable. It seems so so far and we want to be able to come back in five years time and discover that hundreds of thousands of children have received football coaching."

Click on the audio link to hear BBC London's reporter Geraint Hughes speaking from South Africa.