folkestone invicta and the charlton athletic community trust

The Charlton Athletic Community Trust has an educational provision based at Folkestone Invicta.  This supports any student over the age of 16 with A Levels, B Tecs and with a talent for playing football.  Richard Styles is the Academy Manager and works across the youth football scene in Folkestone and the surrounding areas.  Folkelife met with him to find out more about what’s on offer.

“We run a 16 to 19 Academy here which means that anyone who finishes their GCSEs, can come and study with us for their further education, post 16 years.  We specialise in football education, so you’ll get taught on the pitch, but also in the classroom.  Our students go on to many different career paths.  Some go to university to train as coaches, physiotherapists, work in the media or go off and travel, but want to keep playing football as a big part of their careers too.  

“You see young kids with talent, and can usually identify them from age 5 or 6 years old.  Then, as they progress, there are teams for teenagers, and by the time they get to post 16 there are a lot of other…distractions, let’s say… in their lives.  There are some who really want to keep on playing football.  We can support that here at the academy.”

being a professional footballer

“I would say that all of the people we work with want to be professional footballers.  You will see that top 1% go on and achieve that at a high level.  Then there are a good many who can still play football, and get paid to do so, and play at a pretty decent level. They will have a career alongside that too, as they’re not full-time players. 

“If you look at the set up we have here at Folkestone Invicta, the team has just been promoted to Step Two which is National League South.  Players can earn a decent amount playing football, but have careers alongside which fit into their lifestyle. The non-league pyramid within Kent, and the country, is pretty high, so there are opportunities there too.  And within the trust we have students who are interested in media, coaching, physiotherapy and will work within sport, and football for those careers.”

girls and boys provision

“As Charlton Athletic, we set up this provision in London first, and have a girls and boys cohort.  The girls get the support of the women’s team as part of the club, and that is what we want to replicate down here.  Now, at Folkestone Invicta, we’ve been running this programme for five years, and we’re hoping that in 2027 we will have that girls cohort to give them as much opportunity as the boys have. 

“The development of the club here at Folkestone Invicta also helps the education side progress too.  Charlton Athletic and Folkestone Invicta have partnered together so that they can grow and become a bigger force.  The stadium here has developed over the last eighteen months.  There’s now an artificial pitch which allows for more opportunities for the community.  The youth teams that practice here get to work in premium conditions.”

the artificial pitch

“Grass pitches are becoming a dying trade now.  The winter takes its toll on the ground, and with constant play, rain and frosts it is really hard to keep them in a condition that’s safe for the players.  They become very hard and more injuries happen on them, so it makes sense to have an artificial pitch. It is an investment for the club, but with the partnership of both Folkestone Invicta and Charlton Athletic, it makes it work. 

“Our students can play for both clubs, but we can enter leagues with Folkestone Invicta that are barred to us as Charlton Athletic.  Because Charlton is a professional club we can’t enter the National Youth Alliance league, which we can as Folkestone Invicta.  This means we can play with teams of similar status. 

“Fifteen players from our provision trained with the first team last year.  These are players who are under 19 years old. We’re very proud of that, and then to have six play on the first team is something we can also shout about. To know that you could be playing at that level, whilst still studying, is a great opportunity for any young player.”

Player Care

“I feel we do this really well here.  Every player that comes off the back of the Academy and finishes their education with us is not left alone to go out in the world.  We work with them and their parents to make sure they know their options, both in football and education and careers.  At the same time, recruitment never stops.  If a new player turns up on my doorstep tomorrow, we’ll assess them and see if this is the right fit for them. We’ll never turn anyone away because it’s not the right time in the term or school year. The best thing for any young player to do is to get in touch with me, come down to the club, and we’ll take it from there.