what's happened to the Junior reds? / were you a Junior Red ?

Al the Addick

Does this not exist anymore? I thought it's about time my young twins joined up but cannot find any information on it in last programme or on the website, I even e mailed the club asking them a couple of weeks ago but never got a reply. Anyone know whats happened?

PeakieRocket

I heard that it had been disbanded but there still seems to be a very trippy looking website http://www.junior-reds.com/JR_default.ink - although it all looks like it's not been updated for quite a while. Try the contacts page on the site and see what you get.

Kap10

why not do an e-mail to Steve Waggott, Junior Reds was always a good way of bringing kids into charlton, its surprising if we have disbanded it.

Badger

I enquired a while back, was told that it was disbanded due to cost and loss of prem status.

Shame really as it was great for the kids.

BDL

Junior Reds no longer exists, but the football team does and is doing rather well - http://www.juniorredsfc.co.uk/

WhenIwasLittleBoy

we all grew up and turnt into moaning old gits

ChicagoAddick

"why not do an e-mail to Steve Waggott, Junior Reds was always a good way of bringing kids into charlton, its surprising if we have disbanded it."

Because he won't respond?

Al the Addick

Great shame it is no more. How can they say it's to do with the loss of premiership status when it was up and running long before we ever got into the premiership? Surely even running at a slight loss would pay off long term if it means those kids become the supporters of the future.

mascot88

Oh now that is a shaem..... Ive still got the signed birthday cards I used to get form the mark reids and colin walshs of this world.....

I think as someone on here said, we feel terrible at what has happened, but I think the directors and the board who build this up must be absolutely gutted if they cant even keep a long standing Charlton tradition affloat that actively promotes fresh new fans to come the valley.....

very sad..

Friend Or Defoe

I think he will respond Chicago, he promised to reply to as many e-mails as he can at the city addick meeting.

Surely it can't be that expensive to run? I think I've got a card from Curbishley somewhere in the loft.

TEL

Ive found Steve W pretty good at responding to emails....give it a try.

paulbaconsarnie

i remeber becoming a junior red in the early-mid 80's & the woolwich opened a bank account with a pound in it for you.
stayed with the woolwich until the merge with barclays.

get a bank to fund it.
sort it out waggott;-)

aliwibble

This topic got me thinking nostalgically about the Junior Reds away trips where we'd go to places like Norwich and Aston Villa, have a team of ours take on a team of theirs, have lunch and then go to the game. And then I remembered that was 20 years ago, and now I feel OLD!

AFKABartram

If the club have dropped it i think its a great shame. Its things like that, that tie kids in for the long-term.

As i'm sure we're about to see on here, most of our core support have filtered through Junior Red membership at some stage.

So who else on here was a Junior Red ?

PeakieRocket

Yep I was a Junior Red - remember the xmas parties most of all, where you got to meet all the players plus the signed birthday cards from the squad. Can't remember which year I joined but I think it was early/mid-eighties

Southendaddick

I was a Junior Red, opened up the Woolwich account and all that.

Went to two Christmas Parties and won the raffle at the 1985/86 Christmas party at The Valley Club, won tickets for me and my dad to sit in the Directors Box and meet the players in the changing rooms before hand over at Selhurst.

Still got a load of photos at home.

We drew 2-2 with Brighton. Aizlewood scored a cracker.

ChicagoAddick

"Ive found Steve W pretty good at responding to emails....give it a try."

Probably not helping as I've not been too kind on my blog.

Junior Reds has been rolled into the Red Card. Great shame.

WSS

Chicago

Steve seems to be as, if not more open and approachable than Peter Varney in my opinion.

This is only from a single very brief meeting with the guy at CityAddicks but i truly think thats the case.

Glad to see from your blog that his PA is doing some work though.

ChicagoAddick

Thank you WSS. I really hope he is, from someone who is doing a new job, I know how hard it is assert yourself in a new role and make everyone happy.

The online commentary does look like becoming a reality again though.

Al the Addick

Not really any point in writing to him if it no longer exists. I find this very sad though as surely it's a good thing for the club.
probably going to open a whole can of worms here but anyone else get fed up with us getting involved in other things like this knife crime thing and red white and black days etc etc but our very own junior reds fold plus the business with the ladies team etc! Now I am not saying getting involved with other projects is wrong far from it but lets put Charlton first by looking after our own and then by all means help other causes.

oohaahmortimer

i was a junior red... did it start the season we went to selhurst??

Al the Addick

I sent an e mail about it on 29th July and got this reply today!

Hi Alan,

Thank you for your email.

Unfortunately we don’t run the Junior Reds membership scheme anymore, all juniors just join as Red Card members.

Regards

Sue Gallop

Customer Service Administrator

mascot88

well thats sounds like she knows and respects the tradition and is really connected.......

ffs


Reminds me of "computer says .....no"

northstandsteve

I was never a junior red too old i'm afraid but i was looking forward to myson being able to enjoy the christmas parties and chance to meet the players.I think it is a crying shame this has stopped and again very bad pr by the club.

Off_it

If it wasn't for the Junior Reds getting me a pound in the bank I would never have got paid out when the Woolwich de-mutualised. Paid for my trip to Australia that did.

Kap10

My daughter and son werein junior reds as was my brother in law, who was one of the mascots for the first game in the top tier against Sheff Wed in the 80's. This is a very poor decision as it affects the future loyalty of the fans. Allegedly we are going to market to the new homes being built in kent, but it is easier to build loyalty amongst the converted than to convert those whose alliances are already elsewhere.

Badger

It's a real shame and hopefully someone within the club would be prepared to approach a commercial outiside investor/sponsor to get the junior reds back on track.

My daughter is fortunate enough going to school in Greenwich and the club do visit and leave leaflets and organise games, her school which she also represents in a mixed school team have also met some of the players at the training ground.

She Has also had an added experience of being able to go pitch side thanks to ROTHKO and parade the flag before a game and i have also got tickets 4 us in the upper tier last row of the north stand,she loves the whole experience and she also really enjoys an away game day.(oi away t-shirts?)

Would be really good if she could meet junior reds her own age and have a party

Can't cost that much can it?

WhenIwasLittleBoy

Maybe we should have junior lifers if as parents we feel so strongly about it,our kids are the next generation of fans and the fact that the club won't or dont acknowledge that by scrapping the junior red scheme is a shame. I dont believe this one is due to lack of funds as when the Junior Reds was first launched the club had less fans attending home fixtures as well as financially they were in an even worse state than they are today. It is great when the club is sourcing companies to sponser them and they can produce figures in which states that the club have 15,000 members of the red card scheme ( the reality is of them 15,000 4,000 maybe kids).