Charlton Athletic Beat Leyton Orient at Wembley on One of League One's Smallest Budgets

In the 2024-25 season covered by these accounts, Charlton Athletic finished 4th in League One under Nathan Jones and won promotion to the Championship through the play-offs, beating Leyton Orient 1-0 in the final at Wembley to return to the second tier for the first time in a decade.

Turnover grew by around 27% to close to £11m, one of the smaller revenue bases of any club to win promotion from League One that season, and Charlton posted a pre-tax loss of around £15m as the club backed Jones with enough investment to finally get a play-off campaign right at the third attempt of his career.

Net assets remain in deficit at around £38m, a reminder that even a successful promotion doesn't erase years of accumulated Championship-level costs carried since the club's relegation from that division in 2020.

Staff costs of around £16m against turnover of £11m show a wage bill still well ahead of income, a gap Charlton's return to Championship broadcast revenue should help close considerably.

Jones called it the best day of his managerial career after years of play-off heartbreak elsewhere. For a club with one of League One's smaller budgets, the achievement was as much financial discipline as it was Wembley theatre.