This year we extended the Steve Clarke Trophy to cover the Women's Academy for the first time.
CAST introduced the award in Steve's name after his untimely death in September 2020. He had been a much-loved Charlton fan for more than fifty years and was also a Valley Party candidate, chair of the supporters club, the first ever Charlton supporter director and chair of CAST from 2015-2016. The award is for Academy players in the under 16 age group.
The criteria for the award are:
- Contribution to the Team Performance
- Consistent Individual Performance and Progress
- Outstanding Personal Qualities that contribute to and develop Team Ethic and Togetherness
Academy Manager John Pelham nominated Poppy Miles for the 2026 trophy and the presentation took place before the Women's FA Cup tie with Liverpool last Sunday.
John said: "Poppy has been at the academy for the last three years and she plays as a centre back. She has made a significant contribution to team performance through her reliability, work rate, and willingness to put the team first. Individually, she has shown clear and consistent progress, maintaining high standards in every training session and match. Her personal qualities truly set her apart—she is a positive influence within the group, drives standards, and plays a key role in building a strong team ethic and togetherness. Alongside her football, she has also shown excellent commitment to her education, balancing both with maturity and professionalism."
On receiving the trophy from by CAST board member Sam White and her coach Rayhan Noor Poppy said:
"It is really great to win the award. When I was told the reasons behind it, it really made me smile. I've been at Charlton for about three years now, having been at Chelsea and it is really good to see everyone's hard work paying off."
She comes from a Chelsea-supporting family in Kent and her brothers confirmed that they all used to play in the garden together. They confirmed however that Poppy is now the best footballer out of the three of them.