ON THE day Charlton celebrated its past the club was also looking forward to the future.

At the end of the month the Addicks will find out if their stadium expansion plans have been approved by Greenwich Council, and they are also hoping the link-up with the New Zealand Knights will have an equally important impact on the pitch.

Quite what Sam Bartram's era might have made of a partnership with a club on the other side of the world is anyone's guess, but Charlton chief executive Peter Varney seemed happy enough with proceedings.

He said: "This is a very exciting partnership for both clubs, providing opportunities at both academy and senior level.

"It's also a signal of how far this club has come in such a short space of time.

"Ten years ago we might have been asking you to dig the weeds. Now, we're creating an exciting partnership with a club from New Zealand.

"Such expansion means the name of Charlton is now recognised across the globe."

The four-year deal, which will see the two club's share resources, information, ideas and possibly players, was officially signed by both parties last Thursday.

Knights chairman Anthony Lee, who first approached Varney with the proposals, told the press conference: "Rugby is obviously the number one sport in New Zealand, but football's popularity is growing all the time.

"The majority of under-15s in the country now play football, and that trend is set to continue. So it's clear both clubs are set to benefit from this arrangement."

This is not the first time a Premiership club has established a link with a so-called "feeder" club Manchester United have a similar set-up with Royal Antwerp in Belgium, while Chelsea also have an arrangement with PSV Eindhoven but it will be the first time a club has tried to tap into the Australasian market.

Varney said: "The establishment of Knights academies in New Zealand will be done with the full backing of our own academy professionals, and the large number of New Zealanders who have access to UK passports presents an opportunity for us to attract New Zealand players to Charlton."

Work permits, however, might prove slightly more problematic.

Because New Zealand are ranked by FIFA outside the top 75 teams in world football they currently lie 99th even national captain Ryan Nelsen, despite the fact he recently signed a three-year deal with Blackburn, still has to re-apply for a working visa.

But in reality the deal would probably be used to blood Charlton's youngsters the likes of Lloyd Sam who might otherwise have limited opportunities to gain experience of first team football in this country.

Players like Sam are the club's future, but the day was also one of reflection with the likes of former players Derek Ufton, now a director, and FA Cup winner Peter Croker attending the centenary celebrations.

Immediately after the press conference the statue of Sam Bartram, designed by Blackheath sculptor and Addicks fan Anthony Hawken to commemorate the club's centenary season, was officially unveiled.