English football club Charlton Athletic FC has launched a new gaming and entertainment space at its stadium.
Located in the Alan Curbishley Stand at The Valley, the Cyberlabs Gaming Box will be equipped with consoles, VR equipment and UNEVN PC gaming desks. According to the announcement, the renovated box has been designed for multi-purpose use, including esports and streaming.
The new space will offer matchday and non-matchday experiences for fans, brands, creators, esports teams and media. Additionally, the gaming box aims to enhance the football club’s media and marketing capabilities alongside driving social initiatives with the Charlton Athletic Community Trust.
Charlton Athletic’s new space is sponsored by Cyberlabs, a digital entertainment company that focuses on education, sports, community and leisure venues. Founded by Sam Cooke, Ed Kim and Abdiqani Ahmed, the company previously sponsored a Women’s FA Cup match between Charlton Athletic and Tottenham Hotspur.
Speaking about the new partnership, lifelong Charlton fan and former board member of the Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust, Sam Cooke, commented: “Even if I wasn’t a fan, this partnership would be something special. It’s an honour to sponsor Charlton Athletic and be able to work closely with the club.
“We’re confident this initiative will provide the club another way to deliver for partners, diversify revenue and deliver more from the stadium, bring Charlton closer to more fans, strengthen our digital presence, and give fans the option of a different experience at The Valley. The Community Trust already does incredible work, and we believe this space can help to amplify their efforts too.”
The League 1 football club is not the first team to launch a gaming facility within its home ground. In 2024, Manchester City launched a new gaming space at the Etihad Stadium for its EA FC and Fortnite players to practice, compete and create content.
At the beginning of last year, EFL Championship team Sheffield Wednesday also opened a gaming facility at Hillsborough.
