Toby McLuskie Argyle Community Trust’s unique player pathway supports young players across the South West. Young people in East Cornwall and North Devon (EC & ND) aspire to progress through the ranks with their sights set on the first team dream with Plymouth Argyle.
For Benji, amongst others, that dream took its first steps recently as he transitioned into the Argyle Academy.
Four new signees for the Boys Academy and Girls Emerging Talent Centre headline the EC & ND Talent Pathway, which has also recently seen an incredible turnout. Over 180 new players joined this season, and nearly 500 boys and girls have engaged with the programme in the last nine months.
Trust coaches have delivered 486 hours of expert football sessions since September. A further growing and pleasing stat is that 31% of participants identify as female, with the Trust continuing to remove barriers to participation and give equal opportunities.
One of the young people in attendance is 10-year-old Benji, who shows a brilliant progression from early involvement with Trust provisions to signing a contract for the Academy.
Benji participated in Soccer Roadshows during holidays and received an invite to join our Talent Pathway by Trust coaches after showing promise. He transitioned from the Ashbury Player Development Centres in North Devon to the Centre of Excellence, continuing his growth and potential.
Hard work and dedication resulted in a milestone achieved, as he was offered a contract with the Academy. The contract signing was just one of many this season and shows the importance of the Pathway and the opportunities that can arise from it.
This season also saw further success as 35 Pathway players travelled out of the country as part of our debut foreign trip to Belgium. We will also have players representing the Pathway in May when they travel to Somerset to complete residentials.
Liam Bryant, the Trust Football Development and Programmes Lead, shared his appreciation for the Talent Pathway in EC & ND: “The Talent Pathway is our absolute pride and joy. Every single coach has one aim to aid the development of every single player, male or female, who walks onto the astroturf.
“As a direct feeder for the Academy, we are tasked to deliver a structured and creative coaching syllabus, which has led to many Pathway success stories from our team, including trips or Academy signings. Every achievement for everyone is of equal value and importance to us as staff.
“As the regional lead for Football Development in the area, I am incredibly proud of the provisions our staff and team can provide for every player.”
For more information on our East Cornwall and North Devon Talent Pathway, please contact Liam Bryant at liam.bryant@pafc.co.uk.
