Richard Luscombe Argyle Community Trust has a thriving and unique player pathway supporting young footballers across the South West. Trained Argyle coaches progress and mentor the region’s upcoming talent from ages as young as four – The goal for these aspiring players? The prestigious Argyle Academy.
We take a look inside our Ashbury Centre of Excellence in North Devon, where Plymouth Argyle coaches are producing the stars of the future.
The state-of-the-art facilities at Ashbury, including 3G pitches, provide the perfect environment for young footballers aged six to 15 to grow and develop their game. The coaching syllabus across the Trust’s player pathway is uniform as it looks to enhance player development, all within a safe and fearless learning environment.
Younger age groups are introduced to basic skills and trained to become comfortable on the ball. As the players progress, coaching moves on to the tactical side of the game and more advanced skills. Importantly, the programme is set up to support each player’s individual needs and to help players improve and progress as much as possible.
East Cornwall and North Devon has nine player development centres and one centre of excellence on the pathway, hosting around 400 players every week.
One of those is Under 10s footballer Hayden who dreams of one day playing for the Pilgrims: “You get loads of games and fun training. You get to travel to different places. I learnt most of my stuff from the coaches. My dreams for the future are to play for Plymouth Argyle.”
Andrew Elcock, Joint Centre of Excellence Manager for North Devon, said: “We’ve had numerous successes from this centre alone, with players progressing to the Argyle Academy.”
Liam Bryant, Regional Participation Lead for East Cornwall and North Devon, adds: “The Academy is what the players are striving for, with the Cente of Excellence being the step immediately before.
“We educate the young people to play at the highest level they can. They will get an experience they can’t replicate anywhere else. We pride ourselves on the environment we create for our children and are proud of the successes we have had.”
For more information on our:
East Cornwall and North Devon player pathway please contact liam.bryant@pafc.co.uk.
Plymouth player pathway please contact charlie.hardcastle@pafc.co.uk.
Mid/West Cornwall player pathway please contact wayne.berry@pafc.co.uk.
Girls’ player pathway please contact ryan.perks@pafc.co.uk.
