New training facility announced

[MGM]

I would love to see Argyle prosper with great training facilities but the way things are going they are going to bugger up local grassroots football. They seem to be snapping up anything resembling football pitches at a cost to junior teams.

I fully back this purchase if it's for the greater good, by that I mean it improves Argyle and that something is provided for the community, Let's say 100 kids are in the academy setup, there are 1000s that play for fun and whilst Argyle have five sites in Plymouth they are sucking the opportunities for those who are not the lucky 2-5%, no pitches no football, no football no interest, no interest no youth, no youth, no academy.

Surely though the issue isn’t with Argyle then, its with the directors selling the land.

If they didn’t sell it to Argyle they could sell it to a property developer. So the only thing on that land that will make money is going to be new houses.

The manadon sports hub is an Argyle community trust project. All the proceeds get reinvested back into it. This supports the local community. Argyle l’m sure have invested their time at this site. They also invest time into schools for after hours clubs.

I really don’t think they aren’t the ones not giving kids the opportunities to play. If there aren’t enough pitches then you have to ask the council why. Thats the people who should be providing the public with facilities for things like football.

Yet that won’t interest them as it doesn’t make them money. Argyle have a part to play in the community. However, they shouldn’t be responsible for a lack of facilities that our local government should be providing for kids in order to give them a free venue to play.

 

[Mattie292]

Surely though the issue isn’t with Argyle then, its with the directors selling the land.

If they didn’t sell it to Argyle they could sell it to a property developer. So the only thing on that land that will make money is going to be new houses.

The manadon sports hub is an Argyle community trust project. All the proceeds get reinvested back into it. This supports the local community. Argyle l’m sure have invested their time at this site. They also invest time into schools for after hours clubs.

I really don’t think they aren’t the ones not giving kids the opportunities to play. If there aren’t enough pitches then you have to ask the council why. Thats the people who should be providing the public with facilities for things like football.

Yet that won’t interest them as it doesn’t make them money. Argyle have a part to play in the community. However, they shouldn’t be responsible for a lack of facilities that our local government should be providing for kids in order to give them a free venue to play.

I agree it's the land owner, but PCC gave over the two pitches in beacon park that was stipulated as being for a local grassroots club, requests were put in but it went to argyle, I like most on here want Argyle to progress, but not at any cost to junior teams and I don't blame Argyle, it's just short sighted planning all-round

 

[oldage]

With respect MGM, Oldage seems to be advocating throwing money at players ahead of anything else because if we throw millions at them they won’t care about our facilities.

That isn’t caring about the longevity of our club as we well know from the past and other clubs.

These facilities will be attractive to better players even if we are offering slightly less.

Talk about twisting the facts. As a lifelong supporter I can assure you the longevity of the club is paramount.Where have I been "advocating throwing money at players" Read my posts before making false claims. Incidentally I am always wary of people starting a conversation"with respect " when they mean the opposite.

 

[WoodsyGreen]

Graham Stack once described us as a pub team because of our training facilities. Word spreads in football and I'm sure we've missed out on signings over the years because our training facilities are sub par.

A training ground is a footballer's place of work. They spend all week there eating and recuperating, training and working out. The quality of the facility will be as important to them - if not more important - than their stadium.

The fact our players have to get changed at Home Park and then walk across to their training ground past dog walkers and kids on school holidays is not something they will like. They then have to traipse back again to shower and have lunch. It really is the stone age compared to many of our competitors.

I've been to training grounds at Man City, Southampton, Man Utd, Cardiff, Swansea and Bristol City in recent months. You would expect the Premier League clubs to have significantly better facilities than Argyle, but even the likes of Cardiff and Swansea have far superior training grounds than we do. They might have enjoyed more success in recent history, but they're only in the division above us, the one we aspire to be in and could be in as soon as next season.

It's a clear binary choice as far as Argyle are concerned. Upgrade the facilities so we're on a par with Swansea and the like, or stick with Harper's Park and get left behind.

I'm glad to see they've chosen the former.

 

[Kentishgreen]

I don’t get the negativity surrounding this announcement. It’s been known for some time that the club was woefully short of training facilities and was actively looking to expand in this area. The obvious answer was Central Park somewhere but that was never going to happen in a million years. So what do people expect? How many brownfield sites are there in Plymouth? In looking for land the club was also in competition with property developers many of whom have far deeper pockets than a football club. The answer then had to be some kind of existing facility with room to expand. Also as many others have said, Argyle have not consciously kicked anyone out. This facility was offered to them by its owners. They could just as easily sold it for housing. At least it will be preserved for football and will benefit many young players from the Academy.

 

[lyndhurst]

I'll try this "what if?".

What if Argyle had high quality training facilties (pitches, gym, medical resource, dining etc.) when Ollie Watkins and Ethan Ampadu were kids? Is it not highly probable that their parents would have seen Argyle as the best prospect for their sons' development rather than Exeter?

Not sure what the net income to Exeter is from those 2 but it is several million.

Just one obvious benefit, I think.

 

[Sherford Green]

I mentioned the Bristol City facility earlier in the thread. This article basically shows what facilities they have available beyond the outside pitches (it shows work in progress, I couldn’t easily find one with the finished product): https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/gallery-a-first-look-inside-the-new-training-ground/

We don’t know the details of Argyle’s intentions for this site. But it’s basically about having all the facilities the club needs under one roof whether that’s the pitches, gym, tactics rooms, hydrotherapy pool, medical/physio space etc. Even if you reject the idea that having such facilities will help to attract players (which to me they obviously would), you have to admit that having things like a gym and pool next to the training pitches can only be a very good thing.

As I understand it, at the moment, Argyle players have to use gym facilities elsewhere in the city which means they need to travel and take account of availability as no doubt those facilities get used by students or the public. And the equipment available may not be optimal for professional footballers. I don’t think that’s likely to allow the players to train in the best way possible.

 

[JannerinCardiff]

Surely though the issue isn’t with Argyle then, its with the directors selling the land.

If they didn’t sell it to Argyle they could sell it to a property developer. So the only thing on that land that will make money is going to be new houses.

The manadon sports hub is an Argyle community trust project. All the proceeds get reinvested back into it. This supports the local community. Argyle l’m sure have invested their time at this site. They also invest time into schools for after hours clubs.

I really don’t think they aren’t the ones not giving kids the opportunities to play. If there aren’t enough pitches then you have to ask the council why. Thats the people who should be providing the public with facilities for things like football.

Yet that won’t interest them as it doesn’t make them money. Argyle have a part to play in the community. However, they shouldn’t be responsible for a lack of facilities that our local government should be providing for kids in order to give them a free venue to play.

Totally agree

 

[JannerinCardiff]

I mentioned the Bristol City facility earlier in the thread. This article basically shows what facilities they have available beyond the outside pitches (it shows work in progress, I couldn’t easily find one with the finished product): https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/gallery-a-first-look-inside-the-new-training-ground/

We don’t know the details of Argyle’s intentions for this site. But it’s basically about having all the facilities the club needs under one roof whether that’s the pitches, gym, tactics rooms, hydrotherapy pool, medical/physio space etc. Even if you reject the idea that having such facilities will help to attract players (which to me they obviously would), you have to admit that having things like a gym and pool next to the training pitches can only be a very good thing.

As I understand it, at the moment, Argyle players have to use gym facilities elsewhere in the city which means they need to travel and take account of availability as no doubt those facilities get used by students or the public. I don’t think that’s likely to allow the players to train in the best way possible.

I personally think it's ridiculous for a professional football team to not even have their own gym and have to pay for their players to use a public gym.

 

[unhinched]

I've got one son in grass roots and one son in the academy ( previously grass roots). The grass roots teams they play / played for had / have settled pitches ( some with changing rooms and kiosks etc). The academy boy trains in different locations sometimes at a day's notice and plays on a range of pitches subject to availability. Ivybridge school is the main training venue and the astro there has recently been refurbished.
So I'm not sure Argyle's pitch progress is at the expense of grass roots - maybe just levelling up !
And the senior players have similar issues re gym training etc it seems.
Argyle have been able to be complacent with young Cornish players who have no realistic option but Argyle - but when it comes to places like Newton Abbot ( Ollie Watkins) it can be about choice. I know another young pro, a regular in Exeters first team who was offered a place at Argyle and Exeter, at 15, and chose Exeter.
To put a perspective on numbers there are usually about 10-18 players in each year of the academy , depending on age group, compared to many thousands of the same age group playing at grass roots in Devon & Cornwall. It would be nice for them to be rewarded with something like Cliff Hill to call home. Cliff Hill isn't paradise, like Bristol City's new one appears to be, but it is something.
Any current success of Argyle's academy, I would suggest, would be despite the facilities and therefore due to recruitment, coaching and pathways to first team etc.

 

[Daz]

Talk about twisting the facts. As a lifelong supporter I can assure you the longevity of the club is paramount.Where have I been "advocating throwing money at players" Read my posts before making false claims. Incidentally I am always wary of people starting a conversation"with respect " when they mean the opposite.

You have posted about us investing in infrastructure, so we can only get "bargain basement players". You said players will come if we pay them enough no matter what the training facilities are like. That's from your posts nothing twisted at all. This is a football forum, so please stop the whoa is me act when people challenge your frankly bizarre opinions.

 

[Biggs]

Argyle have been able to be complacent with young Cornish players who have no realistic option but Argyle - but when it comes to places like Newton Abbot ( Ollie Watkins) it can be about choice. I know another young pro, a regular in Exeters first team who was offered a place at Argyle and Exeter, at 15, and chose Exeter.
To put a perspective on numbers there are usually about 10-18 players in each year of the academy , depending on age group, compared to many thousands of the same age group playing at grass roots in Devon & Cornwall. It would be nice for them to be rewarded with something like Cliff Hill to call home. Cliff Hill isn't paradise, like Bristol City's new one appears to be, but it is something.
Any current success of Argyle's academy, I would suggest, would be despite the facilities and therefore due to recruitment, coaching and pathways to first team etc.

Yep, it seems an absolute bare minimum for Argyle to have the best facilities in Devon and Cornwall. I'm not sure Exeter should be ahead of us in any aspect.

 

[teessidepilgrim]

Yep, it seems an absolute bare minimum for Argyle to have the best facilities in Devon and Cornwall. I'm not sure Exeter should be ahead of us in any aspect.

Looks as though Exeter are spending £3m redeveloping Cliff Hill. Would require significant investment to get this new site above that standard. As per other posts, this is great news for the club and a significant step in the right direction.

 

[Superguy]

Should be located near Birmingham for obvious reasons.

 

[williespafc]

First post on here 👋
Looking at the training grounds of other L1 clubs on Google Maps, Argyle have by far the worst training facilities in the division. The training ground is an absolute priority! Also looking at clubs like Norwich, they only have 4 full size outdoor pitches and one indoor training dome. So I don't quite understand the negativity.

The above image is the site boundary for Argyle's proposed new training ground, and being involved in the construction industry this looks to be a fantastic buy for a few reasons:

• Great transport connectivity
• Existing infrastructure (water, electricity, gas and sewage)
• Existing facility to use in the short/medium term

Looking at the Land registry details, and as outlined in the approved planning for the site, there is also scope to expand in all directions subject to other land deals with neighbours - north (driving test centre), east (undeveloped ground), south (undeveloped ground), and west (former playing fields across the road). The current proposals for the site show 3 full size pitches, so not far behind a yo-yo Premier League club with room for expansion.

We don't know how much Argyle will pay for the site, and as the article suggests it will be a subject to planning deal, however this is fantastic news all round! Harpers Park could be handed back to Plymouth CC and repurposed as a community facility perhaps - a nice gesture from the club.