Academy Teams Benefit From Games at Liverpool and Burnley

Several Argyle Academy teams made a long – and fruitful – trip to the North West last weekend.

Argyle sides ranging from Under-8s to Under-12s spent a day at Liverpool’s academy training ground, then a day at Burnley’s, taking on teams from the respective Premier League sides.

Not only were results extremely competitive, but the experience for all potential future Pilgrims will have been an invaluable one.

Over 70 players made the journey, along with ten Academy coaches, with Argyle Director of Football Neil Dewsnip and assistant manager Mark Hughes also in attendance.

“I am blown away by the commitment of the staff, the parents and players,” said Neil. “To get up so early in the morning, drive from Plymouth to Liverpool, then play against one of the top Academies in the world - and to compete very capably, I might add - that takes special people. I have massive respect for everyone involved.

“We understand that we have to make those efforts in order to improve our standards. We need to expose our players to the highest standard of opposition that we can, and that level of commitment is the only way of doing it.”

Academy Manager Phil Stokes echoed those sentiments, and thanked Evergreen members for the part they played in the weekend. Evergreen members can choose for subscriptions funds to be directed towards the Academy, first-team operations, or the sports science department.

“This weekend was a fantastic experience for our young players,” said Stokes. “To play Liverpool and Burnley, on top of games against Chelsea and Arsenal earlier this year, has really enhanced our games programme. Not only that, but we have performed excellently - collectively and individually. It has been really impressive to watch.”