Evergreen Supporting Argyle's Future

The football journey for young players in the Argyle Academy continues to enjoy an amazing boost from the support of Evergreen members.

Academy Manager Phil Stokes and his team of coaches and backroom staff set out a target for all age groups to sample the experience of tours and tournaments this year, and the impact is showing in results.

Following on from an amazing win in the Heston International Cup at QPR, the Under-16s recently travelled to Liverpool and performed really well. Evergreen is also providing financial support for the Under-18s and their trip to Leyton Orient in the Merit League this weekend.

"It was a great trip for a mixture of our Under-15s and Under-16s to take on Liverpool,” said Stokes. “We stayed overnight, and that preparation was reflected in the performance.

“The support from Evergreen members enabled them to have a proper night’s sleep and prepare right in the morning. The level of detail showed in the way we played, as the alternative would have been to leave Plymouth at 5am to take on a club the size of Liverpool.

“It was a fantastic game of football to watch and a credit to the coaches and players.

“We are also staying overnight for the Under-18 Merit League game at Leyton Orient this weekend. Our aim is to give the players the best possible preparation to perform at their best, while also mirroring the experiences of a first-team footballer.

“The Merit League fixture list takes us a bit further afield, including some South-East clubs, and  Evergreen members are giving our players the best chance to succeed on the pitch.”

The Easter holidays will bring an amazing experience for the Under-13 and Under-14 age groups, as they take in four top fixtures in the space of five days, all made possible by Evergreen members.

“Over the Easter period, we have an incredible trip to Yorkshire planned for our Under-13 and Under-14 players," said Phil. "Huge credit to Dan Thompson and Kate Kirkham for putting this together.

“We are staying at a base in Doncaster and will spend five days away from home, playing four games in a packed schedule. The fixtures include Birmingham City, Barnsley, Derby County and Manchester United, so four great fixtures against clubs we wouldn’t normally get to play.

“Once again, Evergreen has made this great addition to our games programme possible. As part of the package, the Under-13 and Under-14 players will also get to watch the first-team play at Rotherham United, as we will be in the area for that game.

“The variety these games provide are absolutely vital to the development of our young players. We try to give every age group a tour or tournament because those experiences will put them in a fantastic place technically, tactically, psychologically and socially for the demands of professional football.”

Heading into the summer, our younger age groups will be taking on the SuperCup challenge in Northern Ireland and the Foundation Phase of the Academy will compete in the Pro Academy Series against top-class opposition from home and abroad over tournament weekends in Stevenage.

“While the Easter period is very busy, we are also looking ahead to the summer, when we will once again attend the SuperCup in Northern Ireland,” said Phil.

“This year, our current Under-12s and Under-13s will make that trip for the prestigious tournament, which has a superb reputation for the quality of teams and players involved.

“The younger age groups, from Under-9 to Under-12, are also scheduled to play in festivals at Stevenage, which will include Category One clubs and European opposition. They are weekend tournaments and, as with all the above, Evergreen members have made this possible, so a big thank you from all of us in the Argyle Academy.”