Plymouth Argyle L.F.C.

Plymouth Argyle Ladies Football Club (PALFC) are a women's amateur association football club located in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. They come under the bracket of Plymouth Argyle F.C., and play their games at Manadon Sports Hub, (near Bolitho Park), Plymouth which is owned and operated by the PAFC Community Trust.

PAWFC are also known as 'The Pilgrims' and compete in the FA Women's National League South.

History[]

The club was formed in 1975 as a result of a 5-a-side league at the Mayflower Leisure Centre. Two teams merged in order to enter an 11-a-side football tournament in Newquay, Cornwall with the team creating the name of 'Plymouth Pilgrims'. Following the success of the tournament, Plymouth Pilgrims played in numerous competitions throughout the 1970s and 1980s with the most notable achievement being reaching the quarter-finals of the Women's FA Cup in both 1976 and 1977.

The club name changed to 'Saltash Pilgrims' in the late 1990s and the early part of the year 2000 to reflect their home ground at the time – Saltash United's Kimberly Stadium in Cornwall. It was not until the 2001–02 season that the club, then competing in the SW Combination League, were invited to compete under the umbrella of Plymouth Argyle F.C., and Plymouth Argyle Ladies were formed.

In recent years, the club has progressed both on and off the pitch which is evident in an improved financial position, an increased media profile which reflects the growing interest in women's football in the UK, and improved results on the pitch.

Players[]

Current squad[]

As of 30th August 2021^[1]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  WAL 3 DF  ENG 5 DF  ENG (Captain) 6 DF  ENG 7 MF  ENG 8 MF  ENG 9 FW  ENG 10 MF  ENG 11 MF  ENG 12 DF  GRE 13 FW  ENG Natasha Knapman 14 DF  ENG

No. Pos. Nation Player 15 MF  ENG 18 MF  ENG 19 FW  ENG 20 MF  ENG 21 DF  ENG 30 MF  ENG

Notable players[]

• Jemma Rose – England^[2]
• Chloe Roberts – England U15^[3]
• Chynna Evans – England U15^[4][5]

Honours[]

The club held the Devon Women's County Cup for a record number of years from 2002 to 2006 with a second-placed finish in the SW Combination league (Two steps below the National Premier League) in the 2006–07 season.

Sponsorship and fundraising[]

Since the beginning of 2006–07 season PAWFC's main sponsor has been Manning & Co, Plymouth. The club also does its own fundraising, including a weekly half time draw, weekly match day programmes advertising local businesses and individuals, match day sponsors, and individual player sponsors. The members of the team also produced a fundraising calendar for 2008 with funds going to the club and also £1 from each sale being donated to local charity St. Luke's Hospice. The calendar was made by a local company You Look Gorgeous and it gives a tongue-in-cheek depiction how the players might look if they were paid the same as their male counterparts.

Centre of Excellence[]

Plymouth Argyle F.C. FA Licensed Centre of Excellence started to operate on a full-time basis from the start of the 2007–08 season which would give Plymouth Argyle Women's enhanced opportunities to develop and progress in order to bring Premier League football to the city.^[6]

References[]

External links[]

• Plymouth Argyle Ladies official website

Coordinates: 50°21′45.99″N 4°04′00.93″W / 50.3627750°N 4.0669250°W / 50.3627750; -4.0669250