Full name Plymouth Argyle LFC | Manager Dave Leonard | |
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Nickname(s) The Pilgrims, The Greens, The Green Army Founded 1975 As Plymouth Pilgrims
2001 became Plymouth Argyle Ladies Ground Haye Road, Elburton
Plymouth League FA Women's Premier League Southern Division | ||
Plymouth Argyle Ladies Football Club (PALFC) are a women's amateur association football club located in the city of Plymouth in the county of Devon in the South-West of England.
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PALFC are also known as 'The Pilgrims' and compete in the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division. They are based at Home Park, Plymouth, UK also the home of the Football League 2 men's team Plymouth Argyle F.C..
The home ground of Plymouth Argyle LFC is, Haye Road also home to Elburton Villa FC, situated in Elburton, Plymouth.
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.
Honours
The club held the Devon Women's County Cup for a record number of years from 2002–2006 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 PALFC'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 Ladies enhanced opportunities to develop and progress in order to bring Premier League football to the city.