Brickfields plan is vital to Argyle's progression

THE multi-million pound project that Plymouth Argyle are undertaking at Brickfields to transform the Devonport site into a permanent home for their academy is part of a wider plan to get fit for purpose as a Championship club, chairman Simon Hallett has declared.

- CHRIS ERRINGTON

A planning application is set to be submitted this month and if approved the first works could begin next March or April with the target of the academy sides playing games there by September 2025.

Hallett, who has an 87 per cent shareholding in the club, and the US-based group of investors Argyle Green, whose sole managing member is Nick Giannotti, are committing £11 million to the overall £21 cost.

A further £7.3m will come from the Argyle Community Trust by way of sport and community development grant funding and £2.7m from Plymouth City Council, funded by savings made on the site by handing management responsibility to Argyle.

At the core of the proposals is a new permanent home for the club’s youth setup, including a covered pitch and other facilities which are of the If we want standard required to elevate the academy to category two status in the future.

Hallett told Herald Sport: “It’s part of a wider plan. If we want to compete as we have said we now do at the top half of the Championship we have got to get this club fit for purpose.

“Just travelling around the Championship you can see the quality of the stadiums, you can see the quality of the fan zones, you can see the quality of where their academies train.

“We are still a long way from that. Brickfields is the biggest investment we have made so far. It’s a £21m project, our share is going to be £11m subject to cost inflation and so on.