History and Development

A good youth policy is the lifeblood of all football clubs, providing a steady flow of players for the future as well as giving a great many youngsters an understanding of the game and healthy training.

Under Tony Waiters in the 1970's, Plymouth Argyle had one of the best youth policies in England and a first class hostel at Elm Cottage, where young footballers were housed.

The Vice Presidents Club provided much of the money for the scheme and, for several years, a steady stream of good players came through the ranks and into the first team, including Martin Hodge, Gary Megson, Leigh Cooper, John Uzzell, Dave Phillips, Chris Harrison and Kevin Hodges.

The football club owned Elm Cottage and when times got bad, it was sold to raise cash and the youth policy went into decline.

When Neil Warnock arrived with Mick Jones and Kevin Blackwell in 1995, the youth scheme was down to just fifteen boys at the Centre of Excellence, who trained at Marjons College once a week.

Supporters including Trevor Heayns, Chris Higgins and the late Tony Scowcroft set about persuading the supporters groups to work together to finance a new youth scheme which would have the benefit of Neil Warnock, Mick Jones and Kevin Blackwell working in their own time and without pay.

Letters of invitation were sent to all the supporters’ organisations asking for delegates to be sent to the meetings of a steering committee and the vast majority immediately wholeheartedly threw their weight behind the idea. Negotiations with Dan McCauley allowed the youth programme for youngsters under 16 years old to be transferred from Argyle to be run as a self-funding and self-regulating operation with the handover taking place at half time during the game with Exeter City on 1 January 1996.

PAYD immediately took over the running of Plymouth Centre of Excellence and subsequently took over the F.A. run Centre of Excellence at Bodmin as well, although these were returned to the club's control in the summer of 2005.

Click here for a link to the Trust's entry on the Charity Commission's website