“Always going to be quibbles” – Plymouth Argyle urged to increase capacity of Home Park

Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park has undergone a major facelift over the last 25 years, bringing a classic stadium up to a similar standard to some of the best in the Championship.

Since rebuilding three of the stands, the Pilgrims have been relegated to League Two on two separate occasions, rebuilt in League One, and are now hoping to maintain their status as a second tier team following promotion in 2022/23.

While their form off the pitch has been inconsistent to say the least, in the stands, Plymouth boasts some of the loudest and most loyal supporters in all the EFL, who have made Home Park a fortress in the last few seasons.

Nevertheless, while some will see the stadium in its current form as near-perfect, there are always improvements that can be made. If Argyle see themselves as a cornerstone of the Championship in the years to come, then upgrading their home should be seen as a priority.

Capacity of Home Park a must improvement

At 18,173, Home Park has the third-lowest capacity in the second tier this season, according to TransferMarkt. Nevertheless, they have the 16th highest average attendance in 2024/25 so far, with 16,692.

This impressive figure is slightly down-trodden by the distance that away fans do have to travel to Devon to watch their team on the road at Argyle, and it can be said that if the stadium was in an area that was easier to access to the northern clubs, then that average attendance would be even higher.

Football League World’s Plymouth Fan Pundit, Chris, believes that increasing the capacity of the ground will only help the club going forward, giving home fans more of a chance at getting tickets, and believes that it’s the most necessary improvement needed to be made at this current time.

He told FLW: “Home Park has been Plymouth Argyle’s permanent home since 1901. During this time, it’s seen many refurbishments, with one of the most notable being in the early 2000s whereby 3 stands were virtually reconstructed from scratch.

“However, many away fans would agree that when turning up to the Theatre of Greens, it’s an enjoyable experience for not only themselves but the whole family.

“So far, there have been many recent developments. For example, the introduction of solar panels into the Mayflower Grandstand to make us more efficient, with the aim of being net-zero in a few years.

“However, there’s always things that can be improved, and one of the things that is targeted by a lot of fans is the stands’ capacity. In many seasons gone by, we have been selling out Home Park and many fans have been getting frustrated at the fact that they can’t turn up to games and that there are too many season tickets being sold out, so that not many tickets go on general sale.”

Chris continued: “Due to this, there’s always going to be quibbles in relation to expanding the stadium, however, there are significant costs to this, as well as the planning permission required in order to do so.

“At the moment a lot of money has been invested into the Brickfields Project to help with the training facilities for our youth and women’s team, however, a capacity expansion is always on the cards for something to improve on with Home Park.”

Plymouth and Wayne Rooney must make Home Park a fortress

While discussions surrounding a capacity increase may only be in the dreams of supporters, making Home Park a fortress throughout 2024/25 will be a dream of manager Wayne Rooney.

So far, they have won three of their five matches on their own patch, including a fantastic 3-2 victory over Sunderland to get their season going after a fairly disappointing start to the campaign.

 

While their away form is stuttering, they have taken nine points from their last three matches at Home Park, and after they inflicted defeats on both Blackburn Rovers and Luton Town, many who had perhaps written off Plymouth early on, will start to fear a trip to Devon this season.

A continuation of this form will only serve them well, and will help steer them clear of any relegation danger, as Rooney looks to improve their performances and results on the road.

 

 

Like Our News Check Our Home Page