Argyle Community Trust

Who we are

At Argyle Community Trust we are proud to be the official charity for Plymouth Argyle Football Club. We use the prestige of football and the reach of the club to inspire, engage and help people of all ages, achieve their full potential. Our mission is to inspire and make a positive difference to Devon and Cornwall communities through the power of sport and the brand of Plymouth Argyle. In short: ‘Our club is committed to our community’. We work across Devon and Cornwall focusing our efforts upon removing barriers to participation and offering opportunities that are accessible to all sectors of the community. We maintain a particular focus on disadvantaged and isolated communities, under-represented groups, at-risk children, young people and adults.

We have a clear vision, along with our national partners, to be an active, inspirational and inclusive community hub for the South West region. At Argyle Community Trust we aim to have a positive impact on a range of groups within society and to provide the local community with the opportunity to explore their full potential, improve their life chances and aspirations through the power of football and Plymouth Argyle FC.

We are the leading sport for social good charity in Devon and Cornwall with an unrivalled reputation for achieving social impact through sport. In 2019, we won Plymouth City Council’s Partner star award for our Manadon Sports Hub, 2022 saw us win the EFL Community Club of the Year as well as winning the Plymouth Business Awards Corporate Social Responsibility Award with our parent club and being highly commended for our Environmental Action Plan at the awards.

We are hugely proud to say we have changed lives and inspired people over the past 20 years and envisage this to continue for many years to come. We offer a large range of activities and programmes from football to nationally recognised educational qualifications, from health to social action and disability.

Our culture and values

What do we want to achieve?

We have a vision to provide opportunities to all people in our local community by inspiring and empowering them through sport.

What is our core purpose?

Our mission is to inspire and make a positive difference to Devon and Cornwall communities through the power of sport and the brand of Plymouth Argyle FC. In short: ‘Our club is committed to our community.’

What are our values?

As an organisation, we believe that everyone matters, irrespective of race, religion, belief or background. We strive to do the right thing, operating in an ethical and transparent manner through our core organisational values:

Professionalism - our staff are role models, coaches, mentors, and teachers and must conduct themselves in a professional manner.

Inclusivity - we believe in fair play and having open access for all, we aim to celebrate diversity and we focus on the needs of each individual and community.

Respect - we respect our partners, people and communities and aim to gain the respect of others.

Excellence - we strive for excellence in all we do to support our beneficiaries to ensure they reach their full potential.

Honesty - we are open and transparent in all our work and with the communities we serve.

Pride - we are proud of what the organisation and its parent club represent.

We align our values to those of our parent club and these can be viewed at: www.pafc.co.uk/club/clubpolicies/vision-values

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

Equality Statement

For Plymouth Argyle Football in the Community Trust (ACT), equality is not about treating everyone the same; it’s about ensuring that everyone has equal access to opportunities - through taking into account the differing needs and capabilities of people.

Protected Characteristics

Diversity is about recognising and valuing differences through the inclusion of as many people as possible, regardless of whether those differences relate to protected characteristics such as age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage & civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race (which includes colour, nationality, citizenship and ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, sex (or gender identity) and/or sexual orientation.

Valuing All Differences

However, diversity and inclusion also includes valuing other differences linked to such things as homelessness, income levels, having previous criminal convictions, commitments outside of work, working part-time or shift work, language, union activity, health status, perspectives, opinions and/or an individual’s personal values etc.

Equal Opportunity

Therefore, for ACT, practicing equality is about ensuring that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and their talent; and a belief that no one should have a poorer life chance because of such things as the way they were born, where they come from, what they believe - or whether they have a disability etc. And equality is also about recognising that certain groups of people have historically experienced discrimination. It is because of this belief and understanding that ACT is committed to the following:

Equality Champions

ACT have appointed an Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Lead at Board and Management level who have responsibility for promoting equality, diversity and inclusion - including mental health and wellbeing - within ACT and in the delivery of our services. ACT has also appointed an Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Lead at Staff level who has responsibility for implementing and monitoring equality, diversity and inclusion - including mental health and wellbeing - within ACT and in the delivery of its services.