Plymouth Argyle is considered the pride of Devon, the county’s largest city with a loyal fanbase to match. But on a matchday, does the club cater well for its ever-growing fanbase, and does it offer options for all supporters who travel to Home Park? I decided to find out for myself if that was the case.
Plymouth Argyle hosted Burton Albion on the 4th of January 2026 in Sky Bet League One which would prove to be an important fixture for both teams as they battle it out to survive the drop. Before getting to the Theatre of Greens I needed to grab a ticket and the options were very flexible for all supporters as you were able to buy at the booth just next to the club shop or online which in a modern era proves quite difficult for some clubs that don’t offer that opportunity.
For £18 it seemed affordable for a ticket in the lower Mayflower and had a good, unrestricted view of the pitch but the only downside would be that, as it was forecast to rain that supporters may be caught out by the elements as it’s uncovered. Tickets had mostly sold out for the more desirable parts of the stadium so I settled for the “cheap” seats.
The next thing on the list was to discover the club shop which was modern, well-stocked but quite cramped when at capacity. It caters for all its supporters from baby grows to comfy blankets for this time of year and brings in another steady stream of income for the club on a matchday. Speaking to a supporter within the club shop he had said that the ranges the club offered were more bizarre and out of the box than compared to previous seasons.
The next port of call was the designated home fan zone which is gated off adjacent to the Mayflower stand. It was a fairly simple process to get in, show the ticket and you’re in. The offerings which the Pilgrims had put on in the zone were more than generous as there were several food vendors that were club-run including Pilgrims Pizza in the corner where a 9-inch pizza will cost around £8.50, I didn’t sample this but it looked good from speaking to other Argyle supporters.
At other clubs around the country, they offer a meal deal rate within their fan zones and Plymouth were no different. Their offering was a Pasty, crisps or chocolate & soft drink for £9.50 which could probably be a little bit cheaper but considering this is an EFL side and the trade off with there being no other nearby options makes the convenience outweigh the cost. Sadly they had run out of their Steak pasties so I went with a cheese & onion which was surprisingly very good and supplied by Friary Mill.
Meanwhile in the fanzone; there was games for the children including a hole in the goal, football darts and a face painting stand which don’t cost much to run but provide another outlet of entertainment alongside a big screen to show the early kick off on which was Leeds v Manchester United and also a live music stage for local performers to go and showcase themselves.
The pints were flowing and pizza’s consumed across the fanzone and you can really sense a family feel and a connectivity despite a difficult first half of the season for the Greens. There were some areas of shelter under beer umbrellas and a couple of benches scattered across but mostly it was standing room only but all in all a really well planned out area for supporters to go to.
Moving onto the main event, getting into the stadium was relatively easy with electric turnstiles alleviating staffing costs and the in-bowl experience mirrored from the outside as the concourse offered similar stalls to the fan zone choices which meant that once again supporters were put at the heart of the operations and that fore planning had paid off. There was the sports bar which was tucked into the corner but unfortunately, as it seemed like it was gated off I could not sample it.
Pre-game, there was plenty of interaction between the players and the supporters. Pilgrim Pete made several appearances throughout and as it was Plymouth Argyle’s Reflection Day, it was one big tribute to all who had passed during 2025 and for around 5 minutes or so they put everyone’s names on the screen who had gone to the other side which is certainly a thoughtful concept which other clubs could learn from.
The game got underway at 3 pm and the Green Army got behind the lads as they took the lead through Brendan Galloway in the 21st minute. The game had to be halted whilst Alex Hartridge’s head injury was being attended to but that allowed for the break where again it was a well-drilled operation with food and drink being served out fast, toilets flowing properly and fans satisfied with the offerings.
The second half ensured Argyle all three points with Matthias Ross & Lorent Tolaj adding to their tallies for the season and with the Janner song bellowing out across Ocean City, the greens saw all three. At full time the traffic flow was consistent going through Central Park as the congestion was kept to a minimum. Though probably it can’t be said for the main car park but that’s always the case after a game wherever you go in the country.
So to summarise and go back to the question, does Plymouth Argyle offer a family-friendly experience? Yes, it certainly caters for everyone and provides what I’d consider a great level of hospitality to home and away supporters on a game day at Home Park. There are only a couple of small critiques I have with the whole experience but those are minor and unnoticeable in comparison to the good work which is being put in.
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