The Big Green Revamp

After meetings with the Academy, we have identified a new cause for the BGL to support, helping to fund the purchase of a dedicated minibus used for transporting our young players to training and games in the Plymouth area, and beyond.

The money you raise, as members, has become a vital cog in the Academy machine and the success stories of people like Ben Purrington, Curtis Nelson, Jack Stephens and recent debutants in Alex Fletcher and Jordan Bentley has shown the value of homegrown talent at Argyle.

The BGL minibus is an achievable short-term target for the Lottery and we will provide regular updates on the progress we are making in reaching our target.

For many years, the BGL has used the weekly prize structure of 10 people each winning £10. We now feel it is time to introduce a new scheme that generates more interest and excitement. As part of that process, we have researched similar schemes at other clubs across the country.

General consensus from these clubs has shown that a rollover process has been well received and enjoyable for lottery members. We have asked our lottery partners to produce a clear document explaining to members how this will work and it is important to note the rollover amount will start at £100 and increase by £100 each week, so exactly the same amount of prize fund currently issued with the 10 x £10 draws.

The monthly £500 draw remains intact, as does the Grand Annual draw for £12,000 and we have recently drawn out Mrs Jelf as our monthly ‘money can’t buy prize’ winner. Mrs Jelf and a guest will be joining us for a special Boardroom experience when Newport visit Home Park in April.

In addition to this, BGL members can access a 10% discount in the Argyle Superstore on production of their membership card, but this is only redeemable when shopping at Home Park and not on the shop website.

We have also fixed a couple of gremlins on our ticketing website to ensure Big Green Lottery Members are given the same priority as a White Member when it comes to obtaining tickets for games likely to be a sell-out.

However, we must point out that both the shop discount and the ticket priority do not apply if the BGL member is already a season-ticket holder, as we will not be able to ‘double-up’ your benefits.

There are a couple of membership benefits that will now be phased out, namely the free travel club membership and the 5% rebate on season-ticket purchases.

In terms of the season-ticket rebate, we have found this to be a somewhat strange inclusion, as BGL members have shown their commitment to providing extra funds for the Academy by joining in the first place, so it seems contradictory to then give some of that contribution back.

It is important to state, however, that any season-ticket holder who signed up to the Lottery before the end of February 2017 is absolutely entitled to their rebate. Please just contact BGL administrator Ellen Shine on ellen.shine@pafc.co.uk and she will organise the rebate.

As part of the restructuring process, we will be sending out updated membership cards and letters, clearly stating what benefits are available to BGL members.

It is also important to point out that we have a dedicated BGL section on the Academy website https://www.pafcacademy.co.uk/big-green-lottery/ and a growing social media output www.facebook.com/BigGreenLottery and twitter.com/PAFCBGL 

New members can also sign up online through our secure site http://paymymembership.co.uk/plymouth/ and any questions you have on the BGL, please contact tim.herbert@pafc.co.uk or ellen.shine@pafc.co.uk 

Argyle is one the football success stories this season and we genuinely believe, with your support, the Big Green Lottery has the potential to reach 1,000 members, which would provide serious funding support for the development of the next generation of Argyle talent.