PASOTI Press Release (9 Sep 1996)
PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE USE "PASOTI" PLYMOUTH ARGYLE SUPPORTERS ON THE INTERNET SCORING ANOTHER FIRST Supporters of Nationwide League Division Two team Plymouth Argyle have become the first group of supporters in cyberspace to launch an official football supporters' club. The launch of "PASOTI", Plymouth Argyle Supporters On The Internet, is believed to be the first official club for football supporters to be based entirely on the Internet, the world-wide computer system. Over 250 Plymouth Argyle fans from all over the world have been sharing match reports and gossip about the club since 1994, through electronic mail and use of the internet's 'world-wide-web' pages system, and the current organisers of the Argyle internet pages, David Gadd, James Cridland and Robert Freeman, are now proud to announce the launch of the PASOTI official supporters' club - in recognition of the large number of supporters who use the resource and the ever growing importance these people have in supporting the club. The PASOTI internet pages are on-line at the internet address 'http://www.argyle.org.uk'. Supporters from New Zealand, Australia, The United States, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and other countries, and supporters in the UK who find it hard to access the local media, are expected to form the main bulk of the club members. One of PASOTI's most significant achievements has been to sponsor Argyle player Neil Illman's official home strip. Over 30 Plymouth cyber-fans got together last May and put forward money to support the player. PASOTI have also attained generous sponsorship from a wide variety of companies. Hewlett Packard have given technical assistance, while internet providers Zynet and Easynet have both supported the fans' ventures in recent years. Plymouth paper The Evening Herald last season agreed to allow fans to reproduce articles and features for the benefit of fans worldwide. The Internet is a world wide communications system that links together millions of computers all around the world. In practical terms, this means that you can turn on your computer and instantly view a huge amount of information - including world wide news, weather maps, tourist guides and TV schedules. Recent developments have also meant that it is possible to view movies, sound clips and play games. Over two years ago, a dozen Argyle supporters lead by Paul Crowley got together and started chatting with each other over the internet, sharing match reports, pictures and gossip. Since then, the number of people on the Argyle mailing list has risen to over 250 members and, through supporter David Gadd, Argyle have developed a very impressive and award winning set of pages on the 'World Wide Web'. The PASOTI internet pages help supporters keep up-to-date with the latest news and scores, with 43 items posted about newly-promoted Plymouth Argyle in August alone. Alongside the latest news section, there is a 'noticeboard' - a forum for fans to gossip and talk about the latest developments - with sometimes very heated debates. There is also a full match fixture list coupled with previews and reports of all league and cup games, details of all the Argyle players, background information about the club, memorable matches submitted by Argyle fans, full archives of news stories and reports going back over two seasons, a guide for away fans travelling to Home Park, and even an on-line game: "Neil Illman's Fantasy Football", named after the PASOTI-sponsored player. Fans can imagine fielding their own Argyle squad from week to week and win points based on players performances. PASOTI will be a non-profit making club which is seeking merely to cover its own costs. -ENDS- Editor's notes Internet addresses: PASOTI Argyle Web Page Address: http://www.argyle.org.uk Mailing list address: pilgrims@argyle.org.uk PASOTI Club Officials Chairman / webmaster: David Gadd (tel: 01822 840152) Press Officer / mailing list: James Cridland Treasurer / sponsorship organiser: Robert Freeman Contact: James Cridland, press officer: Telephone (day/night): 0701 0701 218 Facsimile (day/night): 0701 0701 219 E-mail: james007@mediauk.com