Getting to know Steve Riggs

What’s your role at PAFC Displays and what does a typical day look like for you?

My role now on a matchday is slightly less active than it used to be, as I am also the manager of a local DJM team, Plymouth Kolts U15s.
We get to Home Park as quickly as we can after our match on a Saturday morning, then it’s a quick check on the pop-up shop to see all is well there.
Next, we talk through the day’s plans with Nick and the team, then I’ll probably go into the ground to double-check that everything is in place and ready for 2:45pm

How did you first get involved with PAFC Displays or the club?

Back in 2011, we tried to set up a group called Forza Verde. It never really took off the way we wanted it to, but that’s where I met Nick.
We wanted to do something slightly different, so we took the next step and set up PAFC Displays.

What’s your favourite part of working at Home Park on a matchday?

Getting to see the ground three hours before kick-off when it’s all silent, then slowly seeing the fans start to arrive and the noise levels rise.
After the match, watching the fans drift away and the ground return to silence again—just the sound of the ground staff finishing their day.
There’s something very special about Home Park when it’s quiet.

Is there a particular display or moment you’ve worked on that you’re especially proud of?

Our first display vs Exeter in 2013 will always be very special to us, along with the TIFO vs Wycombe in the playoffs.

The TIFO vs Ipswich is my proudest display.
Lots and lots of work went into the planning, as we paid homage to Paul Mariner, who played for both teams.

  • 15,000 sheets

  • 4 colours

  • 3 different designs

  • Plus a TIFO in the away end

It was by far the biggest display we had ever done—and it could not have gone any better. So proud.

What’s one thing people might not realise goes into creating the displays?

Hours and hours spent in damp sheds moving flags, plastic sheets, and poles around to the Devonport End, then even more hours sorting through everything.
Then hours putting it all out into the stands—ready for a display that might last just 20 seconds.
Then even more hours collecting everything up and putting it back into storage.

BUT the feeling you get in those 20 seconds makes everything worth it.

What’s been your most memorable matchday while working with the team?

The live TV games are always that little bit more special—extra people watching, so we like to do that little bit extra for the cameras.
The Liverpool match was great for us and great for the club too.
That extra exposure was brilliant—and topped off with a famous win.

How long have you been a fan?

My dad went to Argyle on his wedding day and on the day I was born, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he started taking me before my first birthday.

My earliest memories are of the FA Cup run in 1983—I remember going to West Brom, Derby, and the semi-final at Villa Park.
To a very young 10-year-old, getting to the FA Cup semi-final might have seemed normal, but seeing my dad in tears after we lost out on a place in the final,
I turned to him and said, “Don’t worry, Dad—we’ll win the cup next season.”
He looked down at me and shook his head…

40 years later, I know exactly what that look meant.

What’s one thing you’ve learned since joining PAFC Displays?

For a 20-second display, it could take up to 100 man-hours of work.
But having been here since day one, I know just how long things take.

If someone wanted to get involved with the group, what would you tell them?

Please come and join us.

We are all fanatical Argyle fans just doing a small bit to help the matchday atmosphere and support the team in any way we can.
Any help you can give would be appreciated—even if it’s just 30 minutes helping set up or clear up after a display.