Plymouth Argyle will build squad for life in the Championship, says owner Simon Hallett

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Plymouth Argyle's chairman says the club is already making plans for how to tackle the challenge of Championship football.

The Pilgrims sealed promotion from League One on Saturday, and owner Simon Hallett told ITV News West Country he was overcome with emotion at the final whistle.

"I think I burst into floods of tears," he said.

"I'm just massively overjoyed. I don't think I've seen anything quite as dramatic in my whole life."

Simon Hallett says he 'burst into floods of tears' at the final whistle on Saturday. Credit: ITV News

When he took over as chairman in 2018, Simon Hallett set a goal of becoming a sustainable Championship club within five years - promotion means they are on the right track.

"It means we carry on balancing the books, if we're lucky," he said.

"I don't think it will change the club at all. Our goal will be to continue doing what we've done over the last few years - to outperform our budget, to continue to engage with the fans, to continue to invest in infrastructure.

"It is a step up, but it will be about building the squad. We'll be offering new contracts, our recruitment has been going on since Christmas with twin plans for staying in League One and for being in the Championship."

Argyle sealed promotion with victory over Burton Albion on Saturday. Credit: PA

Stuart Elford, CEO of Plymouth Chamber, says the promotion will boost the city as a whole.

"It's not just fantastic news for the club, but of course for the wider economy," he said.

"There will be thousands more visitors coming down here, spending their money in the leisure, hospitality and tourism industry, which of course has taken a bit of a shock over recent years. But also it's also about civic pride and civic confidence."