Plymouth football braced for historic FA Cup TV first as two clubs take centre stage
Both Plymouth Argyle and non-league underdogs Plymouth Parkway have had their Second Round Proper ties selected for live TNT Sports coverage on Sunday, December 6
Sunday, December 6 will prove a historic day for Plymouth football, as two clubs from the city play back-to-back in the same professional competition on live television for the very first time.
On Thursday (November 12) evening, the Emirates FA Cup announced its broadcast selections for the Second Round Proper.
Plymouth Argyle’s away trip to Crewe Alexandra was chosen for live coverage on TNT Sports 2 directly before Plymouth Parkway’s unprecedented home tie against League Two side Barnet on TNT Sports 1.
The Pilgrims will travel to Gresty Road for a 3.15pm kick-off, before the spotlight shifts to Bolitho Park where Parkway host the Bees at 5.30pm.
For Argyle, stepping in front of the television cameras in the FA Cup is nothing new.
Including the upcoming trip to Crewe, the club’s five-year tally stands at six televised FA Cup matches.
These were highlighted by terrestrial broadcasts on BBC and ITV for the meetings with Premier League giants Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.
For Plymouth Parkway, however, this represents only the second time in the club’s history they have featured in a live televised FA Cup tie.
Their debut came on Monday (November 9) night, when Parkway made history by reaching the Second Round for the very first time, coming from behind to beat Berkhamsted 2-1 in front of a sold-out crowd of over 2,000 at Bolitho Park.
The financial impact of the run is transformative for the seventh-tier outfit.
Progressing past Round One guarantees at least £21,200 in additional prize money, taking their estimated cumulative FA Cup winnings to more than £87,000.
While a £50,000 television fee and gate receipts from the next round could push total earnings from the cup run close to £149,000.
Parkway, alongside fellow seventh-tier sides Guiseley and Wimborne Town, are now the lowest-ranked clubs remaining in the 2026-27 competition.
Before either Plymouth club can fully turn its attention to the cameras in early December, both face demanding league schedules.
Tom Cleverley’s side have four League One fixtures before travelling to Cheshire, beginning tomorrow (November 14) afternoon away at Sheffield Wednesday, followed by clashes against Peterborough United, Wigan Athletic, and Bromley.
Cleverley is navigating that run amidst a stretching injury crisis, with seven first-team players currently sidelined.
Key figures including skipper Joe Edwards, Julio Pleguezuelo, and Michael Baidoo remain out for at least a month.
Meanwhile, Parkway must quickly dust themselves down from Monday’s cup heroics to focus on their Southern League Premier Division South promotion push.
Sitting fourth in the table, Parkway have three league fixtures to navigate before Barnet arrive in Devon.
Starting tomorrow afternoon away at 15th-placed Hanwell Town, home games against Malvern Town and Sholing follow, before Plymouth’s historic televised double-header takes centre stage.