Fratton Park is a football stadium in the English city-port of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. It remains as the original home of Portsmouth F.C. ever since the football club was first founded in 1898.
Uniquely, Fratton Park is currently the only stadium in English professional football that is not on the mainland island of Great Britain, as it is built on Portsea Island, where the city of Portsmouth is located.
Video Fratton Park
Description
Fratton Park is built in a traditional English style of four separate stands arranged closely around the four sides of the football pitch. The stadium has a current (reduced) capacity for 19,669 supporters, although the stadium has had a much larger capacity in its history, with a record attendance of 51,385 supporters. The football pitch, measuring 115 x 73 yards, is aligned from east to west, which is considered unusual in English football, as most other pitches are orientated north to south.
At the western end of Fratton Park is the single tier 4,600 seat Fratton End, which opened on 31 October 1997 and is the most modern and tallest stand in Fratton Park. The current Fratton End replaced an earlier two-tier Fratton End built in 1956 which had its upper tier demolished in 1986 for safety reasons, with the lower tier finally demolished in 1997 to clear the land for the building of the current Fratton End stand in 1997.
Along the northern side of the pitch is the two-tier North Stand, the largest stand in Fratton Park. The North Stand was opened on 7 September 1935 and replaced an earlier smaller structure. A new roof extension was added to the North Stand upper tier roof in 1997 and extends over the lower tier - previously uncovered - to the pitch touchline.
The South Stand has two tiers and was opened on 29 August 1925 and is the oldest stand in Fratton Park. The South Stand was designed by the famed Scottish architect Archibald Leitch. The entrance to the South Stand is in Frogmore Road and is notable for its mock Tudor façade, which is a remnant of a grand mock Tudor pavilion structure - with a clock tower - that previously occupied the site from 1905 before the current South Stand was built in 1925.
At the eastern end of Fratton Park is the Milton End, the smallest stand. In 1928, it was rebuilt to its current size. Infamously, the Milton End was the only roofless stand in the Premier League, before a roof was added before the 2007-08 season. The Milton End is used by visiting 'away' supporters.
The football ground is served by Fratton railway station one mile to the west (about 10 minutes' walk away), which is located on the Portsmouth Direct Line.
Maps Fratton Park
Nickname
Fratton Park is affectionately known as "The Old Girl" by Portsmouth supporters. Other nicknames include "Fortress Fratton" or just simply "Fratton". Another playful nickname used by both home and rival supporters is "Nott'arf Krap", which is the Fratton Park name reversed in a semi-palindrome.
Fratton Park History
On 5 April 1898, Portsmouth Football Club was founded by a group of six local businessmen and sports enthusiasts at a solicitor's office at 12 High Street, Old Portsmouth. The men formed a syndicate to share their resources to form a professional football club and to buy a plot of land near Goldsmith Avenue, Milton to build a football ground. "The Portsmouth Football and Athletic Company" as it was originally known, had a capital of £8,000 amongst its chairman and five directors.:
- John Brickwood (later Sir John Brickwood) - the owner of Portsmouth-based 'Brickwoods Brewery' and first Chairman of Portsmouth F.C.
- Alfred H. Bone - a Portsmouth public house architect.
- John Peters - a wine importer.
- William Wiggington - a government contractor and former Royal Engineers Warrant Officer.
- George Lewin Oliver - founder and headmaster of 'Mile End School', 384-388 (Old) Commercial Road, Mile End, Portsmouth, where 'Oliver's Academy' became known as 'Mile End School'.
- Alderman John Edward Pink - a solicitor, based at 12 High Street, Old Portsmouth, employed by John Brickwood.
A blue plaque on the wall of 12 High Street, Old Portsmouth (Alderman John E. Pink's office building) commemorates the founding on 5 April 1898.
Their prospectus, dated 14 May 1898, revealed that they proposed to spend £5,000 on up to five acres of agricultural land at Milton Farm on Goldsmith Avenue near the village of Milton, to be used primarily for football and "for such outdoor games and exercises" that were approved by the directors. These were to include cycling, athletics and cricket matches. It was noted that the ground was to be built within easy reach of Fratton Station with its trains and trams and that it "was intended to drain and turf the land and erect the necessary buildings" for a further £2,000, which would leave working capital of about £1,000.
It was hoped that football in Portsmouth would become as popular as in Northern towns (the benchmark even then) where attendances were between 20,000 and 30,000. The existing team at Southampton was mentioned as well as an embryonic club at Brighton and it was hoped that "a healthy rivalry would spring up that would increase the popularity and income of the company".
With the successful acquisition of five acres of land, bought from the Goldsmith family who owned Milton Farm (and from whom which 'Goldsmith Avenue' is named after), a general meeting of shareholders was then held on 2 September 1898. The pitch was shortly to be turfed and fenced and it was hoped that football could be played there after Christmas of 1898. However, the land was still covered with a crop of potatoes which the directors were "anxious to sell", which they eventually did, which contributed to the funds of the newly formed company.
On 19 December 1898, the "Hampshire Telegraph" newspaper ran an advertisement inviting tenders "for the building of two stands: the first, 100 feet long with seven rows of seats on the south side and the second, terracing which stretched for 240 feet on the opposite, north side".
On 15 August 1899, more than 1,000 people, including some of the first Pompey players, attended the official opening to see how a former Milton Farm potato field had been transformed into a modest football ground. Ironically, the name of the new football stadium was deliberately chosen to be "Fratton Park", to persuade users of Fratton Station with its convenient trains and trams that the stadium was within easy walking distance of the station. "Fratton Park" was - and still is - actually built in Milton, not Fratton, which is one mile to the north-west of the railway line, its border. Fratton Park still retains its Milton "PO4" postal code address today (Fratton and Portsmouth city centre has a "PO1" postal code) and is also located in the Milton Ward electoral district for Portsmouth City Council and national level parliamentary elections.
Frank Brettell was the club's first team manager. The club joined the Southern League in 1899, with their first league match being played at Chatham Town on 2 September 1899 (a 1-0 victory), followed three days later by the first match at Fratton Park.
The first ever match at Fratton Park, a 2-0 friendly win against Southampton FC, was played on Wednesday 6 September 1899, with goals from Dan Cunliffe (formerly with Liverpool) and Harold Clarke (formerly with Everton). The first Fratton Park attendance was 4,141 with gate receipts of 141 pounds, 14 shillings and 9 pence (approximately £17,000 when adjusted to 2018 inflation).
In 1900, Portsmouth architect Arthur Cogswell, built a Brickwoods Brewery pub for Portsmouth F.C. chairman John Brickwood outside Fratton Park in Frogmore Road. The pub was named "The Pompey". Arthur Cogswell was well known to John Brickwood, as Cogswell had built many other Brickwoods pubs around Portsmouth. Arthur Cogswell was also an enthusiast of association football, having formed the earlier amateur level Portsmouth Association Football Club (1884 to 1896). (This earlier "Portsmouth AFC" predates "Royal Artillery FC".)
In 1905, a grand and ornately decorated club pavilion was also built by Arthur Cogswell in the same manner of most other late 19th century football grounds, such as Fulham F.C.'s Craven Cottage.. Fratton Park's pavilion was built in the south west corner in Frogmore Road, immediately to the north of "The Pompey" pub. The eastern side of the pavilion featured a tall clock tower spire, with a covered spectator gallery beneath it. The pavilion also housed the players dressing rooms and the club offices.
The South Stand
Fratton Park's first and original South Stand was built in 1899 and measured "100 feet long with seven rows of seats on the south side" and was built on the southern side of the pitch. Initially, it was called The Grand Stand. The Fratton Park pitch was surrounded by a quaint white picket fence.
In 1900, Portsmouth architect Arthur Cogswell built a public house next to Fratton Park in Frogmore Road named "The Pompey", owned by John Brickwood, owner of the Brickwoods Brewery and first chairman of Portsmouth F.C.
In 1905, a grand and ornately decorated pavilion was also built by Arthur Cogswell in the south-west corner of Fratton Park in the same manner of most late 19th century grounds. The eastern side of the pavilion featured a tall clock tower spire, and a covered spectator gallery beneath it. The pavilion also housed the dressing rooms and the club offices.
On the early evening of 16 March 1916, the entire roof of the (original) South Stand was blown off by "a great hurricane". Houses surrounding Fratton Park in Carisbrooke Road and Ruskin Avenue were hit by the South Stand roof and suffered extensive damage.
In 1925, because of overcrowding of the original "one-thousand" seat South Stand and revenue lost to "better class supporters unable to obtain a seat", work on a larger South Stand began on 17 June 1925 and was completed just ten weeks later. The new South Stand was designed by renowned football architect Archibald Leitch. and was opened by the then Football League President, John McKenna on 29 August 1925, just before the kickoff before a home match against Middlesbrough. Leitch's South Stand was built with an all wooden upper section with flip-turn seats in the centre and benches at the west and eastern ends. A lower terrace 'paddock' standing section below pitch level was also built. The South Stand also featured new players dressing rooms previously located in the Fratton Park pavilion. A "tunnel" built directly from within the South Stand dressing rooms lead to the pitch at the halfway line point.
Sadly, most of the eastern side of Arthur Cogwell's original mock Tudor pavilion, including its clock tower and spectator gallery was either removed or absorbed into the new South Stand's footprint. The now famous mock Tudor "Main Entrance" to Fratton Park in Frogmore Road is now all that remains of the original pavilion today.
During the 1980s when crowd trouble was more commonplace, metal fencing was fitted along the pitchside of the South Stand to prevent pitch invasions.
In the summer of 1988, new Portsmouth F.C. chairman Jim Gregory injected money into the club, the South and North stands were both refurbished with new white exterior walls and blue sheet metal roofs. The condemned upper tier of the Fratton End was also demolished.
Following the 15 April 1989 Hillsborough Disaster, Portsmouth F.C. removed the perimeter fences from Fratton Park for the 1989-90 season, except at the Milton End to separate away supporters,, although these too were removed for the following 1990-91 season after the Taylor Report was published in January 1990.
During the summer of 1996, the South Stand (and all other stands) became all seated, with new plastic seats replacing older wooden ones in the upper section. The South Stand's lower paddock terraces were reprofiled and seats were installed.
In 2006, under the new ownership of Russian-French-Israeli businessman Alexandre Gaydamak, the South Stand was controversially retrofitted with additional rows of seats built immediately in front of the upper section of the stand, building over - and concealing - the original and distinctive Archibald Leitch 'X' trusses that were an eye-catching feature of the South Stand's original design. The additional seats also narrowed the field of vision for supporters who sat beneath them in the lower South Stand.
Gaydamak also completely 'modernised' the Portsmouth FC boardroom within the South Stand. A set of fourteen antique oak chairs and a five-leaf table were literally thrown out into a rubbish skip during the renovations. The chairs have the design of a ship's wheel on their backs and had dark navy-blue velvet upholstery. The chairs had originally been made for a wardroom on the Royal Navy's first iron-clad warship H.M.S. Warrior, which was built in the 1860s. They had been gifted by the Royal Navy to Portsmouth FC for more than 70 years. During the Second World War, the chairs were moved to a Solent fort, where Winston Churchill and Field Marshal Montgomery are said to have sat on them to plot the downfall of the Germans. An anonymous builder who had been working at Fratton Park for the 2006 renovations decided to 'rescue' them and stored them for safe keeping. The builder says he plans to give the chairs and table back to Portsmouth FC when the current owners had 'changed their taste'.
The South Stand also contains the player's dressing rooms which are accessed via a pitchside 'tunnel' midway along the South Stand at the 'halfway line' point of the pitch. At pitch level, the South Stand also has dedicated seating areas for both 'Home' and 'Away' football teams and their associated staff. Directly above in the upper South Stand is a 'directors box' area of seating specifically for Portsmouth FC officials and visiting guests.
At the rear of the upper South Stand seating area, behind the directors box, is an area reserved for journalists. Above, perched on top of the South Stand roof, is a small television camera gantry, only accessible via an 'exciting' sheer vertical ladder climb from within the upper South Stand seating area.
The North Stand
Originally opening on 15 August 1899, the North Terrace (as it was then called) had 'terracing which stretched for 240 feet' on the northern side of Fratton Park. At the start of the 1931-32 season, a small roofed North Stand was built at the halfway line point.
Using money from the June 1934 sale of defender Jimmy Allen and money from the 1934 FA Cup Final, Portsmouth F.C. announced at Christmas 1934 that the North Stand was to be demolished and rebuilt with a much larger stand, increasing the ground capacity to more than 58,000, with 30,000 under roof.
On 7 September 1935 the new North Stand was opened by John McKenna, who had also opened Fratton Park's new South Stand ten years earlier. The official opening ceremony took place over loudspeakers from the directors box of the South Stand just before kickoff of the game against visitors Aston Villa, ironically captained by former Portsmouth defender Jimmy Allen! The new "Jimmy Allen Stand" as it was unofficially nicknamed, contained a new upper tier standing terrace under its roof. The whole stand then became known as 'The North Stand'.
The North Stand is an irregular shaped stand at its western end because of a pre existing pedestrian footpath - known as 'Milton Lane' - which was not constructed parallel to the same angle as Fratton Park stadium or the pitch. Instead of purchasing additional land to 'straighten' Milton Lane and to build a uniformly straight North Stand, Portsmouth FC instead chose to build the new North Stand within the narrowing angle of the western Milton Lane. This has resulted in the North Stand looking oddly angled and crooked at its western end since 1935.
In the summer of 1988, new Portsmouth F.C. chairman Jim Gregory injected money into the club, the South and North stands were both refurbished with new white exteriors and blue sheet metal roofs. The condemned upper tier of the Fratton End was also demolished.
During the 1980s when crowd trouble was more commonplace, metal fencing was fitted along the pitchside of the North Stand to prevent pitch invasions. Following the 15 April 1989 Hillsborough Disaster, Portsmouth F.C. removed the perimeter fences from Fratton Park for the 1989-90 season, except at the Milton End to separate away supporters,, although these too were removed for the following 1990-91 season after the Taylor Report was published in January 1990.
During the summer of 1996, the North Stand (and all other stands) became all seated with modern blue plastic seats replacing the old wooden ones in the upper tier of North Stand. The lower tier terrace of the North Stand was fitted with seats too, as part of the Taylor Report recommendations.
In the summer of 1997, a new North Stand roof extension was built to shelter the lower North Stand supporters from rain. At the same time, a new Fratton End stand was built, which opened in late December 1997.
In 2015, a new gravel surfaced main car park for Portsmouth FC was built and opened behind the North Stand. This additional land, formerly part of an neighbouring industrial estate, had been purchased by Portsmouth FC during the early 2000s. Most of the original 'Milton Lane' footpath has now been absorbed into the new car park, meaning that a newer, straighter 'Milton Lane' footpath has been built along the new car park's northern boundary.
On Saturday 17 December 2016, The Pompey Supporters Trust unveiled the 'Wall Of Fame' plaques to the rear wall of the North Stand, featuring the names of all the 2300 PST shareholders who helped save Portsmouth FC from liquidation by the High Court Of Justice on 10 April 2013.
'The Boilermakers Hump'
'The Boilermakers Hump' was the twentieth century nickname given to the north-east corner quadrant of Fratton Park, where the North Stand and Milton End physically met. It had also once been nicknamed the "Spion Kop" in its earlier history.
The Boilermakers Hump name originates from men who worked in Portsmouth dockyard who specialised in building and maintaining the steam boilers for the Royal Navy fleet. The 'Boilermakers' met at the north-east corner of Fratton Park and gave the corner the nickname 'The Boilermakers Hump', because of its contoured curved hump-like construction and the fans who met there.
The Boilermakers had a rowdy reputation. They worked hard and played hard. They would often sneak out of work early for Pompey matches, leaving work unwashed, dirty and drunk. Because of this reputation, people would steer clear of them and the Boilermakers claimed their own corner of the ground for themselves - on the Hump. The Boilermakers Hump was also the closest point in Fratton Park where the home fans could see the visiting 'away' fans in the Milton End stand.
Today, 'The Boilermakers Hump' is now mostly occupied by a police and security control room box, scoreboard and the north-east floodlight pylon tower. Some theorise that this is intentional!
The Milton End
At the eastern end of Fratton Park is the 'Milton End', the smallest stand. Originally, the Milton End was built as an open air solid earth bank terrace which was connected to the North Stand's eastern end with a corner quadrant, known as 'The Boilermakers Hump'. Behind the Milton End is a narrow alleyway known as 'Specks Lane' allowing rear access to neighbouring terraced housing. As the Milton End is a solid earth bank, there are no concourse facilities beneath the stand.
In 1928 the Milton End was rebuilt and terraced, taking the Fratton Park capacity up to 40,000.
During the 1980s when crowd trouble was more commonplace, a deep trench was dug in front of the whole width of the Milton End (and Fratton End) to prevent pitch invasions. The trench was originally topped with a concrete wall barrier and a tall metal fence. Following the 15 April 1989 Hillsborough Disaster, Portsmouth F.C. removed the perimeter fences from Fratton Park for the 1989-90 season, except at the Milton End to separate away supporters,, although these too were removed for the following 1990-91 season after the Taylor Report was published in January 1990. However. the Milton End trench and wall were retained to present day, with additional emergency exits retrofitted in.
In the summer of 1996, Fratton Park became an all-seater stadium. The Milton End terrace was reprofiled and blue plastic seats were installed.
Nine years later in 2007, a roof was added over the Milton End following complaints to the Premier League by 'Away' supporters not accustomed to being exposed to rain. The Milton End, between the 2003-2004 and 2006-2007 seasons, was the Premier League's only unroofed stand. This unofficially earned the Milton End the nickname of "The Gene Kelly Stand" by soaked visitors, a reference to the 1952 "Singing In The Rain" musical and song.
The Fratton End
In the first half of the twentieth century, the western end of Fratton Park, known as 'The Fratton End', was an unroofed earthbank terrace. In the 1930s, a basic roof was built over the Fratton End stand.
The original Fratton End stand was later demolished and replaced in 1956 with a new stand built from prefabricated concrete and steel. It had two distinctive tiers, a roofed upper terrace and an open-air lower terrace not covered by the roof. Both sections were separated by a concrete wall which ran across the full width of the Fratton End stand.
Three decades later, the Fratton End was condemned in 1986 and partially closed for the Division Two season of 1986-87 and for the return to Football League Division One (now 'Premier League') in the 1987-88 season. This meant only the lower terrace section could be used for the Fratton End fans. The upper half and roof of the Fratton End were subsequently demolished at the end of the 1987-88 season, with Portsmouth being relegated to Football League Division Two (now 'The Championship'). It had been found that the aggregate obtained from The Solent used in the 1956 concrete mix contained high levels of sea salt and had caused the upper Fratton End's steel structure to corrode and weaken.
Many fans theorise Portsmouth's relegation from the top flight was in part attributed to the partial closure of the Fratton End, in terms of both decreased crowd atmosphere, lower attendances and earnings. The remaining unroofed lower terrace section of the Fratton End continued to be used for the next eight years, before being finally demolished in 1996 during the new ownership of Terry Venables.
During the early 1980s when crowd trouble was more commonplace, a deep concrete lined trench was dug in front of the whole width of the Fratton End (and Milton End) to prevent pitch invasions. The trench was originally topped with a thick concrete wall barrier and on top of that, a tall metal fence. Following the 15 April 1989 Hillsborough Disaster, Portsmouth F.C. removed the perimeter fences from Fratton Park for the 1989-90 season, except at the Milton End to separate away supporters,, although these too were removed for the following 1990-91 season after the Taylor Report was published in January 1990. The Fratton End's trench and wall were retained until being finally demolished in 1997.
In the summer of 1996, the lower terrace remnant of the Fratton End (and all other stands) was fitted with modern blue plastic seats, making Fratton Park an all seated stadium.
The summer of 1997 saw work begin to fully demolish the old Fratton End. At the same time, a new roof extension was built for the lower tier of the North Stand.
At 4.59pm on Friday 31 October 1997, the new £2.2 million Fratton End was cleared for its official opening, with one minute to spare before a 5pm deadline. Problems with some misorientated Fratton End rooftop floodlights caused the Fratton End of the pitch to be "shrouded in gloom on Hallowe'en", according to the Sky Sports 3 tv commentator, causing some doubt that the live televised Division One game against Swindon Town would take place. Fortunately, the match referee, Paul Danson gave the go-ahead for the evening fixture. Unfortunately, the game was won 0-1 by Swindon Town with an official Fratton Park attendance of only 8,707.
Initially, the new Fratton End was officially known as 'The KJC Stand' under a sponsorship agreement with the mobile telephone retailer KJC Mobile Phones Limited (now dissolved). As a mark of respect to the club's most famous former player and manager, a large portrait of Jimmy Dickinson was designed into the seating design of the new Fratton End stand on its southern wing, with the club's famous crest on the northern wing. The Fratton End is the tallest stand in Fratton Park and has a maximum capacity of 4,600 seats. During construction of the new Fratton End, the connecting north-west corner quadrant stand (similar to 'The Boilermakers Hump') which connected the old Fratton End lower terrace to the lower terrace of North Stand was also demolished. This provided a new large open space "gap" for vehicles to access the Fratton Park pitch as well as a wider exit route for exiting fans.
Strangely, a large analogue clock which was originally installed and hung beneath the Fratton End roof in 1997, broke during the mid 2000s and was removed 'for repair'. The clock has never been seen since. Rumours persist that a Havant based clock repair company was not paid and have kept the clock until payment is received.
On the rear of the Fratton End hangs a pub sign which reads 'The Pompey', and depicts an imagine of football player wearing the traditional blue and white Portsmouth home kit. This pub sign originally hung from the ornate mock Tudor building which stands at the corners of Frogmore Road and Carisbrooke Road outside Fratton Park, formerly a Brickwood Brewery public house called 'The Pompey', designed by Arthur Cogswell in 1900. The former pub was closed on 19 August 1988 bought by Portsmouth F.C. to use as premises for a club shop, a ticket office and a media centre. The pub sign was later removed and fitted to the rear of the Fratton End above the entrance to the Fratton End's own bar.
The Fratton End is known for housing the most vocal of Portsmouth FC's home supporters and are arguably, 'the loudest in the land' according to some television commentators.
Floodlights
Portsmouth FC was the first English football club to stage a Football League match under floodlights, in a 22 February 1956 game against Newcastle United. These original floodlights were positioned at opposite ends on top of the South Stand and North Stand roofs.
In 1962, floodlight pylon towers were constructed in the four corners of Fratton Park, replacing the original 1956 roof-top sets which were removed.
In July 2015, work began by Musco Lighting to bring pitch illumination up to Championship standards for evening games at Fratton Park. The work was completed in September 2015. The new lamps were installed along the roof edges of the Fratton End, North Stand and Milton End stands of Fratton Park. This new lighting rendered the two northern corner floodlight towers obsolete and they were permanently switched off. There are no plans to remove the iconic 1962 pylon towers. During initial surveying work, it was discovered that the South Stand roof was not capable of supporting the new lighting equipment, so the decision was taken to keep the two southern corner floodlight towers operational.
Other History
Fratton Park has hosted one full England international match on 2 March 1903 against Wales and has also hosted some England U-21 internationals.
It also hosted a first-round football game in the 1948 Summer Olympics, one of only two grounds outside London to host matches in that tournament.
Southampton F.C. was briefly forced to switch home matches to Fratton Park during World War II when a bomb hit The Dell pitch in November 1940, leaving an 18-foot crater which damaged an underground culvert and flooded the pitch.
Crowd Attendance Record
Fratton Park's crowd attendance record is 51,385 for an FA Cup quarter-final match against Derby County on 26 February 1949, in which Portsmouth won 2-1. The capacity has in recent years been greatly reduced by the introduction of compulsory seating rules recommended by The Taylor Report.
Largest Fratton Park Home Win
On 9 April 1927, Portsmouth beat Notts County a record 9-1 in the successful 1926-27 Football League Division Two season.
Largest Fratton Park Home Defeats
By largest margin:
- On 16 January 1937, Portsmouth lost 0-5 to Tottenham Hotspur in Round Three of the FA Cup.
- On 15 October 1955, Portsmouth lost 0-5 to Birmingham City in a Football League Division One game in the 1955-56 season.
- On 24 March 2010, Portsmouth lost 0-5 to Chelsea F.C. in the FA Premier League.
By greatest number of goals conceded:
- On 17 September 1958, Portsmouth lost 2-6 to West Bromwich Albion in Football League Division One in the 1958-59 season.
Largest quantity of Fratton Park Goals
By highest aggregate score:
- On 29 September 2007, Portsmouth defeated Reading F.C. 7-4 in the FA Premier League. 11 goals were scored.
Future development
The ground has been home to the club throughout its entire history. The old stadium has been refurbished and repaired, but the current facilities are showing signs of age. By the time Portsmouth reached the FA Premier League in 2003, other clubs at this level had either built new stadiums or significantly redeveloped existing facilities along modern, less working-class lines, abolishing traditional features which have so far been preserved at Fratton Park, despite relocation being suggested as long ago as the early 1990s. When the Taylor Report of January 1990 required all clubs in the top two divisions to have all-seater stadiums by the 1994-95 season, relocation was soon being considered by the Portsmouth board, although Fratton Park was still converted into an all-seater stadium over the next few years, giving it a capacity of over 19,000.
At the end of the 2003-04 season, the club having survived its first season in the Premier League, plans were developed to build a new stadium on the site of an adjacent disused rail-freight depot. These plans, which were supported by the city council, would also have allowed a much needed increase in ground capacity, but it was claimed that it would be impossible to achieve on the current footprint because of the close proximity of residential housing.
Before work could begin, however, the plans were superseded by a new proposal to redevelop more or less on the existing site, but realigning the pitch 90 degrees to accommodate a larger capacity stadium, funded in part by a "Pompey Village" residential, hotel and retail project on the adjacent site. Work on the stadium was due to commence in the summer of 2006, and the first phase of the redevelopment completed a year later.
Again, before work could begin, the plans were dropped, with yet another proposal announced on 25 April 2007 that would see a 36,000-seat stadium on reclaimed mud flats close to Portsmouth Naval Base. These plans were ambitious and included creating a leisure village around the stadium, complete with 1,500 waterfront apartments as well as restaurants and other facilities.
The proposal for a new stadium was widely supported, although cautiously by many that were conscious that the waterfront location proposed in the outline plans would be surrounded on three sides, by the naval base, harbour itself and railway, thus leaving only one end for access by residents and supporters. Critics also pointed out that the mudflats the stadium was proposed to sit on was close to an area of Site of Special Scientific Interest, would be difficult to get to by road and had nowhere near the amount of car parking facilities needed for such an enterprise (Portsmouth is an island, with road access by only three routes from the north, and the waterfront site was close to the south-west extremity of the island).
These plans were also dropped before work could begin. The club had undertaken consultation and there were a number of objectors to the proposal, no least about the problems that 36,000 fans would cause to the local travel infrastructure. The Royal Navy also said that the proposal would cause problems with the proposed introduction of its new aircraft carriers.
In 2008, a fourth set of plans were approved, to build a new 35,000 capacity stadium and leisure/residential complex on Horsea Island. In 2009 the Horsea Island development was put on hold due to financial issues. The previous proposal to rotate the existing pitch at Fratton Park by 90 degrees was re-instated. Work was due to begin late 2009, with a gradual increase in capacity until completion in 2010 ending with a capacity of 30,000.
In 2011, plans to spend money redeveloping Fratton Park were announced, with improvements to changing rooms and toilets. By 2015, however, with Portsmouth in League Two (fourth tier of English football), no redevelopment or expansion work had yet taken place. As it stands, Fratton Park's current capacity would appear adequate until promotion to a higher division is achieved.
In 2015, two floodlight pylons were rendered obsolete due to corrosion and leaking water in the control boxes causing short circuiting. Musco Lighting handled the installation of new lighting in the stadium over the course of three months. However, a report indicated that the South Stand was not capable of taking on the lights. For the time being the decision has been made to keep the south pylons active.
Details
Records
Overall Record Attendance: 51,385 v Derby County 26 February 1949, FA Cup Sixth Round 1948-1949 season.
All Seated Record Attendance: 20,821 v Tottenham Hotspur 17 October 2009, Premier League 2009-2010 season.
Average attendances since World War II
See also
- List of English football stadiums by capacity
- Ground improvements at English football Stadia
References
- Sources
- Inglis, Simon (1996). Football Grounds of Britain. Collins Willow. ISBN 0-00-218426-5.
External links
- Stadium plans
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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