FRATTON PARK

'Fratton Park' is the home stadium of Portsmouth F.C., and is situated in the English city-port of Portsmouth.

Contents

Description

History

Future development

Details

Records

Average attendances

See also

External links

Description

The stadium currently has four stands, all seated. The pitch runs from east to west. The largest and most modern stand, at the ground's western end, is the ''Fratton End''. Along either side of the pitch are the ''North'' and ''South'' stands, both of which are two-tiered. At the eastern end is the ''Milton End'', by far the smallest stand. Formerly the only roofless stand in the Premiership, a roof has been added for the 2007/08 season. This stand is shared between home and away supporters. The original entrance to the Fratton End is notable for its Mock Tudor façade. Since the Arrival of new owner Alexandre Gaydamak several renovations have been made to Fratton Park including improved dressing rooms, a roof over the Milton end and a big-screen above the police box between the North Stand and Milton End. Sponsorship has also been cancelled for the North Stand which now features "Fratton Park Portsmouth" and the club crest.
The stadium is served by Fratton railway station (about 10 minutes' walk away), which is located on the Portsmouth Direct Line.

History

The Main Stand was designed by renowned football archteict Archibald Leitch, who's company also built an ornate pavillion (similar to Craven Cottage) complete with clocktower. However, these were mostly removd with the expansion of the ground.
Fratton Park hosted a first-round football game in the 1948 Olympics (one of only two grounds outside London, the other being the Goldstone Ground). Fratton Park hosted one full England international match on 2 March 1903 against Wales [1] and has also hosted some England U-21 internationals. Pompey were the first club to stage a Football League match under floodlights, in a February 1956 match at Fratton Park, against Newcastle United.

Future development

The ground has been home to the club throughout its entire history, and despite improvements is showing signs of age. Therefore at the end of the 2003/04 season, having consolidated their Premier League status, plans to develop a new stadium on the adjacent disused rail-freight depot site were drawn up and approved.
These plans were superseded by a new plan to redevelop, more or less on the existing site, but realigning the pitch 90 degrees to accommodate a larger capacity, funded in part by a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 new stands are opened on the third of August 2007. The stadium now has a capacity of 20.688.
These plans were dropped however, when it was announced on April 25 2007 that Portsmouth were to build a new, and truly unique 36,000 capacity stadium on reclaimed land in the city's docklands area, although planning permission is yet to be granted with Portsmouth set to make an application to the council in the autumn after consultation with stakeholders. Subject to permission being granted, Portsmouth hope to be playing in their new stadium by 2011. The entire project, which will incorporate around 1,500 waterfront apartments as well as restaurants and other leisure facilities surrounding the new stadium and around 750 new homes at the existing site of Fratton Park is estimated to cost in the region of £600million. [2]

Details

Records

Record Attendance: 51,385 v Derby County
February 26, 1949, FA Cup Sixth Round

Average attendances

★ 1989-90: 8.959

★ 1990-91: 9,681

★ 1991-92: 11,789

★ 1992-93: 13,706

★ 1993-94: 11,692

★ 1994-95: 8,629

★ 1995-96: 9,503

★ 1996-97: 8,723

★ 1997-98: 11,149

★ 1998-99: 11,956

★ 1999-00: 13,906

★ 2000-01: 13,707

★ 2001-02: 15,121

★ 2002-03: 18,934

★ 2003-04: 20,108

★ 2004-05: 20,072

★ 2005-06: 19,840

★ 2006-07: 19,862

See also

★ Portsmouth F.C.

★ List of English football stadiums by capacity

External links

★ Stadium plans