Key information about Fratton Park

Fratton Park has been Portsmouth FC’s home since the club was founded in 1898, which speaks to the rich history and the sheer importance of the ground. Interestingly enough, the stadium is uniquely the only one in English professional football that is not on the mainland island of Great Britain and is instead built on Portsea Island.

At the moment, Fratton Park has enough space to seat 20,688 people, however, currently that figure has been reduced to 19,670 for health and safety reasons. The pitch size is 115m x 73m with a semi-artificial hybrid based surface and it does not include a running track.

The record attendance stands at 51,385 which was recorded vs Derby County on 26 February 1949.

A history of Fratton Park

As was already mentioned, Fratton Park has been the home of Portsmouth FC ever since the club was founded back in 1898 and the first-ever friendly to be played at the ground was against Southampton. Of course, the stadium was upgraded and renewed multiple times over the years.

The first important changes were made in 1920 when the club opened a new main stand which was designed by the ever-present Archibald Leitch. That stand, called South Stand, is still in use to this day and is known as the oldest one on the ground. It houses the dressing rooms for the squads, a boardroom and all the offices.

The north stand, which is still in use today as well, was added in 1930 as the stadium was once again improved. In 1997, the Fratton end, the home of the club’s noisiest section of supporters, was first demolished and then rebuilt to become a new all-seater stand and around ten years after that, the smaller Milton End finally got a roof of its own for the very first time.

There have been multiple other plans to redesign or even build an entirely new ground over the years but the club’s financial situation has prevented them from ever materialising. The stadium reached its peak with a reported 51,385 fans in attendance in 1949 during an FA Cup fixture with Derby County.

Tickets to watch Portsmouth FC at Fratton Park

The tickets to watch Portsmouth FC at Fratton Park can be purchased on the club’s official website and are not too expensive. The price, however, varies depending on the section of the ground the fans want to be located in and whether you’re buying home or away tickets. Generally, the most expensive ticket for the home side is £40 and an extra £2 is added if the ticket is bought on matchday.

Of course, they also offer season tickets to fans and as always, those are limited to a certain number and can be purchased online or via phone by calling the Ticketmaster. The early bird price for adults is £389 while the full price is £439.

https://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/ - Official website of Portsmouth FC

https://www.eticketing.co.uk/pompeyfc/ - Portsmouth FC Ticket Office