Fratton Park

The home of Portsmouth FC since 1899, read on for my digital garden entry on Fratton Park, including a review of the logistics, catering and match day experience, along with details of visits to the stadium on this site.

I was really excited about our visit to Fratton Park, a proper stadium, sufficient to dig my heels in depriving Vickie of the opportunity to head out to a knitting group.

Arrival

We arrived pretty early outside Fratton Park, a little after 12pm for a 3pm kick-off. So other than the distance given the proximity of Portsmouth to France, we didn't really encounter any problems getting to Fratton Park.

Our coach dropped us off on the junction of Rodney Road and Anson Road, near Portsmouth's club shop, before parking up elsewhere through the game. There's plenty to do in the area with a Tesco extra (with confusingly similar configuration to the one in Burnley), McDonalds, GymGroup, and an entire retail park next door.

Stadium

Fratton Park is a proper old stadium.

Visiting supporters are housed in the Milton End, to the East of the pitch. Formerly an open terrace, I believe the roof was only installed in 2008. The stand has been fitted with rail seats through to the corner where a screen separates the visiting support from the North Stand.

The North Stand is a double tiered stand running the length of the pitch, with a walkway running between the two tiers, dating all the way back to 1935.

The South Stand sits opposite, and is the oldest stand at Fratton Park - dating back to 1925. It has a very similar configuration, and retains the balcony trusses characteristic of Archibald Leitch designed stands.

The Fratton End sits behind the goals, opposite the Milton End, and is the newest and tallest stand, installed as recently as 1997.

Food and Drink

The catering areas in the Milton End are housed on a mezzanine behind the stand, at the top of the entrance/exit stairs (there is a disabled lift providing access up/down). The area is open air, with privacy screens protecting visitng supported from the local children and their abuse displayed on an Etch a Sketcha in the windows (for real).

As stadium food goes, the offer was pretty good. I tried the Steak and Ale Piglet's Pie, which was really excellent and well worth the £4.80 compared to some stadium food. I think my Bovril was £3.00 - expensive for a mug of hot water with a stock cube in it, but no more so than some of the other stadiums I've visited recently.

Program

Like all property football clubs, Portsmouth print a matchday program titled simply "Pompey", available for £3.50 from the club shop along with a stock of older issues. The program is printed though without spine binding, which is a serious omission that I hope is corrected in future.

Atmosphere

Fratton Park is a proper old stadium, with great atmosphere. It doesn't need the drum though - please get rid of that abomination. Portsmouth also need more songs. "Play up Pompey, Pompey play up" wears thin after a while.

Getting Away

Leaving was fine I think, I tried to sleep as much of the way back North as I could, as I have been struggling with a chest infection for the last week or so, which only worsened as the evening wore on. We left Portsmouth and 17:30, and were back in Burnley for 23:30 - it would have been earlier but for a driving hours enforced 45 minute stopover at Norton Canes.