Atmosphere fairly relaxed with home fans as is normally the case when non-league clubs visit league clubs. There were so many QPR fans it took almost 45 mins to get a drink. A taxi from the train station in the middle of Portsmouth will take about five minutes to get you to the ground and should cost around 7.50. My mood lifted somewhat as we walked towards the ground; it has a lovely flavour of the bygone age of football, when matchdays were more spontaneous, echoes of generations of men who would flock to such venues to stand under the floodlights on terraces to watch their team in whatever the weather could throw at them. Fratton station has a footbridge as the only way out. Not far from the stadium is this member of the ibis hotel chain. Excellent beer at the microbrewery and a good Dons performance but the "normal" result. The only thing that will affect the price you pay for a ticket is when you book it, with advance sales being a little easier on the pocket. I am a Leeds United fan but my best mate is an Exeter City supporter, so we travelled down for the game as Leeds weren't in action until Sunday. Plans to increase capacity at Portsmouth FC's ground at Fratton Park have been agreed. Portsmouth was a ground and place I was looking forward to since the fixtures were released. There was a bit of shouting between the Argyle and Portsmouth fans but no trouble. There are also a few other pubs and plenty of takeaways (of all varieties) along this road. We left at around 2pm for the ground and the walk was quick (ten minutes) to Fratton Park. At one end is the Fratton End, which is a more modern single tiered stand that was opened in 1997. The toilets looked very old and dirty. fratton park milton end seating planta petro employee handbook fratton park milton end seating plan. Fratton Park is the home ground of recent Premier League team Portsmouth F.C. At present, health and safety issues are restricting the stand to 1,800 seats in use. The stewards are very helpful, chatty, dont mind people standing up near the back and didnt force us to sit in our allocated seats. The club has spent its entire existence playing its games at Fratton Park stadium, despite numerous considerations to move elsewhere. Went slightly upmarket with a three course fixed price lunch for 12.95 at Brasserie Blanc on the Harbour front. What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly? What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly? This meant we ended up getting in to the ground roughly eight minutes in to the match, so no interaction with home fans outside, but I remember from previous visits that they are friendly enough. Height (cm): 165 Who is the steamer at the races? Be aware that the streets in the immediate vicinity of the ground have matchday parking restrictions, these are clearly signposted on the lamp posts. Milton Park. Travelling from Exeter at 3.30pm meant that we encountered several traffic jams as we hit rush hour all around the Bournemouth and Southampton areas. If you want to do the 92 then by all means Portsmouth is one of the more memorable grounds but I won't be in a hurry to return. The roads immediately surrounding the ground did appear to be quite busy as youd expect but the traffic soon disappeared. The noise round the stadium was very loud. Having been here on our last two visits, I knew exactly what to expect. Once we were back on the M27, we made it back to Bournemouth for 10.30pm and we wasn't even tired knowing we had a great win at a higher league club. We were directed by helpful stewards to the away end, a quick frisk and then up the outside stairs to the stands. Fratton Park remains as the original home of Portsmouth F.C., who were founded on 5 April 1898. The view though is amazing. Fratton Park Key facts Club: Portsmouth FC | Opening: 1898 | Capacity: 21,178 seats History and description Fratton Park has been the home of Portsmouth since they were founded in 1898. It also took the whole of half time to go to the toilet as the whole stand went to try and get a drink for half time. Numbers 1 and 13 will both drop you at Fratton Park. Sometimes I hate being an away fan and seeing a home team score because it makes you feel so alone in your part of the ground. Home to Pompey since 1898, the stadium has a 21,100 capacity and is currently used to host matches of League Two. Certainly a great sight. However the hot drinks were very reasonably priced with tea at 1, Bovril 1.20 and Coffee at 1.50. Stadium Capacity: 20,688 (all seated). Portsmouths fall from grace has been a long and slow one, with the club dropping through the leagues from 2009 to present day. Premier League, 17th October 2009. On the walk to the ground from Fratton station, we detoured via the Rutland Arms on Francis Avenue, a nice little pub selling a lovely Sussex Best, about 5 minutes walk from the ground, for a final nerve-steadier before kick-off. We continue to work with a variety of external private, public and government bodies in an attempt to unlock the commencement of phase one, as well as subsequent larger scale projects for the stadium and wider Fratton area. The journey itself is easy enough, straight down the A3, onto the M27 West bound, then off at the next junction the A2030 (Eastern Road), continue down this road until the end and there is Fratton Park in front of you. The train takes approx 5 minutes and follows a reasonably scenic route. Of course, there have been a string of developments over the course of its 123 year history. A simple enough train journey from Reading via Guildford (having almost missed the bus to the station!) Address: Southampton Road, Portsmouth, PO6 4SH. There are a few supporting pillars at the front of the stand which do seem to impede your view at times no matter where you sit. Stewards were also trying to make everybody sit in their allocated seat on entry to the stand but as we prefer standing we went up to the back with no problems. Logistically one of the easier away trips in the league. You can expect to find all the local characters in here, and while you might not want to flout away colours it's by no means unfriendly. That and the fact we love an away trip by the sea. It is served by trains from London Waterloo, Cardiff, Brighton and Portsmouth & Southsea. Getting out of the ground was okay but getting the station was a nightmare. 225. Met up with a very helpful Pompey supporter who showed us the shortest way to the ground. Address: Fratton Park, Frogmore Rd, Portsmouth, Southsea PO4 8RA, UK, GPS coordinates for the navigator: 50.7963 N, 1.0638 W, Field: soil-based natural turf lawn with dimensions of 105 x 66 m (115 x 73 yards). If you like your craft beers, then only a few minutes walk away from the visitors turnstiles is the Staggeringly Good Brewery. The stewarding was relaxed though there was a large presence for the 1,500 Gills fans, but no trouble ever ensued. I saw no trouble before or after the game, the Portsmouth fans I know are all a great bunch. . However it was only this season that the opportunity arose to see Notts County play there in League One, but we ended up drawing them away in the FA Cup 1st round, and being a Weymouth based Notts County fan; I couldnt resist an earlier than expected trip to the old ground. Below is a seating plan of Portsmouth's Fratton Park: Fratton Park consists of four sections: The North Stand, The Milton End (East), The South Stand and Fratton End (West). Why you were looking forward to going to the ground? Whatever event youre hoping to host make sure the home of Portsmouth FC is high on your list of possible venues. Cant comment on the quality of the seating as the stewards allowed us to stand for the whole game. To let the crowds get away I went for a bite to eat in town then a couple of pints in the Trafalgar Arms. Frogmore Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO4 8RA, 20,821 vs Tottenham Hotspur (17th October 2009), Arthur Cogswell (1899), Archibald Leitch (1925, 1935), KSS Design Group (1997), Peter Crouch, Lassana Diarra, David James, Glen Johnson, Jamie O'Hara, Paul Merson, Sol Campbell, Nwankwo Kanu, Dejan Stefanovi, Niko Kranjar, Harry Redknapp, Steve Claridge, Avram Grant, Tony Adams, Kenny Jackett, Senior (60+)/Young Person (17-22): 15.00, Junior (U17, accompanied by an adult): 5.00. Fratton Park Stadiums Address for sat-nav is: There is a car park at Fratton End which costs 5 and operates on a first come, first served basis. A classic football ground and a great club, unfortunately which have had happier times. before going for a pre match meal at the McDonalds on Fratton Way. Everybody we met were very friendly and helpful. The Alliance Lounge, The Chimes Lounge, The Montgomery Lounge, The Partners Lounge and the Warriors Lounge, which sounds manly. Fratton Park is an old school ground in every sense. The pub is situated on Fawcett Road and is a 10minute walk from the train station or 20minute walk to the football ground. After a short stop at Fleet Services on the way, where we bumped into the Chelsea fans coaches on the way down to Southampton. I didnt sample it for myself but from what people around us brought it appears they have the usual selection of hot/cold drinks, snacks, and pies. Make sure you get the best view of Sabaton - The Tour To End All Tours 2023 at OVO Hydro. Go along the M27 (ignoring the M275 turn off for Portsmouth town centre) and continue on to the A27. The away end was incredibly small. If you want to see the Tudor Facade and are at the Fratton End of the ground youll see a sign on a wall saying Frogmore Road Ticket Office. ), we had won that game 2-1. Although the game finished 0-0, it was by no means the worst I've ever seen, with both sides putting in a competitive performance but being unable to get anything past two pretty resolute defences (special mention to Ryan Clarke, Oxford's keeper who made two magnificent saves in the first half). Why you were looking forward to going to the ground? I was very impressed with Fratton Park. Find out more about submitting a Fans Football Ground Review. It was also the first time I'd watch football on the South Coast. (it should be noted that the same zeal was not applied to standing home fans). Then went to Clarence Pier and played on the arcades! For one reason or another, that never happened. Finally, the toilets were of a good standard and there was no queues when gaining access. Here are some of the ones you might want to consider for your pre-match pint: Fratton Parks facilities are amongst the best in the lower leagues, with the stadium still set-up as if it were hosting Premier League football on a weekly basis. At the time of writing Portsmouth dont categorise their matches and nor do they charge more to sit in various parts of the ground, as is common at other stadiums. My friend had the Chicken Balti and had similar observations. Alternatively, Miltoncross School, which is a five minute walk from the ground offers parking at 5 per car. Portsmouth is on the South coast of England so its a little bit of a trek to get there the further North you are. Fratton is located north of the line with Milton to the south. I was intrigued by the ground being as it is in the UK's only island city and had heard their support were quite passionate. You can find a cracking little pub, about a mile away from the ground, on Fawcett Road. We missed the first 3 trains to London due to overcrowding but ending up getting out of Fratton about 1 hour and 45 after the final whistle. Portsmouth will need to update their facilities if they ever make it back to the big time, but for now it's more then sufficient. The opening game at Fratton Park was held against Southampton with Pompey beating their local rivals 2-0 in a match which ignited the long term passion of the Portsmouth faithful. Comments on the game, stewards, pies, toilets? Nummer 2 - 2018; Nummer 1 - 2018; 2017. Please note that tickets for accompanied juniors can only be purchased at the stadium, and that prices for cup competitions differ. The more vociferous fans tend to be found in the Fratton End, behind one of the goals. The good news is that there are few parking restrictions in place close to the ground. However, if you want to discover all of Portsmouth (I.e Spinnaker Tower) I would suggest parking in the City Centre as the football ground is a couple of miles from the sea front. Seats here are tagged with: can be in the shade during a day game is in the supporters' section is near home team tunnel is under an overhang. I have visited Fratton Park before following West Ham and had enjoyed it then. The toilets were a good size for our fans but if the away end is ever full then expect queues. That said, some of it showing its age now so dont be looking too closely at the dusty old corners. At the eastern end of Fratton Park is the 'Milton End'. Obviously, the away fans were in good spirits as we left the ground. I asked a couple of guys for the nearest boozer and they pointed out The Froddington Arms. There are also some supporting pillars along the front of the stand that may impede your view. The other sides looked better and the old Main Stand looked unusual especially with the tv cameras perched right up on its roof. There is a car park behind one end at the ground which is quite large and got a space at a cost of 4. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out: At the eastern end is the Milton End, by far the . I had a few hours to look around the town, sights, shops etc. Obviously Fratton Park is a step above most grounds in the league, so the first impression you get can be a bit bewildering for League 2 folk!
Gilbert Artemus (Artie) Darrell