Play Up Pompey ! (Fratton Park (Portsmouth FC))

Member Name: SRowlands

Product:	Fratton Park (Portsmouth FC)
Date:	16/10/06 (1706 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic atmosphere at the ground of the south's only Premiership side

Disadvantages: Dated ground and facillities

Having been born in, and living in Portsmouth all my life, when it comes to football there can be only one team for me... Portsmouth (or Pompey as it is commonly known). My first trip to Fratton Park, Pompey's home ground, was back in 1992, and I now go to every match that I can get to.

Fratton Park is notorious for being "the worst ground in the Premiership" - but is this opinion justified ? Admittedly, the ground is very old - not a lot has changed from my first visit apart from the obvious transformation of the terraces where I first stood into an all seater ground. The seats are plastic, with not a lot of leg room, but serve their purpose. Fratton Park must be the only club in the country that can have covered stands for it's home fans, whilst the "away end" is not covered and open to all elements of the weather that the South Coast has to offer - rain and wind in the winter, and scorching hot sunshine in the summer months.
The toilets are basic, and often involve quite a hefty queue especially before the match and at half time.
Catering facillities too are quite basic, although there is a good selection of food and drink available. Tea and coffee are of the "vending machine" variety, and cost around £1.50. Beer, snacks and hot food are also sold at higher than average prices.

So, from the above information you'd expect that the reputation was deserved... but you'd be wrong. What makes Fratton Park such an amazing ground cannot be assesed by any of the above factors. Both home and away fans (and the television pundits) agree that the atmosphere at Fratton Park is unrivaled in the Premiership. The home fans sing throughout the game, however well (or badly) the team is doing, and the compact design of the ground amplify the acoustics. It really does have to be experienced at the ground to fully appreciate the atmosphere created.

If you are taking young children to the ground, you need to be aware that some of the lyrics of the songs are quite rude, as is some of the inevitable shouting (usually towards the referee).

The ground is very well marshalled, and this makes the arrival and departure process very well co-ordinated.

Ticket prices are around £26 to £30 for adults, with concessions available at around £20. Programmes are also available for £3, with unofficial publications at around half the price.

Travelling to the ground can get very busy on match days. By car, the main road is the A2030 "Eastern Road" towards Milton. Whilst there is a car park at the ground, this is charged at £5, and often gets full quite early on. There is some street parking available, but again this soon gets full and the area can get very congested. I'd recommend travelling to central Portsmouth and using one of the big car parks there - the main one near the Civic Center and Courts charge just £2 for all day parking on a Saturday.
If you do decide to come by car, it is a great idea to tune your stereo to 107.4 The Quay - the Official Portsmouth radio station. They provide up to the minute travel information, along with a pre-match build up with banter, competition and statistics that are sure to get you in the mood for the game.

Alternatively, you can get the train to Fratton Station, which is located just 5 minutes walk from the ground. There are extra trains put on for match days, and the station is well policed to ensure that everyone arrives and leaves safely.

I originally wrote and published this review on youstayuk.co.uk in April of the 2005/06 season, when the future of Portsmouth Football Club was uncertain. This was the season when our manager Harry Redknapp left the club for our rivals "down the road", a new French manager was failing to win any games at all, and the players were (understandably) demotivated. As a result, the club was propping up the bottom of the league, facing almost sure relegation. Later in the season, the club sacked the French manager, Harry came back and a new Russian tycoon Alexandre Gaydamak purchased the club, with the promise of investment in new players and a new ground.
These changes boosted the club and the players performance, and we had a tremendous end to the season ensuring survival.

Now, six months down the line, Portsmouth Football Club is facing a new lease of life. Having topped the table in the early stages of the new season, the club has welcomed the addition of several new players and the future is looking very bright for the team.

Summary: Undisputedly the best ground for Premiership atmosphere