english football stadiums portsmouth fratton park

Club Profile

Portsmouth

If you want to go back in time, inside and outside a football ground, especially if you have any interest in naval war history, get yourself down to Portsmouth and catch a game at Fratton Park.

LOCATION: On the south coast, about ninety minutes from London’s Waterloo station

CONTACT: portsmouthfc.co.uk, 023 9273 1204, #Pompey

NICKNAMES: Pompey, pronounced POM-pee. There are two basic theories on this: that it comes from “Po’m P,” an abbreviation for Portsmouth Point in ships’ logs, and that it comes from the HMS Pompee, an infamous prison ship moored in the harbor for years. Either way, it predates the club.

History

Portsmouth was founded in the 19th century, had glory days in the early 20th century and early 21st, almost went out of business and was saved, and now they are building back up. If that sounds familiar, it’s pretty much the story of half of the English clubs. This club was founded in 1898 by a pub owner and some friends. There is a blue plaque…

Rivalries

To say that Southampton are rivals would be like saying the ocean is rather damp. Here’s just one example: When they played Fleetwood Town a few years back, the fans constantly booed a Town player–perhaps, we thought, because he might have once played for Southampton, which in Portsmouth makes you scum forevermore. Neither was the case. We saw…

Women's Team

Portsmouth Women play in the Women’s National League South, tier 3 of the pyramid. Home games are at the ground of Havant and Waterlooville FC in

Songs

Portsmouth has one of the most famous songs—a chant, really—in all of English football. It might also be the oldest, but the folks in Norwich would probably disagree. It seems that back in the day a local club called Royal Artillery FC played their games close enough to the guild hall that its bells could be heard and in fact alerted the referees…

Stadium

If you love an old football ground, Fratton Park is one of the greats. It’s the only home the team has ever had, and the two side stands date from 1925 and 1935. Everything about the South Stand in particular just screams old school, especially the (mock, but who cares) Tudor facade that houses a ticket office and an entrance. It was designed by…

Going to a Game at Portsmouth

GETTING THERE: From the main rail station in town, which is called Portsmouth and Southsea, you have three options. You can walk half an hour, take bus 1, or take a train to Fratton and walk 10 minutes from there. The bus, which you catch at Stop M near the station, involves the least walking and takes the same amount of time. PUBS: There are…

Portsmouth Tickets

Tickets cost £26 for adults, and they rarely sell out.

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