Portsmouth chief pinpoints four Fratton Park areas to be improved as part of new £2m project

Pompey’s £12m Fratton Park redevelopment project is almost complete - but a busy summer of additional work is now scheduled.

According to Andy Cullen, there are four areas being focused on. These involve improvements in the Milton End and North Stand, while a new TV gantry will finally be constructed in the South Stand.

Throw in plans to overhaul the Victory Lounge, with a starting date yet to be determined, and work on upgrading the Blues’ 124-year-old home continues at pace.

Cullen previously spoke in November about the fresh £2m project, which also included training ground improvements.

Here Blues' chief executive takes us through the latest developments, which are set to begin after the final match of the current season, a date dependent on League One automatic promotion or the play-off semi-finals.

Milton End

‘We have some more improvements to carry out in the Milton End and are going to increase the number of toilets, particularly for females.

‘These will go into the building previously used by Marie Stedman (head of safety and stadium operations) in that south-east corner. We are also looking at a few more improvements downstairs over there.

‘The lifts are now operational - as are the other facilities - so we can start to measure how things are working.

‘That south-east corner will be completed in time for the 2024-25 season.’

North Stand

‘Between the centre of the North Stand going back towards the Fratton End, there are new mezzanine floors being created, linking two bars together with more kiosks and more toilet provision.

‘That will be completed in time for the 2024-25 season. It’s going to make a difference, with that area particularly congested at half-time.

‘We have a conflict between queues for toilets and queues for the bars, particularly in the North Upper section.

‘Creating that extra space will make a massive difference for supporters and improve their experience on a match-day.’

South Stand TV gantry

‘The TV gantry will start work immediately after the last home game of the season, whenever that might be.

‘We cannot go over the top to access the gantry because we’ll be in people’s gardens, so everything needs to happen pitchside. That will require a heavy crane coming onto the playing surface.

‘The size of the gantry will be much bigger, compliant with Premier League standards. Aesthetically it will complement all the work on the stadium and will finish off the South Stand.

‘Once the gantry is complete, we can carry out the normal pitch renovation work. Every day counts, there’s a lot still going on.

‘We will also be putting a small gantry into the Fratton End to comply with new TV broadcasting regulations. That will be towards the back and won’t impact anything too much in terms of seats.’

Victory Lounge

‘With the Victory Lounge, we are just working through some final costings and final design work. With that project, we are keen to look at the exterior as much as the interior.

‘We’ve created a really good fanzone on match-days, a lively buzz which has been particularly welcomed by supporters, but it’s about how that also works for us on non-match days.

‘We want a really positive environment for people who might use the Victory Lounge during the week and are working hard on that one at the moment.

‘Work could possibly take place this calendar year, I cannot yet confirm, there are a lot of factors in play to do that. Whatever happens, I don’t want to upset the match-day dynamic.

‘It might be that we start work during the season but with different phases, so some parts of the Victory Lounge remain operational while that goes on.’