Pompey eye another Fratton Park capacity boost

Fratton Park will tonight undergo its customary Checkatrade Trophy lockdown.
Pompey celebrate Ben Closes goal in the 2-1 win over AFC Wimbledon on Boxing Day  a game that attracted 18,644 fans to Fratton ParkPompey celebrate Ben Closes goal in the 2-1 win over AFC Wimbledon on Boxing Day  a game that attracted 18,644 fans to Fratton Park
Pompey celebrate Ben Closes goal in the 2-1 win over AFC Wimbledon on Boxing Day  a game that attracted 18,644 fans to Fratton Park

Yet a pre-Christmas capacity boost continues to swell Pompey crowd figures – and chief executive Mark Catlin is seeking to open up more potential amid continued scrutiny over the ground’s future.

The Boxing Day clash with AFC Wimbledon represented the first fixture since opening up 738 extra seats in the North Stand upper.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The attendance of 18,644 in the 2-1 victory was the Blues’ highest since May 2016.

That was followed by 18,539 present for the following match against Northampton, with 538 away supporters.

Following work funded by both fan ownership and then the current Tornante regime, Fratton Park has been increased to 19,669.

The South Stand, along with the Fratton End and the Milton End will not be open for this evening’s Checkatrade Trophy visit of Chelsea under-21s.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But Pompey can anticipate another bumper crowd when high-flying Scunthorpe visit on Saturday.

Catlin said: ‘This wasn’t a case of actually making more seats – it was a case of actually being able to utilise more of the seats we currently have at Fratton Park.

‘That was made possible by a lot of work carried out over the previous four years and, specifically, during the last few months where there has been a ramping up of important safety work.

‘Thankfully, we are now in a position where our current capacity is back above 19,500.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘There have been new gangways put into sections of the North Stand and the reinforcement of steel structures, while the crash barriers that protect people in the event of any evacuation have all been strengthened.

‘So there has been a lot of infrastructure work you wouldn’t really notice but has been important. The bar in regards of crowd safety continues to be raised higher and higher – and correctly so.

‘Even prior to administration there was a steady erosion of the club’s capacity and, thankfully, we have now managed to address that and turn it back upwards – and it is something we will keep working at over the coming years.

‘There is a rolling programme of work over the next few seasons which we – along with the safety advisory group and all the emergency services – have tied into. But until the work is actually done and you sit down with the safety advisory group, it would be impossible to predict the ultimate outcome of our capacity.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘In addition, there is the masterplan being worked on to decide the future of our home – whether that be here or away from Fratton Park – and what stages attention will be paid to certain stands within the stadium.’

Meanwhile, in terms of financing such stadium improvements, Catlin is adamant both the previous regime and Tornante deserve praise.

He added: ‘There has been significant funding in the stadium both pre-takeover via the Escrow money and post-takeover via club funds.

‘Both ownerships can take a huge amount of credit for the Fratton Park work.’