Biggest Fratton End changes in 26 years underway as Portsmouth launch £250,000 'pioneering' project

Pompey are in the process of installing three rows of rail seating at the back of the 26-year-old stand ahead of Saturday’s League One opener against Bristol Rovers.

Another 13 rows will be introduced from September 3-22, with the Blues without home fixtures during that period.

Although completion is expected by the end of next month, the safe standing aspect of the seating remains off limits until a licence has been granted.

Regardless, it will give Fratton Park around 4,500 rail seats, of which 3,000 are located in the redeveloped Milton End.

And, according to chief executive Andy Cullen, it puts Pompey firmly among leading League One clubs to have committed to safe standing for supporters.

He told The News: ‘Since Monday we have been installing rail seating in the top three rows of the Fratton End – and they will be ready for Saturday.

‘Following that, we have no home games after September 2 against Peterborough until September 22, which is a three-week gap where we can complete the other 12 rows.

‘Those will be from Row NN to Row CC, which, in total, gives us 15 rows from the back of the Fratton End containing rail seating.

‘That will be completed by the end of September, at which point we can then go for the licence to properly sell seats in both the Milton and Fratton End as rail seating.

‘I am told by the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) that this will be one of the most complete projects for this seating in League One – and we are very pleased to be pioneering this.

‘Most importantly, it protects our capacity going forward because we’d be in a position where you would potentially find restrictions if you have persistent standing in your stadium, leading to areas possibly being closed down.

‘It's not a cheap project. Just to give you an idea, the investment in the Fratton End is just under £250,000 to put the rail seating in. It’s £150 a rail seat, whereas if you were just to replace the seats it is about £30 each.

‘It’s a statement of intent, but does ensure we can protect our income for capacity games, having worked so hard to maintain that over the last two years.’

The installation of rail seating represents the biggest change to the Fratton End since its opening in October 1997.

With around 1,500 seats, it’s almost a third of the stand’s 4,700 capacity, a capacity which is unaffected by the improvements.

Yet while the new seats can be sat in, they require a licence before safe standing can be fully utilised.

Cullen added: ‘I am in the hands of other people, regulatory authorities, so it will be difficult to put a timeframe on when they can be used, but we’d look to put that application in in September.

‘The SGSA are hugely supportive of what we are doing. Given the guidance and support we’ve had from them, it should be a relatively smooth process.

‘The Milton End capacity is still to be confirmed, but let's say 3,000 rail seats there and 1,500 in the Fratton End, that’s 4,500 seats in total.

‘And I’m told by safety advisory groups that will be a really strong profile for a League One club.’