Portsmouth chief applauds £20m investment as Fratton Park attendances soar towards 57-year high

With six games remaining, the Blues are firmly on track to register their highest average attendance over a league season for 57 years.

They presently average 20,219 at home, putting them on target to post their best supporter figures since 1967-68.

The Milton End’s completion in February 2024 signalled the culmination of Tornante’s three-year investment programme which has brought Fratton Park’s capacity up to 20,927.

And Cullen is convinced Pompey are now reaping the rewards, with home league attendances averaging in excess of 20,000 for just the fourth season since 1959.

The Blues’ chief executive told The News: ‘At one stage, we had a decaying stadium which was of concern to the licensing authorities. We were seeing year-on-year capacity cuts.

‘I remember when I came here as chief executive (May 2021), among the first discussions was how the capacity was going to be below 15,000 that season.

‘Thankfully, we were able to get them to keep it around 16,500 on the basis that works were commencing, which of course they did with the North Stand Upper straight away. Then the North stand Lower was completed, before we moved into the South Stand and then the Milton End.

‘Without that work being carried out, we were told we were heading towards a 10-11,000 maximum capacity as the stadium was becoming more and more unsafe with poorly decaying concrete and systems. It was dangerous.

‘The £20m investment into Fratton Park shows we have responded to that challenge, which is fantastic. We have benefited from that investment, but we’ve also been really, really fortunate to have continued loyal and passionate support from the city and wider community.’

Pompey’s £20m investment

Of Pompey’s 17 league home games this season, only midweek games with Stoke and Millwall have failed to attract a gate of more than 20,000.

The new-look Milton End has allowed flexibility over segregation in a stand which, at one stage, could only house visiting support.

Now it can accommodate both home and away fans - which Cullen is adamant has been crucial in boosting attendances.

He added: ‘In terms of us being able to maximise more of the Milton End, it used to be a stand under the P factor, which meant we couldn’t sell all of the seats in there and had to restrict it.

‘Better segregation facilities have now maximised the number of seats we can sell in that section, so getting that right has been really important, along with also bringing in rail seating, which supporters wanted.

‘Work carried out in the North Stand, South Stand and Milton End have been significant in improving attendances. We’ve also added rail seating in the top third of the Fratton End, thereby protecting that capacity.

‘We previously had persistent standing issues which concerned the safety authorities. The solution was to spend some extra money on the rail seating, which has satisfied everybody in terms of not having the threat of that particular sanction from licensing hanging over us.’