Portsmouth owner Michael Eisner outlines exciting future Fratton Park aspirations amid £10m redevelopment

Last month, Pompey unveiled £10m plans to redevelop the historic stadium over the next four years.

Work on the North Stand and South Stand has been ongoing during the summer, with the Milton End earmarked as the final stage.

The Blues still have planning permission to construct a new stand on that side of the ground.

Eisner reaffirmed he has no plans to move the Blues 122-year home off Portsea Island.

And Pompey's owner remains determined to revamp Fratton Park and ensure fans will enjoy a great match-day experience.

Speaking to the club's website, Eisner said: ‘It's a silent issue, one the fans don't see much about, but it's a real issue.

‘It's not just the roofs that have to be recladded or the siding, it's the whole infrastructure.

‘At the same time, it's a fantastic stadium with a great history and ambience and I don't want to screw that up.

‘I'm not a fan of all-concrete stadiums, even those who say they are modern.

‘I like well-done concrete stadiums, I don't think anything can compare with Fratton Park and we will get Fratton Park, over time, not only back to its glory – although it won't be standing, it will be seated – and increase the capacity as we move up the leagues.

‘Everything is bigger than you first envision. We were so enthusiastic, yes we did a lot of due diligence on the stadium (when buying the club).

‘But a lot of it has crept up and we want to be super careful with safety and fan accessibility – probably more than required but that's part of the feeling going to a great match.'

Pompey's main aim is to ensure Fratton Park's capacity can again return to 20,000 once work is complete.

However, should the Blues climb up the Football League, Eisner revealed they could expand the number of spectators PO4 can hold by as much as 10,000.

However, the former Disney CEO knows Pompey will need the support of key stakeholders such as the city council and Network Rail to achieve that.

Eisner added: ‘The issue on capacity is not really an issue that the club has. It's an issue for the city.

‘Too much of a capacity won't work on the island. The road infrastructure, the railway station – it just won't work on a Saturday or Tuesday evening that can withstand that number of people.

‘We don't want to leave the island. There's something about it that's magic.

‘We have a limit to the size of the stadium and the size of the city. We'll keep encouraging the city to make it easier to expand.

‘We're still going to get back up to 20,000 with the new Milton End. Maybe 25,000-30,000 over time – I don't see the city being able to support 50,000-60,000 even in the Premier League.

‘It's just not workable but we'll see where it goes. First, we've got to get Fratton Park to where it should be and that takes time.

‘We announced a four-year plan to get to that point and mostly have to do that during down-time in summers. It's moving along at a good pace but not a crazy pace.’