Portsmouth's forgotten section of fanbase at last addressed, with Fratton Park to be opened up to all

While all four stands will have the capability to accommodate disabled people, along with a total of two newly-installed lifts.

Presently, Pompey’s home has 61 disabled spaces, of which all but three are positioned at the front of the Fratton End.

The remaining three are in South Stand Lower, towards the corner of the Fratton End.

Frustratingly, Fratton Park cannot accommodate away supporters in the visiting section, instead seating them in front of the home end.

However, as part of the ongoing £11.5m redevelopment, there will be an additional 44 wheelchair spaces across the ground.

This will take the total up to 105, which are scheduled to enter use in early 2024 when the Milton End – the final phase of the project – is completed.

Steve Cripps, managing director of PMC Construction and Development Services, told The News: ‘Every element of the ground will have disabled seating.

‘They are thought of in every area, so we’ve got concessions, toilets and enhanced changing place areas. In every area of the ground they are very much the focus point.

‘We have a lower section in the north-west corner (North Stand) available for the start of the season, with 12 in there straight away.

‘We have another section in the south-west corner and an upper element in the north-east corner, although those won’t be fully in use by wheelchair users until we bring the lifts into play by early 2024.

‘In the meantime, these seats can be used by people with other forms of disability, yet are actively mobile.

‘As soon as we wrap that Milton End up and we put two lifts over there, those areas will be functional.’

South Stand Lower will have five seats, with 24 will be introduced into the North Stand, consisting of 12 in the lower section and 12 in the upper.

While the Milton End, whose construction has been brought forward to October 2022, will feature a total of 15 new seats.

That involves seven in the upper section, served by a lift, and eight in the lower section.

In total, disabled seating numbers at Fratton Park will rise from 61 to 105.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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