Fratton Park

About

Fratton Park is a football ground in Portsmouth, Hampshire, and is the home of Portsmouth Football Club. Constructed in 1899, it has been the only home ground in Portsmouth F.C.'s history. The football ground's location on Portsea Island makes it the only professional English football ground not located on the mainland of Great Britain.

The first match at Fratton Park took place in September 1899. Subsequent developments included the pavilion in 1905, capacity expansion in 1935 (later reduced after the 1946 Burnden Park disaster), and floodlights in 1956, making it the first ground in England to stage an evening Football League match under artificial light. Its maximum capacity has been reduced to 20,867 since it became an all-seater ground in 1996.

Several relocations plans proposed during the 1990s and 2000s failed to materialise. Fratton Park has been affectionately nicknamed "The Old Girl" or "Fortress Fratton" and has reputation for a powerful atmosphere, similar to that of larger capacity stadia.