Trailblazing Portsmouth to create Football League first as Fratton Park takes shape

Pompey are poised to be officially recognised as the first Football League club with an away end devoted to safe standing.

A total of around 4,500 rail seats have been installed at Fratton Park as part of an £11.5m redevelopment project overseen by owners Tornante.

Although the seating is currently in use, the Blues are eyeing finally receiving licensing from the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) in January, marking an official opening.

All 3,000 seats of the redesigned Milton End are safe standing, of which a minimum of 750 can be used by home supporters, dependant on the levels of away support. 

Elsewhere in Fratton Park, another 1,450 seats have this season been introduced at the back of the Fratton End.

Overall, it will establish Pompey as a leading Football League club in the ongoing drive to bring more safe standing facilities into grounds.

He told The News: ‘We have been told by the SGSA that Fratton Park will become the first Football League club to have rail seating in the whole of the away area.

‘Cardiff are the closest, but, at the front of their end, have left some rows without rail seating.

‘We feel we have fulfilled all the criteria and now it will be a case of putting in the full application and waiting for that to come back from the SGSA.

‘It’s a formal process, at the moment they are monitoring every home game, which builds the evidence up. Then a full application can be made.

‘We couldn’t actually get a licence for the Milton End until we also put some rail seating into the Fratton End. You have to make provision for home and away supporters.

‘In terms of adding more rail seating into the Fratton End, we are where we are at the moment, but that’s not to say in the future we won't look at more areas.

‘It has been a significant investment, costing £250,000 and about £125 a rail seat, whereas to replace a normal seat would cost about £60.

‘Of the rail seating in the Milton End, a certain percentage of the front rows will be designated for those who wish to sit. That is probably 10-15 per cent of the seating, depending on the configuration for away supporters for that particular match.

‘And we believe all criteria will be satisfied in early January.’

Meanwhile, Cullen is encouraged with progress on the Milton End, which has been pencilled in for completion next month.

He added: ‘There is still work to complete with the control room, as you can imagine there's quite a lot of technology which goes in there with CCTV, screens and cabling.

‘The other aspect is the lift, which can’t be installed this week because of water in the shaft. Once that is installed, you have to go through a couple of weeks before it fulfils the different criteria and earns a safety certificate.

‘I think we will soon be in a good place.’