Breaking News: Portsmouth chief applauds £20m investment as Fratton Park attendances soar towards 57-year high.
Andy Cullen believes Pompey’s huge numbers justify Fratton Park’s £20 million investment. With six games remaining, the Blues are on target to achieve their greatest average attendance in a league season in 57 years. They now have an average home attendance of 20,219, putting them on track to register their highest fan numbers since 1967-68. The Milton End’s completion in February 2024 marked the end of Tornante’s three-year investment programme, which increased Fratton Park’s capacity to 20,927.
Cullen believes Pompey are now reaping the benefits, with home league attendances exceeding 20,000 for only the fourth time since 1959. The Blues’ CEO told The News: ‘At one point, we had a crumbling stadium that concerned the licensing authorities. We were experiencing year on year capacity reductions.
‘The £20 million investment in Fratton Park demonstrates how we have responded to that issue, which is excellent. We have benefited from that investment, but we have also been extremely fortunate to continue to have loyal and passionate support from the city and the larger community.
Pompey’s £20m investment
Only two of Pompey’s 17 league home games this season, against Stoke and Millwall, did not draw more than 20,000 fans. The new look Milton End has allowed for greater flexibility in segregation in a stand that could previously only accommodate visiting fans. It can now accommodate both home and visiting spectators, which Cullen believes has been vital in increasing attendance. He explained that the Milton End was previously restricted due to the P factor, limiting the number of seats available.Improved segregation facilities have increased the number of tickets we can sell in that sector, so getting that right has been really important, along with also bringing in rail seating, which supporters wanted.
‘Work in the North Stand, South Stand, and Milton End has significantly improved attendance. We’ve also installed rail seats in the top third of the Fratton End, ensuring that capacity. ‘We previously had ongoing difficulties that concerned the safety authorities. The solution was to spend some extra money on rail seating, which satisfied everyone by removing the fear of that particular consequence from licensing.
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