UK football stadium undergoes biggest pitch transformation in 70 years | UK | News
One of England’s most historic football stadiums is undergoing a huge pitch transformation (Image: Getty)
One of England’s most historic football stadiums is undergoing its biggest pitch transformation in more than 70 years as part of a huge £1.5million redevelopment project. Work is currently taking place at Portsmouth’s Fratton Park after the end of the Championship season earlier this month.
The major overhaul will see the club install a completely new hybrid pitch along with upgraded drainage systems and improved infrastructure beneath the surface. Workers have already uncovered layers of old drainage systems, broken pottery, scallop shells and even remains of the red ash cinder track that once ran in front of the South Stand decades ago.
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Work is currently taking place at Portsmouth’s Fratton Park after the end of the Championship season (Image: Getty)
The major overhaul will see the club install a completely new hybrid pitch (Image: Getty)
The current project is effectively rebuilding the pitch from scratch for the first time in the stadium’s modern history.
The famous camber that previously ran through the middle of the Fratton Park pitch has also now been removed.
That slope had caused noticeable height differences across the playing surface over the years and even affected some supporters’ views inside the stadium.
Steve Cripps, managing director of PMC Construction, which is overseeing the work, told The News the redevelopment was a “milestone” for the club.
He explained that several different drainage systems installed across different eras had been discovered underneath the pitch.
The current project is effectively rebuilding the pitch from scratch (Image: Portsmouth FC)
The pitch itself will remain the same size at 100m by 66m (Image: Portsmouth FC)
The old systems are now being removed and replaced with modern primary and secondary drainage.
Mr Cripps also said around 8,000 tonnes of soil are expected to be taken away from the site during the redevelopment.
The soil has reportedly been certified as clean and is being transported to the former Tipner East site at Victory Quay as part of another redevelopment project.
Once complete, the new pitch will allow Portsmouth Women to permanently move their home fixtures to Fratton Park.
The club believes the upgraded playing surface and drainage will cope much better with heavy rain and the increased number of matches.
The pitch itself will remain the same size at 100m by 66m despite the major reconstruction work.
The club believes the upgraded playing surface and drainage will cope much better with heavy rain (Image: Getty)
The project is expected to be completed around mid-June, before the new grass is grown ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Portsmouth also decided against installing undersoil heating as part of the redevelopment despite it being discussed during the planning stages.
Adding undersoil heating would reportedly have cost around £750,000 extra on top of the existing £1.5million project.
Instead, the club plans to continue using a MacLeod Pitch Cover system during freezing conditions.
The system acts like a giant heated cover placed over the pitch and has already been used at several Championship grounds.
Mr Cripps said the club felt “it wasn’t the right time” to introduce permanent undersoil heating due to the cost and changing technology.
The new Fratton Park pitch is also expected to improve sightlines for supporters around the stadium after the removal of the old camber.
