England: Former Premier League stadium partially demolished

source: StadiumDB.com; author: Kuba Kowalski

England: Former Premier League stadium partially demolished Before a thorough reconstruction, the iconic old Prem stadium had its whole stand removed. After it was demolished as part of redevelopment work, a famous former Premier League stadium was transformed into a construction site.

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Things will only get better in Portsmouth

Although in ruins, the famous Fratton Park stadium in Portsmouth is in this state only temporarily. The arena, whose location has been in the center of the city on the south coast since 1899, is undergoing renovations in order to be modernized and have its capacity—which is now little over 20,000—increased. The Milton End has been fully dismantled in order to connect it to the nearby North Stand, which will expand its capacity to 3,200.

The renovation project started in 2020, and since then, work has been progressing gradually. A new roof is planned to cover the extra seats, and construction on a control room is planned for the same ground corner. Along with newly constructed ladies' restrooms for spectators, new turnstiles, and a luxurious new expanded concourse, entrances at both ends of the stand are also being renovated. Concrete terraces are also being erected around most of the Milton End as part of larger plans to eventually switch to safe standing. All these changes are supposed to attract people in Portsmouth even more to attend the matches at the stadium. However, many of them are choosing entertainment online, just like Fruityslots.com, featuring the best pay by mobile slots.

Fratton Park© mcmillant75

Three centuries of Fratton Park

Built in 1898, the venue was among the more distinctive stadiums in the UK, partly thanks to the part played by the ever famous Archibald Leitch, who was among the architects. The main administration building has a mock Tudor appearance and was accompanied by another building with a clock tower. These however have been dismantled with only the small cottage-alike part left to this day.

Thanks to its fame and standard it was home to its first (and, as it later turned out, only) England international game already in 1903. Several decades later the 1948 Olympic tournament was co-hosted by Fratton Park which was one of only two outside-of-London stadiums to be chosen. In 1956 it became the first Football League ground with floodlights.

On June 14, 2021, Portsmouth FC officials announced that redevelopment of Fratton Park was about to begin. The works were to be carried out for four consecutive seasons and their total cost was to be £10 million. In past years, the club, thanks to the support of new investors (The Tornante Company), has performed some works in the southern and northern stands, related to the maintenance of the roof and facades. These were necessary so that this part of the ground could be available to fans.

Fratton Park© mcmillant75

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