Portsmouth

It was nice to find, Disabled fans are now housed in the new stand with their own fans. Undercover, excellent view, not blocked at all by anyone standing. There is also a lift with a lady called Dawn making sure everyone is ok. The stewards were really friendly and helpful. Well done Portsmouth.

I went by train from East Croydon the journey was good until I tried to use Disabled toilet on Fratton Station. It was locked radar and another lock. The person on duty was too busy to open it. To get to away end had negotiate a nightmare of road junctions. When I got to the gate for away entrance. The stewards were very helpful and let me in step free. I was let in via a consoled gate to away seating area. It was at half time that the problem of safe standing seating occurred. I had to go down the row of seats to get to the disabled toilet. Due to the seats are also for safe standing. I tried to get past a fan who was shorter than myself. For a while I could not get past him. Eventually someone pulled me free. The stewards were very helpful in opening the disabled toilet. I noticed there was no way a disabled person could get a drink or food at half time. I was allowed to sit in the wheelchair area for the rest of the match. At the end of match a steward opened a step free gate for me to leave.

When I got to the station I found the main entrance was closed. I followed the crowd and got in a gate which was closed when I got in and held on metal barrier whilst a train came in then they opened gate and more people poured in. A young lady helped me down steps to platform. I was making my way along platform to cafe when someone shouted get out of the way. I pointed out that I was on crutches. This person’s friends made him feel a Whalley and he apologised. I bought food and drink at cafe. They did not have a bag so I had put wares in my coat pockets. I managed to get a seat on the platform until my train came in and the actual train journey was good.

I am a wheelchair user and my husband is a white cane user. This was about our 4th visit to Fratton Park as away fans, travelling in an accessible mini-bus that is part of our Club’s official Away Travel. I am shocked that our last review was 9 years ago as there have been some changes in the intervening years which I thought I had reported. Andy Cullen, Chief Exec at Pompey (who we know well from his time at our Club) visited us before the game to give us the good news about the forthcoming improvements to the facilities for away wheelchair users at Fratton Park. He told us the changes won’t be ready for the start of the 23/24 season but from around October 2023, away wheelchair users will be able to sit in the away stand, where there will also be a Changing Places toilet. In view of this, hopefully this review will be out of date by October 2023. In the meantime, we would totally concur with previous reviewers who have said that Portsmouth is not a good place for away wheelchair fans to visit, cut off from their own community like modern day lepers. Whilst Fratton Park is not good for away wheelchair fans, it seems it is no better for away ambulant disabled fans, as I understand all the seating in the away end is currently accessed by a flight of steps! Pompey’s website advises away ambulant disabled fans to contact their DLO to discuss their needs.

Tickets for Away Wheelchair Users
At present away wheelchair users cannot purchase their tickets through their own Club as all other away fans can, they have to phone the Pompey Box Office for their tickets (0345 646 1898) or certainly this is what I was told. The pre-recorded message says there is a £3 surcharge for buying tickets by phone (we have no idea why as it seems this discriminates against those who need to purchase tickets in this way). When I questioned this, I was told that this did not apply to away wheelchair fans. I also did not have to pay the £1 charge for the tickets to be posted to me. It was only when I spoke to others, I discovered that tickets can be emailed but I was not made aware of this, so if you would like your tickets emailed, please ask. It also transpired that the tickets I had been sold were not for the spaces in the home end reserved for away fans, so had I sat in the space my ticket was for where I was initially told to sit, not only would I have been at the home end but I would also been at the opposite end of the home stand to the other away wheelchair users. I did tell the steward directing me that if I was not allowed to sit with the other away wheelchair users, I would spend the game, sat on the car park in protest. Thankfully this was just the time that Andy Cullen turned up to see us and he quickly determined that there was room for us to sit with the other 2 away wheelchair fans but I had I just accepted where we were initially directed to, I would have truly been isolated. As Pompey Box Office staff must be used to selling tickets to away wheelchair users, I have no idea how this happened but as it clearly can happen, away wheelchair fans need to check this when purchasing their tickets.

Arrival and Entry into the Ground
As an away wheelchair fan you need the Anson Road entrance to Fratton Park and not go to the home, Milton End (East Stand). There was no parking for our minibus but it was allowed to drop us off at the stadium entrance at the end of Anson Road (a small congested no through road). You then need to make your way in a straight line through the fan area until you cannot go any further and the gate for you to access the ground is then in the far left corner. There are no signs to indicate this is the wheelchair accessible entrance, when we arrived there was no one around to ask or open the locked gate for us and the people with me (who had not been before) were convinced I was wrong as we had gone past several signs for wheelchair accessible gates which I had dismissed as not the ones for away wheelchair fans. After a short wait I saw a steward who I shouted over and explained who we where, he said he knew nothing about us entering there but said he would find someone to help us, he very quickly came back with a colleague who confirmed we were in the right place and let us into what is a small yard, which you then go to the far end of and turn left to access the ground.

Seating Area for Away Wheelchair Fans
Away wheelchair fans are allocated the first few wheelchair spaces on the left as you enter using the flat access entrance to the Fratton End housing up to 4,500 Pompey fans and I understand a maximum of 5 away wheelchair fans and their companions. All the wheelchair spaces are at pitch level with the companion seat behind them, so not only are you isolated from all the other away fans but during the match you are unable to see or speak to your companion. The companion seats are designated carer seats but how can anyone care for someone they cannot see or easily communicate with? This unacceptable practice is what both the away wheelchair fans and the many home wheelchair fans in this stand experience. There is a line of wheelchair fans the full length of the stand, squashed in as tight as possible. I don’t think I have ever seen so many wheelchair users in one stand, which is good but they should be able to see and communicate with their companion, could you imagine able bodied fans being told they cannot see or communicate with the person they go to the match with. It would just not ever be tolerated so we cannot understand why it was ever considered ok for wheelchair users. Thankfully as away fans, this is not our experience for 23 home matches plus a season. Such is clearly the demand for accessible seating at Fratton Park that at one previous memorable match we watched in horror as a fan who clearly needed flat access seating, was allowed to struggle up steps to get to their seat, when undoubtedly, the risk of a serious fall was very high, quite apart from emergency evacuation concerns. Further negatives are stewards advise that you are at risk of being hit by the ball during warm up, we moved away for the warm up. Your view of the pitch which ostensibly is good, is obscured by players warming up during the game standing near to the corner, this was the reason I saw nothing of one of our team’s goals. Finally, if it rains you get wet, so take your waterproofs.

Unlike some previous reviews we have never been subject to abuse from the home fans and have had some good conversations with lovely Pompey fans who have been very friendly but it remains the pits to be sat as away fans at the home end. As I always say if I was able bodied I would be evicted for sitting at the wrong end, so really I should also be evicted for doing it as a wheelchair fan!

Audio Commentary for VI Fans
Portsmouth’s Club page on the LPF website says that Pompey do not provide a headset commentary and as I have never found any mention of such in the Disabled Supporters section of Pompey’s own Club website, we have never requested such. Until on this visit I noticed a sign on the wall by the accessible loo advertising headset commentaries. When we enquired a set was duly brought for my husband to use and he was delighted. The first headset did not work but the second one did. Thankfully as the staff were excellent in checking with him at the beginning of both halves that the headset was working the swopping of receivers was done quickly and without fuss. My husband said the quality of commentary was excellent, helpful and fair. I might well have laughed at a sign advertising headset commentaries for people who would not see the sign but clearly without the sign for me to see, my husband would not have got a commentary so, whoever had the idea for the sign, well done. We took a photo of it and have sent this to our own Club to use similar and hope to upload this photo at the end of this review. I told the Pompey stewards the Club website needs to make mention that this is available and I was told this would happen but over a month later it hasn’t. LPF also need to amend their info on this.

Accessible Toilet
Award for the biggest accessible loo I have ever seen anywhere. It is huge, you could easily get two powerchairs in it. It is relatively new having been installed a few seasons ago from what was an existing space in the base of the stand. It is located on the left of the yard area as wheelchair users enter the Fratton Stand, up a ramp with lots of blue railings. I have always found it exceptionally clean but the floor was very wet when I visited this time for some reason. I would concur with a previous review that given the number requiring an accessible loo in the Fratton stand it requires more than one accessible loo in this location. It is always very busy even during the match.

Catering
Before KO we were asked for our orders for complimentary hot drinks at half time and given a choice of coffee, tea, chocolate or Bovril. These were duly delivered to us just before half time and were well received. I have since read on the Club web page, that these are funded by the Pompey Supporters Trust, Milko Coffee and Comax. Thank you to all concerned, hot chocolates were very well appreciated on a cold November afternoon by 6 away fans feeling a bit lost at the home end. I don’t know for certain but I am guessing this is done as it is not easy for us to access the catering facilities at half time. There is always a burger van on Anson Road as you arrive at the ground (and still serving at the end of matches) which seems very popular and the Ground is next to a huge relatively new Tesco and out of town shopping centre.

Club Staff
It was lovely to get a visit from the Chief Exec before the match when he could have made a very good guess that I would not be happy sat at the home end, as he knows from when he was with our Club that I always complain when this happens. Andy Cullen was always committed to improving the experiences of disabled fans and he is clearly continuing with this commitment at Pompey. It was therefore equally good to get a visit from Emma Smith (Head of Safeguarding) at half time to check that we were all ok and who listened patiently to me talk about how awful it was to be sat at the opposite end of a stadium to all the other fans from your Club and then not to be seated where you can see and speak to your companion. Also worthy of mention was Steward 108 (I think her name was Ally but I can remember her number as it a significant number for me.) She was just lovely and so helpful all afternoon, without me asking, she realised that the players warming up were blocking my view and went and asked them to move! She got the headset commentary organised and helped with holding the hot drinks when they arrived. If only all stewards were as good as Ally. On previous visits to Pompey we have had some very bad experiences with stewards (without first asking) lifting up the end of my husband’s white cane and when asked why said “the ground is rough and we didn’t want it to get damaged” – words fail! Another time, we were directed down the “Harry Potter ally” only to be told later that it was unsuitable for wheelchair users (no wonder we thought it was narrow) and then we were expected to collect our tickets from a window that wasn’t accessible and had to shout across barriers until I suggested to the staff member, they may like to come out and speak to me. On this occasion we had stewards from our own Club with us, who said it was a shame they had not videoed the exchange, as it would have made wonderful training material, how not to do it.

Leaving the Stadium
Busy in the stadium and the roads around it but nothing exceptional. Pleased to find our minibus had been allowed to return to where it had dropped us of.

Would We Go Again?
Yes, but hopefully after October 2023 when we can report on what the new facilities for away wheelchair fans are like at the Milton End and this is the last time we will have to be at the Fratton End.

It is a great shame that the five disabled wheelchair away supporters had to sit with the home fans with a poor view of the game. BT Sports highlighted the away supporters support/singing at this match but none of the wheelchair users were able to experience this as they were at the opposite end of the stadium.

Despite this, it was really appreciated that we were welcomed by the delightful stewards, the home fans were really friendly and a free coffee and biscuit was welcomed on a cold evening. Even the Disability Liaison Officer came and introduced herself. A lesson to be learnt by some of the Premiership Clubs.

I am the secretary of PADSA and we had reports of our members who were in the wheelchair section facing abuse from supporters who were using vile language and an elderly fan who stank of boose being right up into theface of our fan.The steward did nothing. This is more than football banter and should not be allowed.Stewards are there to protect fans and should be in control of the situation.

I have noted you are trying to sort out this situation for next season which is a start.

A long way to go for an evening match, but we booked to stay overnight at travelodge.

I ordered our tickets over the phone direct from Portsmouth and I asked for a wheelchair parking space, but it was all on a first come first served basis and cost £5

Arriving at the ground we were shown where to park, and we went round to the far side of the ground to collect our ticket. Wasn’t sure where to go but a helpful steward came over to see if we were ok and he took us to the ticket office, where if you didn’t know where it was you wouldn’t find it.

We entered the ground at the home end & was shown where the disabled toilets were & the teabar, and program sellers were both inside & outside the ground.

A steward gave us a free teamsheet and another man came to see if we would like to borrow a radio & headphones to listen to the match.

As we were sitting in the corner of the home end pitchside, the view wasn’t very good. We couldn’t see the goal area or the far corner.

The carers have to sit behind the wheelchairs. So small people like me 5ft nothing struggle to see anyway even standing up with the size of some of the scooters.

The stewards were all very friendly & helpful.

Fratton Park has got to be worst stadium for a wheelchair user in the country. You are completely opposite to the away fans in the loudest part of the stadium. It’s not difficult to add somewhere in the away end.

We previously bought our tickets from York and phoned Portsmouth for a parking space. Unfortunately it was on a first come first served basis, so we arrived early and was allocated a disabled parking space at £5 charge, The car was parked on tarmac but the rest of the carpark was gravel and we got the electric wheelchair stuck in the gravel at the back of the car but 2 Portsmouth fans did stop & offer to help.

We bought our program from one of the many venders outside the ground.

We were directed down a narrow alley to the home end where all the wheelchair places were.

Entering the ground we were shown where the disabled toilets & teabar were, although the toilets were used by anyone including the stewards.

We were shown to our seat No5. the carers sat behind the wheelchairs.

A short while later someone else came in with a seat 5 also. and we were moved, then we were moved a second time to the very end seat. This was awful, I couldn’t see because of the enormous chairs & scooters in front and my son in the wheelchair couldn’t see either so he moved to the corner & when play was at our end I had to stand up to see.

How on earth did a club with this sort of attendance manage to duplicate tickets, and why was it us that had to move. We were there first.

After the game we again got the wheelchair stuck in the gravel.

We bought our tickets from York in advance,

We parked in the car park, no charge as we had an adapted car with a wheelchair, and the car park steward found us a suitable place with crossed yellow lines behind us.

As this match was a long way to travel we stayed at a premier Inn.

Arriving at the ground we had a cup of tea & a burger & bacon butty at a van outside the ground.

Stewards werent sure where we had to go, after speaking to 4 of them we finally found out that we had to go down a very narrow alleyway to the disabled section.

We never found the club shop but there were plenty of programme sellers.

Entering the ground, the stewards were very helpful & told us where the teabar & accessible toilets were, although the toilets were mainly used by the stewards.

The teabar sold prepacked hot drinks so we didnt bother & they had sold out of pies & sausage rolls by 2.45. But it was accessible with friendly staff.

Although we were infront of the home fans,in the right hand corner, we found them friendly and many talked to us or shook our hands.

There wasn’t enough space between the seats for wheelchairs to fit, but as there were only three wheelchairs from York, it didnt matter.

The crowd did get rather nasty and shout abuse at a couple of our players who were badly injured with crutiate ligament damage, but at no time we had abuse shouted at us either before , during & after the game, even though we won.

It is so frustrating to hear that some of our supporters behave in this way. I have gone over the match log and there is nothing reported into the club or in the debrief. However, I can assure you that during the game there are stewards, a team of five response and St John staff in this particular area. I will reinforce in the next briefing that vigilance is essential especially around this area.

Perhaps if we provide the control room reporting text line to visiting supporters they can alert control direct if they find themselves in a vulnerable situation. This will allow us to alert the staff on the ground without the complainant drawing attention to themselves by going to a steward. The control number is 07500 778844.

I did not enjoy my experience.

I found the Pompey fans behind me were verbally abusive towards the disabled supporters.

A couple of teenagers seemed very brave knowing I could not stand up and let me understand what they would do to me given a chance. I yawned which really incited there passion.

There were also a couple of ladies who seemed to want a contest on who could appear the more legless. Despite my advantage, they won.

The stewards were ok.

By far the worst ground for wheelchair users I have ever been to. Sat in front of Portsmouth fans who shouted abuse. Told not to go for our own refreshments, and not to jump up or shout if we scored as this would intimidate them. Only one disabled toilet between 50 supporters so some missed the start of the second half. It needs more than one steward to look after visiting disabled as they do not feel safe. It is time Portsmouth put disabled first and put a disabled toilet at the away end along with a wheelchair platform. On a plus side we were allowed to park our wheelchair accessible coach in the car park near to the disabled entrance. We shall not be going again. !!!!

What a awful ground to visit for away disabled supporters? Limited number of wheelchair spaces so some of our supporters had to transfer to “normal” seats. We were sat in front of a very hostile crowd and were subject to quite a lot of verbal abuse. At least 3 of our group left the ground at half time and sat on our coach. We were advised by the stewards not to turn round as things could get quite nasty, also not to go to the concession stands as this was not safe. I have been to 80+ ground as a disabled supporter and this was the most intimidating one yet. It will be a long time before we will be visiting Fratton Park again.

This was our first visit as away wheelchair fans to Fratton Park. We were pleased to be going to such an historically significant ground but we made the trip with some trepidation having read the earlier reviews on LPF. The fact that unlike the many other football clubs’ web sites that I visit before matches, I could find nothing on the Portsmouth FC web site about the Club’s provisions for disabled fans seemed to reinforce the impression we had that Fratton Park was not a good place for away wheelchair fans to visit. Thankfully our experiences weren’t as bad as other reviewers have reported.

We attended a night match and were glad I wasn’t driving as the roads from the motorway to the ground were very congested with it seemed lots of turnings. Our club’s official travel wheelchair accessible mini-bus was allowed onto the small car park at Fratton Park to drop us off and collect us at the end. We were also allowed to stay in the bus until the ground opened, which on a cold night we were grateful for. There was a snack van on the car park (with tables and chairs!) & other fast food outlets nearby. As soon as the stewards saw us coming across the car park, trying to find our way, they waved us towards them and gave us a very friendly welcome. They immediately told us they were there to ensure we had no problems in the home stand (which did add further to our sense of trepidation).

Our places (Seat 49) were at pitch level behind the goal in the main home stand at the opposite end to where we entered the stand. It wasn’t raining whilst we were there but if it does rain, we would imagine you would need good waterproofs. As we were amongst the first in the stand there were no difficulties getting across the front of the stand. We were just sorting ourselves out and commenting to the steward that it was nice to see high nets in front of us to protect us during the warm up when, without us seeing it, a ball came over the top of the nets, hit my husband in the chest with force and winded him, bringing on his epilepsy. Whilst we would hope you don’t have a need for the medical staff, we have nothing but praise for them, they were excellent and being at that corner of the ground you are nearest to the medical room! The goalkeeping staff from Portsmouth were all very concerned for my husband’s welfare and apologetic. The lesson from this is don’t rely on the nets and don’t take up your places until after the players have finished their warm up.

The steward that was closest to us advised that he was happy to go for drinks and food for us if we wished him to and that there was no problem in us celebrating when our team scored but we should avoid turning round and winding up the home fans as this had caused problems when it had occurred on some occasions recently. We never had no intentions of doing this.We experienced no personal abuse from the home fans, in fact quite the reverse, numerous of them came talking to us before and after the game and were all friendly. During the game there were passionate exchanges between the home and away fans which we enjoyed listening to, the loyalty of the Pompey fans at a difficult time for their Club was something we very much admired. We would have enjoyed our visit more had we been with our own club’s fans, who we could barely see at the other end of the pitch. We were therefore very grateful that we were with another two of our club’s fans as just the two of us with thousands of home fans would have felt very lonely.

We had a good view of the pitch and during the game we had no problem with Club officials walking in front of us. My husband (having recovered) was allowed to stand through the game at the side of my chair (something he welcomed). At half time I went in search of an accessible loo, which ironically was located in the nearby medical centre that we had already found. There is only one accessible loo, so there was a queue at half time but not an unreasonable one. The fact it is in the medical centre means that it is heated. It was clean with hot water, hand soap etc and had a good space for turning. The congestion was actually the limited space in the medical centre, to open the toilet door whilst others were queuing to get in.

Our friendly steward, without obscuring our view, just prior to the end of the game, told us that exit gates would be open at our end so we would not need to go back across the stand. Whilst this was really helpful, leaving by a different gate, in the dark, in a large crowd, meant we could not find our way back to the car park and ended up walking off in the wrong direction. Thankfully, when we realised and asked for help we were sent in the right direction. We should have gone to the left not straight-on as we came out of the ground.

The failure to accommodate visiting away fans at the away end, together with the failure to provide headset commentaries for visually impaired fans are huge shortcomings which we would not expect to see at a club which has recently been in the Premiership. Were it not for thinking that Portsmouth FC had bigger problems to contend with at this time, I would be writing direct to them to complain. Having visited Fratton Park, these limitations aside, I would be keen that other away wheelchair fans should not be put off visiting as we nearly were by the content of some of the earlier reviews. We enjoyed our evening (apart from his ball encounter!) and would happily visit again.

I am an ambulant supporter. There are too many steps for persons with walking disabilities. I asked the box office for a seat with few steps to walk, I was given x row away end and I still had loads to walk up to.

I also could not see, the supporters were standing up the full 90 mins. I cannot stand up, security saw this and moved me to the front row, but it was loads more steps to walk down to, but I saw the game.

I think portsmouth can do better for the ambulant person there must be seats in the ground with no steps to climb.

Absolutely awful ground to visit as a disabled away fan. Wheelchair users sit in front of main home areas with home disabled fans too. Not enough room for PA to sit on their allocated seat behind you. Stewards/Press in sightline. Cannot see far touchline/goals as sitting below pitch level. Very few tickets available for away disabled supporters. Car parking was limited. No indepndent access to refreshment areas. As bad as QPR for numbers and associated facilities. 1 out of 10 (only gave it 1 because of a beautiful sunset!).

I feel that Portsmouth FC need to revise their seating arrangements for visiting wheelchair users; Directly in front of the main home supporters stand could make for quite an uncomfortable, intimidating experience. Hoping to attend the Saints v Pompey game in December should be quite an experience.

Attending the ground, as an away fan from Leicester City FC continues to be the most dreadful experience. The stewards feel it is not offensive to have F… Off Leicester shouted at you for most of the game, the sight lines for whelchair users is so restricted, tickets ought to be given to the away wheelchair users. 3 women, Pompey supporters apparently, sit directly behind the wheelchair users and they are adament they will not move, even though their was plenty of seating for them to go into. One did, shortly after the game started, but only to suit herself, not the disabled supporters. It was a Pompey fan who required a better view of the pitch not a LCFC supporter. On discussing the issues with steward number 120 he agreed access could be provided at the away end, via a piece of metal fencing being removed. Unfortunately, this would then mean a walk round to toilet facilities. They have obviously not been to LEEDS in recent times. You can only access their toilets at half time, and have to be escorted around the length and breadth of the pitch. Come on, Portsmouth, do the right thing and make way for the disabled supporter with their fans. Sitting with your Pompey supporters was vile, you are right in the middle of it and there is no let up of foul abuse. I think it is time all other clubs joined together to complain about this dreadful situation, how about it?