Portsmouth pub owner hails 'massive boost' from World Cup with Green Posts packed for England matches
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Hundreds of people have been flocking to the London Road boozer and filling the beer garden
Excited England fans have been packing a long-standing Portsmouth pub in a “massive boost” for the business.
The Green Posts in London Road was full of spectators celebrating England’s late 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday evening (July 1). A Harry Kane brace booked the Three Lions a place in the Round of 16 against Mexico at the Azteca.
Landlords and landladies across the city will be hoping for England to progress as far as they can. Green Posts owner George Skeates, who has been in charge for 11 months, spoke glowingly about how the crowds have been a bright light in a struggling industry.
He said the pub saw takings of roughly £11,700 during England’s group fixture against Panama, close to the record sales day of over £12,000. “Pubs are facing challenges and it’s really tough,” he told The News.
“Having this tournament in the summer has been a massive boost. Saturday alone showed we were nearly hitting our daily sales record. To have that for a group game, let alone a knockout fixture, is fantastic to see.
“We had to have security on due to the amount of people. With our headcount, we had about 345 people during the match. We get around 100 to 200 on an average Saturday. It has been amazing.”
The hospitality industry has been badly hit by the cost of living crisis, with energy bills soaring and customers attending venues less being just some of the reasons. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said in May that 161 pubs closed in the first three months of this year across England, Scotland, and Wales. This came after 336 British pubs reported closures in 2025.
A 15 per cent tax relief for boozers and music venues was announced by the government in April, after warnings that further tax changes could cause more venues to close. Mr Skeates said the pub has been popular and the venue has been brilliant to run, holding on to its strong-footing as a part of the local community.
The Green Posts was refurbished earlier this year, with new dart boards being set up alongside a brighter interior. “The refurb back in October was long overdue,” he added. “It’s something that the pub and the area needed. Now, everyone has a pub they can be proud to come to.
“Everyone knew that the refurb was desperately needed. It was exactly the boost we needed. Since then, it has been all guns blazing and really good.”
When asked if England will win the World Cup, he said: “Considering I’m a pessimistic Englishman, I think they’ll get to the quarter finals at best. There is always that bit of optimism though that they’ll get to the final. Mexico is going to be very very tough. it’s a 1am kick off, but after that all the times are quite friendly. Hopefully there will be some more busy days ahead of us.”