Exclusive:'The best it has ever been': First look at Portsmouth's completed £1.5m Fratton Park pitch project
Work on Pompey’s new £1.5m pitch began on May 5, just days after the end of the Championship season
Fratton Park’s playing surface has never looked so good - and Pompey have the £1.5m receipts to prove it.
The installation of a new hybrid sand-based pitch, plus improved drainage, represents the most extensive - and expensive - overhaul of the Blues’ playing surface in club history.
Effectively building the pitch from scratch has also signalled the complete removal of the iconic camber, while the introduction of a new blue trackway boasts the same specifications as Liverpool and West Hall.
The hybrid playing surface is 95 per cent natural and five per cent artificial, with 426 kilos of rye grass seed planted, while 24 pitch sprinklers have been installed, an increase of five.
And three weeks into the pitch-growing process, the new £1.5m Fratton Park pitch will be comfortably ready to host QPR on August 15.
‘It’s the best product we’ve had so far’
Dan Mellor, Pompey’s head groundsman, told The News: ‘In terms of this stadium, it’s the best product we've had so far.
‘We had a hybrid carpet in the summer of 2018, which didn’t include the full rebuild underneath, so that was a renovation of the sub layer with the carpet laid on top. This is a much more robust and thorough process in terms of the construction of the product.
‘The old pitch was at the end of its useful life and, taking into account the additional Women’s games, it was the right time for the club to invest in the new pitch profile.
‘We had the full reconstruction in May, taking out everything which existed, such as old drainage, old irrigation, all of the old soil profile. We have replaced that with a new sand-profile pitch, new layers, laid them on the open carpet, and then seeded.
‘We’re hoping supporters will notice a positive difference with the sightlines considering the camber has also been fully removed.
‘Before 2013, there was a significant camber in the middle of the pitch used for drainage. When a new irrigation system was then installed, the camber was reduced, but there was still a 400mm camber through the centre of the pitch. We have removed that totally.
‘Producing the healthiest pitch for the start of the season’
‘The level now drops towards the north-west corner, so all of our new drainage system goes into the east corner at a 45-degree angle. The stadium naturally falls at ground level from west to east - and the camber across the pitch has now gone.
‘Now we’re in the process of growing the pitch in, testing for firmness, testing for moisture, and getting the nutrient levels right to produce the healthiest pitch for the start of the season.’
With PMC Construction overseeing the Fratton Park project, work began on May 5, days after the completion of the 2025-26 Championship season.
The seed-growing process started on June 26, with the Blues’ groundstaff requiring a minimum of six weeks to ensure the pitch could be used.
Certainly the decision to arrange their August 1 friendly against SV Darmstadt away from Fratton Park proved wise, allowing additional time for the new playing surface to settle in.
And Mellor is delighted with the pitch’s progress.
‘It’s about player welfare and player safety’
He added: ‘The trackway is now the latest specification. It’s exactly the same specification you see at grounds like West Ham and Liverpool, with a 35mm shock pad underneath and a carpet on top.
‘It’s about player welfare and player safety, the players need to have confidence as they’re running off the pitch.
‘Someone like Josh Murphy running at full speed on the wing or Terry Devlin going into a challenge, you have to ensure their safety so they can be fully committed to their run or tackle.
‘All pitches are difficult to manage and offer a challenge. This is a brand-new pitch, we have to learn its characteristics over the next few months. In the three weeks we’ve been growing it, we have learnt already. They all have their own different behaviours.
‘So far we’re really pleased with the progress we have made and we’re looking forward to supporters coming into the ground and seeing the work carried out over the summer. This pitch is the best it has ever been and is a really exciting time for everybody at the club.’