What happened to Portsmouth FC's £600m plan for a new 36,000 seater stadium? | OneFootball

Portsmouth's plans to build a new stadium never came to fruition, and FLW explains why

Portsmouth were once a mainstay of the Premier League from 2004 to 2010 before falling down to League Two.

Pompey’s finest hour came in 2008 when they beat Cardiff City in the final of the FA Cup, winning the competition for the first time since 1939.

Their highest league position during this period was an eight place result in 2007/08 under Harry Redknapp, and the FA Cup triumph also qualified the Hampshire outfit for the UEFA Cup.

They were a club on the rise during the mid 2000’s, but by 2010 the collapse had already begun, and they were competing in League Two by 2013 after significant financial issues that included going into administration.

Portsmouth spent four seasons in League Two before being taken over by Michael Eisner, but by this point the club’s plans to scrap Fratton Park and build a new stadium had long since vanished.

Here we look at what happened to Pompey’s plans to build a new home, and why it never materialised…

Portsmouth’s new stadium plans

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Portsmouth unveiled plans to build a new stadium in 2007, a full year before winning the FA Cup with Redknapp, at a potential cost of around £600 million.

It was reported by the Guardian at the time that a 13-acre site had been selected, which was adjacent to the city’s dockyards.

It was hoped that it could have a capacity of 36,000, which would have been a significant increase on the current figure of around 20,000 that Fratton Park can currently hold.

The club’s plans for Fratton Park were to demolish the venue, having partnered with Sellar Property Group, with around 750 homes planned to be built on the site.

Portsmouth were seeking planning permission so that work could get underway on constructing this new site by the summer of 2008, and that they could potentially move into the new stadium in 2011.

But by 2009, the then Premier League side confirmed that the plans had been put on hold.

Why Portsmouth never left Fratton Park

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Portsmouth released a statement in 2009 to confirm that their plans to build a new stadium had been shelved, and that they would look to tie it up with the Football Association’s bid for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

England failed to secure the hosting of either tournament, as they went to Russia and Qatar respectively, and Pompey ultimately stayed in Fratton Park.

The club’s hopes of building a new stadium were all but over after owner Alexandre Gaydamak sold the Hampshire outfit as a consequence of his faltering financial position.

The 2008 financial crash had a major impact on both him and the club, which led to Sulaiman Al Fahim taking over.

This was the first of multiple ownership changes in a short period, which fuelled their collapse to the fourth tier.

And their fall to League Two killed any hopes of potentially returning to the plans to build a new stadium.

Eisner has provided an update on Portsmouth’s position regarding a new stadium in August 2026, with the former Disney CEO claiming that it’s not currently a top priority for the Championship side.