POMPEY AND SAINTS

Just a bit of a change from the "anniversary" themed curiosities; Many club nicknames are long standing and their origins can range from the obvious to obscure. My first professional football matches were watched at Fratton Park, home of Portsmouth FC. It was a train joiurney from my Sussex village to Fratton Station. But I saw some good matches there in the late 1950s! yes, trains were running in those days (not like now). 

Portsmouth FC was a "naval" club, sited at the war time harbour, where there were plenty of sailors and wrens! A theory behind Portsmouth's nick name of Pompey came via Aggie Weston, who ran the local "hostel" in Portsmouth frequented by local sailors. Imagine!!

As she was "addressing" some of her customers about the famous Roman General, Pompey The Great, a sailor (probably inebriated) shouted out "poor old Pompey" and football took up the chant (apparently). 

The other local "squad" was the Royal Artillery, of course, which served in France and on their treturn from a "tour of duty" across The Channel, may have brough the phrase "Les Pompiers" back with them, referring to The Firemen who will have put out some fires no doubt! There could of course be another explanation!

The early Fratton Park was designed by local architect, Arthur Cogswell and built in 1899 on the site of a market garden at a Portsea Island farming village. In 1904, the village of Milton and the entirety of Portsea Island became part of the borough of Portsmouth.

Portsmouth's football ground was deceptively named as "Fratton Park" by the club's founders, to persuade supporters that the new Milton-based football ground was within walking distance of neighbouring Frattons' Railway Station; the true distance between the railway station and football ground is actually one mile, or a ten-minute walk. Fratton Park was first opened to the public on Tuesday 15 August 1899.

The first ever match at Fratton Park took place on the afternoon of Wednesday 6 September 1899, a 2-0 friendly win against Southampton FC, attended by 4,141 supporters. Three days later, the first competitive home match at Fratton Park was played on Saturday 9 September 1899, a Southern League First Division fixture, 2–0 win against Reading FC, attended by 9,000 supporters.

Sir John Brickwood (1852–1932) was Portsmouth's founding chairman. Brickwood, owner of a Portsmouth-based brewery, was also a philanthropist. In 1900, he opened a mock-Tudor pub named The Pompey in Frogmore Road next to Fratton Park. In 1905, a mock-Tudor club pavilion was donated by Sir John  and built to the north of The Pompey pub. The pavilion, which originally had an octagonal clock tower spire on its roof, contained club offices and players changing rooms. The pavilion and The Pompey pub were both designed by Fratton Park's original architect, Arthur Cogswell.

Fratton Park is sited on Portsea Island, which remains the club's only home ground in its history. Fratton Park's location is unique in English professional football, as it is the only professional English football ground not found on the mainland of Great Britain.

The club was founded on 5 April 1898, by Sir John Brickwood and began playing home matches at Fratton Park the following year. Portsmouth are one of only five English football clubs to have been champions of ALL four tiers of the Professional Football Pyramid. HERE IS THE STADIUM'S MAIN ENTRANCE!

On 22 February 1956, Fratton Park became the first English football ground to stage an evening Football League match under artificial light, against Newcastle United.

Portsmouth's arch-rivals are Southampton FC, of course,  a rivalry based in part to geographic proximity and both cities' respective maritime histories.