Portsmouth Dockland Stadium
Encyclopedia
Portsmouth Dockland Stadium was the codename for a future football stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...

 to be located in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The stadium was expected to have a capacity of 36,000 people. The stadium would have been built on reclaimed land from the Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour
Portsmouth Harbour is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it is a ria: formerly it was the valley of a stream flowing from Portsdown into the Solent River. The city of Portsmouth lies to the east on Portsea Island, and Gosport to the west on the mainland...

 and would be located near the city's naval base. Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...

's previous stadium, Fratton Park
Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a football stadium in the English city-port of Portsmouth. It has been the home of professional club Portsmouth F.C. since its construction in 1898.-Description:...

, would be demolished to make way for 750 new homes to be built on the site.

Design

The architects of the new Portsmouth Dockland Stadium were Herzog & de Meuron
Herzog & de Meuron
Herzog & de Meuron Architekten, BSA/SIA/ETH is a Swiss architecture firm, founded and headquartered in Basel, Switzerland in 1978. The careers of founders and senior partners Jacques Herzog , and Pierre de Meuron , closely paralleled one another, with both attending the Swiss Federal Institute of...

, renowned for their design of the Allianz Arena
Allianz Arena
The Allianz Arena is a football stadium in the north of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The two professional Munich football clubs FC Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 München have played their home games at Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season...

 and Beijing National Stadium
Beijing National Stadium
Beijing National Stadium, also known officially as the National Stadium, or colloquially as the Bird's Nest , is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.-History:...

. Along with the stadium, and housing on the old Fratton Park site, there were plans for approximately 1500 new apartments, plus restaurants and cafes. Portsmouth F.C. will also be building a new training facility, to be located at Titchfield
Titchfield
Titchfield is a village in southern Hampshire, by the River Meon. The village has a history stretching back to the 6th century. During the medieval period, the village operated a small port and market...

. Portsmouth F.C. Chief Executive Peter Storrie
Peter Storrie
Peter Storrie was a Director and the Chief Executive Officer of English Premier League team Portsmouth. He had formerly worked for West Ham United, Southend United and Notts County.-West Ham United:...

 stated "Portsmouth is moving into a new dawn with the backing of owner Alexandre Gaydamak
Alexandre Gaydamak
Alexandre "Sacha" Gaydamak is a French businessman of Russian Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and also holds an Israeli passport. A member of the wealthy Gaydamak family, he is the son of Arcadi Gaydamak....

 and these are very exciting times for the club both on and off the field. The new stadium, along with plans for the club's new training ground at Titchfield, is proof of where we want Pompey to be - playing at the highest level and in a stadium that is reflective of a top Premiership side."

Cost

The new stadium was expected to cost £600 million, which would have been funded by Portsmouth FC. The sale of supermarkets on the old Fratton Park site as well as the surroundings of the new stadium will provide most of the funds needed.

Location change

Due to the concerns regarding the location, from the council and Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 amongst other, Portsmouth FC have been forced to relocate the stadium plans elsewhere. The revised plan is for the stadium to be built on nearby Horsea Island
Horsea Island
Horsea Island was an island located off the northern shore of Portsmouth Harbour; gradually subsumed by reclamation, it is now connected to the mainland...

.

Postponement

Due to the economic situation around the world in 2008 and 2009, Portsmouth Football Club postponed the construction of the stadium, citing the "credit crunch". However on March 19, 2009, Portsmouth Football Club announced plans to expand their existing stadium, Fratton Park, by 10,000 seats to a capacity of 30,264. The expansion relies on the pitch of Fratton Park being rotated 90 degrees, as was the plan in the original design for Fratton Park in 2003. This expansion is expected to cost £22 million, with £16 million coming from a supermarket also being built on site. Following Portsmouth's collapse into administration later that year, followed by relegation, it is not known when or if any ground redevelopment will take place.

External links

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