Fratton Park expansion not a priority - Eisner

Portsmouth owner Michael Eisner has said an expansion to Fratton Park is not currently high on his list of priorities.

The 84-year-old has owned Pompey since purchasing the club in 2017 and after seven seasons in League One, managed to get the club into the second tier in 2024.

Over nine years in charge of the side, Eisner has funded a number of projects at Fratton Park including the more recent development of the North Stand and Milton End.

With thousands of supporters waiting on the club’s season ticket waiting list, some sections of the fanbase are calling for an expansion of the ground so they can cater to the demand.

But the Pompey owner has shut down any rumours major stadium projects might be imminent.

“It’ll happen someday but we can’t put a date on it,” Eisner told BBC Radio Solent.

“I’d like to have more seats and satisfy everybody but I don’t think we need them right now.

“We’ve bought quite a bit of real estate around the stadium in anticipation of someday building a new addition to the fourth stand.

“The bridge is an important part of it too. We just don’t like the idea of having another five or six thousand people while many must walk on that very narrow walkway to get here.”

Proposals for a bridge to be built from Fratton train station to improve the journey to Fratton Park on foot have long been discussed but significant progress is yet to be made.

With a number of projects already completed on the stadium, the Portsmouth owner was open to suggestions as to where funds should next be directed.

“We’d like it [an expansion] but I would have to ask the fans what they want us to spend our money on,” he added.

“We want to do some television shows, some documentaries and continue investing in the players.

“We have to build a third pitch in our training ground too. There are a lot of things we have to do and there are only so many things you can afford.”

More to spend on transfers this summer

Throughout this summer Portsmouth boss John Mousinho and sporting director Richard Hughes have spoken about the increased transfer budget they have to work with this window.

The club have made some significant signings already with Marko Milovanovic, Abu Kamara and Rocco Shein arriving in multi-million pound deals.

Earlier in the window Hughes expressed his gratitude to the ownership for their faith in him and Mousinho to be able to increase their spend in the market.

“We’ve been investing in the facilities much more than we thought we needed,” Eisner said.

“One of the reasons we bought and acquired the real estate behind the North Stand is we can’t do anything there until we have that real estate.

“So, in our investment, which has been large from day one, what’s decreased is the capital expenditures because we’ve done so much of the work already.”

Eisner said money that was previously being spent on the stadium and training ground was this summer going directly into the playing squad.

“We’re now taking a similar amount of money and investing it into what’s happening on the pitch,” he said.

“It’s expensive and obviously everybody in the Championship is looking for that golden ring in the Premier League as we are.

“We are interested in a reasonable growth over time, not throwing money away, (…) not going into changing the logo or the colours and all those things.”