Portsmouth F.C.

Portsmouth

Full name	Portsmouth Football Club
Nickname(s)	Pompey
Founded	5 April 1898 (1898-04-05) as "Portsmouth Football and Athletic Company Limited"
Ground	Fratton Park
Capacity	20,899
Coordinates	50°47′47″N 1°3′50″W
Owner-Chairman	Michael Eisner
Chief Executive	Andrew Cullen
Head Coach	John Mousinho
League	EFL Championship
2023–24	EFL League One, 1st of 24 (promoted)
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Portsmouth Football Club is a professional association football club based in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The team will compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system in the 2024–25 season after winning the 2023–24 EFL League One title. Portsmouth are nicknamed Pompey, a local nickname used by both His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth and the city of Portsmouth. The club adopted blue shirts in 1912 and have mostly used a combination of white shorts and red socks since 1946.

Founded on 5 April 1898, Pompey began their early history in the Southern and Western leagues, before being elected into the English Football League and newly formed Third Division in 1920. Portsmouth won two promotions in 1924 and 1927 to reach the First Division, becoming the first football club south of London to do so. After finishing runners-up in two FA Cup finals in 1929 and 1934, Portsmouth won for the first time in 1939. Portsmouth became League Champions of England in two successive 1948–49 and 1949–50 First Division seasons. However, Portsmouth's 32 consecutive years in the First Division ended with relegation to the Second Division in 1959 and was followed by another relegation to the Third Division in 1961. In 1978, Portsmouth were relegated to the Fourth Division (formed in 1958) for the first time before earning three promotions in 1980, 1983 and 1987. After one brief season in the 1987-88 First Division, Portsmouth would remain in the second tier between 1988 until 2003.

After winning promotion to the Premier League in 2003, Portsmouth won the FA Cup for a second time in 2008. Portsmouth's seven-year stay in the Premier League ended in 2009–10 with relegation, signalling the beginning of a difficult period where the club entered financial administration twice and were relegated three times. After the club was purchased by the Pompey Supporters Trust in 2013, Pompey would begin to recover financially and won the League Two title in 2016–17 and the League One title in 2023–24.

Portsmouth are one of only five English football clubs to have been champions of all four tiers of the professional English football pyramid. Portsmouth's arch-rivals are Southampton, a rivalry based in part on geographic proximity and both cities' respective maritime histories. Portsmouth are also the only professional football club in England which is not located on mainland Great Britain, as the city of Portsmouth and their Fratton Park home football ground are located on Portsea Island.

History

Main article: History of Portsmouth F.C.

For information on a breakdown of Portsmouth's league and cup history, see List of Portsmouth F.C. seasons.

A Blue Plaque on the wall of 12 High Street, Old Portsmouth (Alderman John E. Pink's solicitors' office building) commemorates the founding on 5 April 1898.

Chart of table positions for Portsmouth since joining the Football League.

Portsmouth won the FA Cup for the second time in 2008

The scoreboard at the end of the 2008 FA Cup final, in which Portsmouth beat Cardiff City 1–0

Football was first played in Portsmouth from at least the middle of the 19th century, brought to the Victorian era military town, by soldiers, sailors and dockers from other places in England. In Northern England the rules of football were already well established. Portsmouth Association Football Club was an amateur team founded in 1883 by architect Arthur Edward Cogswell. Its most famous player was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who played as goalkeeper under the pseudonym "A.C. Smith." The club disbanded in 1896, and Cogswell designed the first buildings at Fratton Park. Portsmouth Town was an amateur team before Portsmouth became a city in 1926. They competed in cup competitions, attracted several thousand spectators by 1891, and attempted to become Portsmouth's first professional club, but failed. Royal Artillery (Portsmouth) Football Club was formed by the Portsmouth regiment of the Royal Artillery. Established in 1894, they were notable for their competitive success and support from the local community. The team played home games at the United Services Recreation Ground and achieved significant victories.

The formation and development of these early clubs set the stage for the creation of Portsmouth F.C., officially named the Portsmouth Football and Athletic Company Limited, in 1898. With the backing of local businessmen, the club rapidly advanced, constructing the Fratton Park stadium and achieving entry into the Southern League. Early successes included finishing as runners-up in their first league season. Portsmouth continued to grow and evolve in the early 20th century, gaining a reputation for strong performances in the Southern League. The club was elected to the Football League Third Division in 1920, beginning a steady climb up the tiers. By the late 1920s, Portsmouth had reached the First Division, solidifying its status as a top-tier team. Despite financial challenges, the club maintained competitive performances, including reaching the FA Cup final in 1929 and 1934, although they were defeated both times.

The club’s perseverance paid off when Portsmouth won the FA Cup in 1939, defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-1 in the final. This victory was a significant achievement for the club, which had struggled with financial and competitive challenges throughout the 1930s. Portsmouth's success continued post-World War II, with the team winning the First Division title in consecutive seasons, 1948-49 and 1949-50, under the management of Bob Jackson. These achievements marked the pinnacle of the club's history.

The latter half of the 20th century saw fluctuating fortunes, with periods of financial instability and relegation interspersed with success. The club faced severe financial crises in the 1970s and 1980s, leading to multiple relegations. However, the 2000s brought a resurgence, with Portsmouth winning the FA Cup again in 2008. Despite this success, financial troubles persisted, culminating in administration and relegation from the Premier League in 2010. In 2013, the Pompey Supporters Trust took ownership, stabilizing the club and beginning a new chapter focused on community ownership and sustainability.

2017–present

In May 2017, the Pompey Supporters' Trust (PST) voted in favour of a proposed bid by The Tornante Company, headed by former Disney chief executive Michael Eisner, to take over the club which was completed on 3 August 2017. Portsmouth finished their first season back in League One in 8th position. In the following season, they won the EFL Trophy, defeating Sunderland on penalties in the final but lost to the same team in the play-offs.

Portsmouth were due to return to Wembley to defend the EFL Trophy against Salford City on 5 April 2020 in the final, however, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension of the season on 13 March. After the league was suspended, a points per game calculation meant that Pompey competed in the play-offs, albeit behind closed doors. Nevertheless, they lost on penalties to Oxford United.

The delayed 2020 EFL Trophy final was eventually played behind closed doors at Wembley Stadium in March 2021, with Portsmouth losing on penalties to Salford City. After three seasons finishing just below the play-off positions, they won promotion in the 2023–24 season as champions, ending their 12-year stay below the second tier.

Club identity

Club badge

Flag of the City of Portsmouth

Although Portsmouth F.C. were formed in 1898, the club did not have a club badge until one was introduced for the 1913–14 season. The official Coat of Arms of the City of Portsmouth contains an eight pointed gold star and crescent moon on a blue shield, Portsmouth's adoption of the star and crescent is said to have come from when King Richard I (1157–1189), who granted the city "a crescent of gold on a shade of azure, with a blazing star of eight points" which he had taken from the Byzantine Emperor's standard of Governor Isaac Komnenos, after capturing Cyprus.

The first 1913 Portsmouth F.C. badge was based on official symbols belonging to the town council of Portsmouth, which featured a golden eight-pointed star and a golden crescent moon. The club's first badge featured a horizontally elongated white crescent moon beneath a white five pointed star, with both symbols positioned in the centre of a blue four pointed shield. Portsmouth town council bestowed the privileged use (but not ownership) of their moon and star motifs to Portsmouth F.C., albeit with some colour and design changes.

Throughout their history Portsmouth F.C. have tried different variations of the badge. After World War II, Portsmouth began using an eight-pointed star to match that used by the city of Portsmouth. In the 1950s and 1960s, the traditional badge was emblazoned on the shirt in white rather than gold but this was due to white being a cheaper alternative to a more expensive gold coloured thread. Between 1980 and 1989, Portsmouth scrapped their traditional star and crescent badge and replaced it with an entirely new design. This badge showed a football in front of an anchor (representing the Royal Navy) and a sword (representing the British Army), with the whole design surrounded by an outer ring of ships rope. An alternative version included a circular version of the traditional star and crescent badge in place of the football.

During 1989 and 1993, the sword and anchor badge was dropped replaced with a simpler eight pointed star and crescent moon on a long narrow shield. From 1993 until 1997, the 1989–93 long narrow shield design was replaced by an embroidered badge of the city of Portsmouth Coat of Arms. The 1993–97 city arms badge was replaced in 1997, with an eight pointed gold star and a golden crescent moon on a blue shield edged with a gold outer rim. This new badge coincided with the centennial anniversary in the 1997–98 season.

On 6 May 2008, Portsmouth revealed a new badge with "three points" at the top of the shield were replaced with two straightened angles, with "Portsmouth F.C." written above the star on the shield. The traditional elongated crescent moon was replaced with a new circular one, which closely resembled that on the city's Coat of Arms. The new badge had its debut in the 2008 FA Cup final, in which Portsmouth also wore a new 110th Anniversary all-blue commemorative home strip. As part of the World War I Centennial Commemorations in the 2014–15 season, the club opted to temporarily replace the badge with a more traditional badge. In June 2015, Portsmouth reverted the official club badge back to a traditional design.

On 4 May 2017, during a meeting between the Tornante Company the Supporters Trust, the prospective new owners identified a long overlooked ownership and copyright issue concerning the traditional Portsmouth badge – Portsmouth Football Club did not legally "own" the symbols on the badge, which had actually only been "on loan" to the club from Portsmouth City Council since 1913. On 15 March 2018, two newly redesigned club badges were finally revealed ahead of the 2018–19 season (one for players' shirts and the other for commercial purposes).

• 
  1992-1997
• 
  2015–2018
• 
  2018–present, shirt badge
• 
  2018–Present club & merchandising badge

Home colours

In the 1899–1900 season, Portsmouth's first home colours were salmon pink shirts with maroon collars and cuffs, matched with white shorts and black socks. The pink shirts gave the early Portsmouth F.C. the alternative second nickname of 'The Shrimps'. The collars and cuffs were the same colour as the Corporation of Portsmouth's public trams, which were painted maroon at the time. These colours lasted until the end of the 1908–09 season. At the start of the 1909–10 season, Portsmouth changed to white shirts with navy blue shorts and navy blue socks.

For the start of the 1912–13 Southern League Division One season, Portsmouth changed their home colours to azure blue shirts, white shorts and black socks. This was to become Portsmouth's home kit colour combination up until the start of the 1933–34 season, when the shirts were changed to a royal blue. These colours remained until the start of the 1947–48 season, when the black socks were changed to red; this coinciding with the club's most successful period and has remained the favoured colours for the majority of the time since. Portsmouth F.C. changed their colour combination several times during the 1966–1976 period, before reverting to the now tradition post-war blue shirts, white shorts and red stockings in 1976. For the club's 110th anniversary season in 2008–09, Portsmouth played in an all blue home kit, which debuted in the previous season's successful 2008 FA Cup final win. Since the 2009–10 season, Portsmouth reverted to the now traditional blue-white-red home kit.

Red socks memorial

Sir Bernard 'Monty' Montgomery

Portsmouth had predominantly worn black socks since their first match in 1899. During the Second World War and post-war periods, the British Army's Field Marshal Sir Bernard 'Monty' Montgomery had been based at Southwick House, 5 miles to the north of Portsmouth. Montgomery regularly attended Pompey matches at Fratton Park, becoming the honorary President of Portsmouth Football Club. Following the suggestion by Montgomery, red socks were introduced by the club as a memorial to soldiers lost in wartime as red is the traditional colour of the British Army and also the colour of the Remembrance poppy. This also gave the Portsmouth team a patriotic blue, white and red appearance similar to the United Kingdom's red white and blue Union Flag. The new red socks also coincided with Portsmouth's most successful period, so the red socks were retained for good luck.

Away colours

The most frequent away colours used by Portsmouth have been white shirts with royal or navy blue shorts and either blue or white socks.

Other historic kits

For the 2008 FA Cup final victory against Cardiff City, Portsmouth debuted an all blue home kit manufactured by Canterbury and sponsored by Oki Printing Solutions to commemorate the club's 110th Anniversary year. The all blue home kit was also used throughout the following 2008–09 season.

Portsmouth again reached the FA Cup final in 2010, but were defeated 1–0 by Chelsea. Portsmouth, as the away team, wore a white and maroon kit inspired from elements of the original "Shrimps" era (1899–1909) kit in which maroon collars and cuffs featured on the salmon pink home shirts.

Kit manufacturers and sponsors

Source:

Years	Manufacturers	Shirt sponsors
1976–1977	Umbro	No sponsors
1978–1980	Admiral
1980–1983	Gola
1983–1984	Le Coq Sportif
1985–1987	Umbro
1987–1989	Admiral	South Coast Fiat (First seen in December 1987)
1989–1991	Scoreline	Goodmans
1991–1993	Influence
1993–1995	ASICS
1995–1997		The News
1997–1999	Admiral	KJC Mobile Phones
1999–2000	Pompey Sport 1	The Pompey Centre
2000–2002		Bishop's Printers
2002–2005		TY Europe
2005–2007	Jako	OKI
2007–2009	Canterbury
2009–2010		Jobsite.co.uk
2010–2011	Kappa
2011–2013
2013–2018	Sondico
2018–present	Nike	University of Portsmouth

¹ Portsmouth's own manufacturer.

"Pompey" nickname

The traditional nickname of the Portsmouth Football Club is Pompey, a nickname already long associated with the English city of Portsmouth and its Royal Navy base. An exact origin for the Pompey nickname has never formally been identified by historians, as many variations and interpretations of the Pompey nickname exist.

Ground

Main article: Fratton Park

The entrance to Fratton Park's South Stand, with its mock Tudor facade

Portsmouth play their home games at Fratton Park, in the Portsmouth suburb of Milton. The football ground has been home to the club throughout its entire history. The football ground was formerly the site of a potato field in 1898 when it was purchased by the newly-formed Portsmouth Football & Athletic Company.

Fratton Park was designed and completed during 1899 by Portsmouth director and architect Alfred Bone and was first opened to the public on 15 August 1899. The early Fratton Park of 1899 only had one roofed all-seat stand on the pitch's southern side. The first ever football match to take place at Fratton Park was a friendly against Southampton, played on 6 September 1899, with Portsmouth winning 2–0. The first competitive match at Fratton Park was played three days later on 9 September 1899; a Southern League Division One match against Reading, which Portsmouth also won 2–0.

In 1905, the club expanded Fratton Park, adding a mock Tudor style club pavilion to the south-west corner in Frogmore Road, a pavilion designed by Alfred Bone. The pavilion originally featured a tall octagonal clock tower spire on its north-east corner, with an upper viewing gallery built beneath it giving an unobscured view over the entire Fratton Park pitch. In addition, two new solid earthbank terraces, topped with cinders and wooden planking were built behind the two goal ends. They were initially known as the Fratton Railway End and Milton End (or Spion Kop) and were built behind the west and east end goal lines respectively.

The pavilion's clock tower was demolished in the 1920s as the South Stand was partially built into the pavilion's footprint and still contains most of the pavilion's original east side within it. Ten years later in 1935, Archibald Leitch also designed a larger North Stand for Fratton Park. Fratton Park reached its current all-time ground attendance record of 51,385 supporters on 26 February 1949, for an FA Cup sixth-round match, a 2–1 win against Derby County. The Fratton Railway End was demolished in 1956 and replaced by a new prefabricated concrete and steel stand, simply known as The Fratton End. Fratton Park became an all seated football ground in 1996, which greatly reduced Fratton Park's previous maximum capacity. In 1997, a new Fratton End was opened in October 1997. Plans for relocation were first mooted in the early 1990s, but due to various objections and financial obstacles, the club has continued to play at Fratton Park.

Rivalries and supporters

Main article: South Coast derby

Portsmouth fans at Wembley Stadium for the 2007–08 FA Cup semi-final with West Bromwich Albion

Portsmouth's main rivals are Southampton, who are 19.8 miles (31.8 km) away. The South Coast Derby is one of the less frequently played rivalries within English football due to the clubs being in different divisions; however this usually adds to the ferocity of the fixture.

Prior to the mid-late 1960s, rivalry between Portsmouth and Southampton was largely non-existent, as a consequence of their disparity in league status. This derby match has been sporadic. Since 1977, the teams have only been in the same division in four seasons: 1987–88, 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2011–12. As of June 2024, the two clubs have met 71 times in all competitions with Pompey winning on 21 occasions, Southampton winning 35 times and with 15 matches finishing level. The most recent fixture between the two sides came in September 2019 in the EFL Cup with Southampton winning 4–0 at Fratton Park.

Many Portsmouth supporters commonly use the derogatory nickname Scummer (plural: Scummers) to describe Southampton fans, or collectively Scum to also include their football club, and indeed the city of Southampton itself. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Scummers was a derogatory name with naval origins for pirates or buccaneers, and was first recorded in use in 1585.

Meanwhile, Portsmouth supporters have had the equally derogatory nickname Skate bestowed upon them by Southampton fans as a rebuttal to Scummer since the 1987–88 Division One season. This was unofficially chosen by Southampton fans from a list of insults compiled by a Southampton-based supporters fanzine called The Ugly Inside in 1988. Ironically, the chosen nickname Skate was actually stolen from the civilian population of Portsmouth, who had long used Skate as a derogatory insult or nickname for sailors based in Portsmouth Dockyard and other Royal Navy establishments.

Another rivalry over the years, known as the "Dockyard Derby" by the media, is with Plymouth Argyle. This rivalry is also known as the Battle of the Ports. In recent seasons the club has also developed a minor rivalry with Sunderland, mainly stemming from the clubs meeting each other 5 times in the 2018–19 season.

'The Pompey Chimes'

The best-known chant sung by Portsmouth supporters are "The Pompey Chimes". The chant is regarded as football's oldest chant still in use today.

"The Pompey Chimes" were originally called "The Town Hall Chimes", and were created by the supporters of Royal Artillery (Portsmouth) Football Club, a British Army artillery regiment team, who were the most popular and successful amateur football team based in Portsmouth for much of the 1890s. Royal Artillery played their home matches at the United Services Recreation Ground in Burnaby Road, Portsmouth, and were already nicknamed "Pompey" before the founding of Portsmouth F.C. in 1898.

The nearby Portsmouth Town Hall, only 0.3 miles (0.5 km) from Burnaby Road was completed in 1890, and would strike the various Westminster Quarters chimes every quarter hour. Football referees would use the Town Hall's clock bells as a reference to when the football match should end at 4 pm. Just before 4 pm the crowd of supporters would sing in unison with the Town Hall's chimes on the hour to encourage the referee to blow the whistle to signify full-time. The original words to "The Pompey Chimes" (as printed in the 1900–01 Official Handbook of Portsmouth F.C.), were:

Play up Pompey,
Just one more goal!
Make tracks! What ho!
Hallo! Hallo!!

With the demise of Royal Artillery (Portsmouth) F.C. after their expulsion from the 1898–99 FA Amateur Cup for alleged professionalism, many of Royal Artillery's supporters switched their allegiance in 1899 to Portsmouth F.C., taking the "Town Hall Chimes" chant and the "Pompey" nickname from Burnaby Road to Fratton Park, a distance of 1.8 miles (2.8 km).

The Pompey Chimes are still sung at Fratton Park today, and have evolved to be sung at a quicker tempo, and with a shortened chime style – usually twice:

Play up Pompey,
Pompey play up!
Play up Pompey,
Pompey play up!

It is most common to hear The Chimes sung by Portsmouth supporters as an encouragement to the Portsmouth team, more specifically before the Portsmouth players take set-piece kicks.

Club records

• Home attendance record: 51,385 vs. Derby County, 1948–49, FA Cup fifth round, 26 February 1949, Fratton Park
• Attendance record (neutral venue): 99,370 vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers, 1939 FA Cup final, 29 April 1939, Wembley Stadium
• Current Wembley Stadium attendance record for a football match: 89,874, 2008 FA Cup final, 17 May 2008
• Record victory: 9–1 vs. Notts County, Second Division, 9 April 1927
• Record defeat: 10–0 vs. Leicester City, First Division, 20 October 1928
• Highest scoring game: 7–4 (11 goals) vs. Reading, Premier League, 29 September 2007
• Most consecutive wins (all competitions): 9 (4 January 2020 – 8 February 2020)
• Most appearances for club: 845, Jimmy Dickinson, 1946–1965
• Most league goals for club: 194, Peter Harris, 1946–1960
• Most league goals in a season: 42, Guy Whittingham, 1992–93
• Most goals for club: 208, Peter Harris, 1946–1960
• Most international caps while at club: 48, Jimmy Dickinson (England)
• Transfer record (received): £20 million from Real Madrid for Lassana Diarra, December 2008
• Transfer record (paid): £11 million to Liverpool for Peter Crouch, July 2008

Portsmouth in Europe

To date Portsmouth have played one season in UEFA competitions, competing in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. They beat Vitória de Guimarães 4–2 on aggregate in the first round. In the group stage Portsmouth registered one win along with a draw against A.C. Milan, and were knocked out at the group stages after a 3–2 away loss to VfL Wolfsburg.

Season	Competition	Round	Opponents	Home	Away	Aggregate
2008–09	UEFA Cup	R1	Vitória de Guimarães	2–0	2–2	4–2
		Group	Braga	–	3–0	–
			AC Milan	2–2	–	–
			Wolfsburg	–	3–2	–
			Heerenveen	3–0	–	–

Players

For a list of notable players and players who played for Portsmouth for more than 100 games in a sortable-list format, see List of Portsmouth F.C. players.

Current squad

As of 27 June 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	ENG	Will Norris
2	DF	ENG	Zak Swanson
4	DF	ENG	Ryley Towler
5	DF	WAL	Regan Poole
6	DF	ENG	Connor Ogilvie
7	MF	ENG	Marlon Pack (captain)
9	FW	ENG	Colby Bishop
10	FW	IRL	Anthony Scully
11	FW	NIR	Gavin Whyte
14	MF	ENG	Ben Stevenson
15	FW	ENG	Christian Saydee
16	MF	WAL	Joe Morrell (vice-captain)
18	DF	IRL	Conor Shaughnessy

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
19	FW	AUS	Kusini Yengi
21	DF	ENG	Jack Sparkes
23	MF	ENG	Owen Moxon
24	MF	NIR	Terry Devlin
26	MF	WAL	Tom Lowery
32	FW	NIR	Paddy Lane
33	GK	ENG	Toby Steward
46	DF	SCO	Tom McIntyre
49	FW	ENG	Callum Lang
—	GK	SCO	Jordan Archer
—	DF	ENG	Jordan Williams
—	MF	ENG	Reuben Swann
—	FW	ENG	Josh Murphy

Youth Academy

Main article: Portsmouth F.C. Reserves and Academy

Retired and reserved numbers

• Number 1 was temporarily retired for the 2001–02 season in respect to goalkeeper Aaron Flahavan, who died in a car crash in August 2001, days after being handed the squad number 1 for the first time. Since the 2003–04 season, number 13 shirt was reserved in respect for him, as this was the number he wore for the majority of his stay at the club. Ten years after his death, however, the number 13 was again used.
• Number 12 is the number reserved for the Portsmouth fans, regarding the fans as the twelfth player.
• Number 58 is "Nelson", the club mascot's number.

Portsmouth Player of the Season (since 1968)

Source:

• 1968 – Ray Pointer
• 1969 – John Milkins
• 1970 – Nicky Jennings
• 1971 – David Munks
• 1972 – Richie Reynolds
• 1973 – N/A
• 1974 – Paul Went
• 1975 – Mick Mellows
• 1976 – Paul Cahill
• 1977 – N/A
• 1978 – N/A
• 1979 – Peter Mellor
• 1980 – Joe Laidlaw
• 1981 – N/A
• 1982 – Alan Knight
• 1983 – Alan Biley
• 1984 – Mark Hateley
• 1985 – Neil Webb
• 1986 – Noel Blake
• 1987 – Noel Blake
• 1988 – Barry Horne
• 1989 – Micky Quinn
• 1990 – Guy Whittingham
• 1991 – Martin Kuhl
• 1992 – Darren Anderton
• 1993 – Paul Walsh
• 1994 – Kit Symons
• 1995 – Alan Knight
• 1996 – Alan Knight
• 1997 – Lee Bradbury
• 1998 – Andy Awford
• 1999 – Steve Claridge
• 2000 – Steve Claridge
• 2001 – Scott Hiley
• 2002 – Peter Crouch
• 2003 – Linvoy Primus
• 2004 – Arjan de Zeeuw
• 2005 – Dejan Stefanović
• 2006 – Gary O'Neil
• 2007 – David James
• 2008 – David James
• 2009 – Glen Johnson
• 2010 – Jamie O'Hara
• 2011 – Hayden Mullins
• 2012 – Ricardo Rocha
• 2013 – Johannes Ertl
• 2014 – Ricky Holmes
• 2015 – Jed Wallace
• 2016 – Michael Doyle
• 2017 – Enda Stevens
• 2018 – Matt Clarke
• 2019 – Matt Clarke
• 2020 – Christian Burgess
• 2021 – Craig MacGillivray
• 2022 – Sean Raggett
• 2023 – Colby Bishop
• 2024 – Marlon Pack

Portsmouth Hall of Fame

Portsmouth created a Hall of Fame in March 2009, which honours former players and staff members of the club. At a year-by-year ceremony, the club holds a day to announce the year's inducted to the list, and also has a dinner for the people present.

The following players have been inducted into the Portsmouth Football Club Hall of Fame:

All appearances and goals according to Soccerbase. * Denotes player for Portsmouth FC Women

Inducted	Name	Nat.	Position or role	Playing career	Managerial career	Player Apps	Player Goals
2009	Jimmy Dickinson		LH	1946–65	1977–79	828	10
	Peter Harris		OF	1946–60	—	515	211
	Ray Hiron		FW	1964–75	—	364	117
	Alan Knight		GK	1978–2000/2003–04	—	801	0
	Guy Whittingham		ST	1992–94	2012–13	249	112
2010	Len Phillips		IF	1946–56	—	271	55
	John Milkins		GK	1961–74	—	389	0
	Mick Tait		FW	1980–87	—	280	32
	Andy Awford		CB	1989–2000	2014–15	341	3
	Duggie Reid		IF	1946–56	—	323	134
2010	Jack Froggatt		LH	1946–54	—	279	65
	Johnny Gordon		IF	1949–58/1961–67	—	489	106
	Alan McLoughlin		CM	1992–99	—	309	54
	Linvoy Primus		CB	2000–09	—	219	6
	Paul Walsh		ST	1992–94/1995–96	—	113	26
2011	Reg Flewin		CB	1937–53	—	167	0
	Norman Piper		LW	1970–78	—	356	57
	Alan Biley		FW	1982–84	—	115	57
	Steve Claridge		ST	1998/1998–2001	2000–01	124	37
2012	Micky Quinn		ST	1985–88	—	137	68
	Jimmy Scoular		WH	1945–53	—	268	8
	Ron Saunders		ST	1958–64	—	259	156
	Eoin Hand		U	1968–76/1977–79	—	307	14
	Kit Symons		DF	1988–95	—	220	11
2013	Ernie Butler		GK	1946–53	—	240	0
	Arjan de Zeeuw		CB	2002–05	—	118	5
	Billy Gilbert		CB	1984–89	—	159	0
	Harry Harris		WH/IF	1958–70	—	403	49
	Nicky Jennings		LW	1967–74	—	227	50
2014	Ike Clarke		ST	1947–53	—	129	58
	David James		GK	2006–10	—	157	0
	Kevin Dillon		CM	1983–89	—	249	56
	George Ley		LB/LW	1967–72	—	204	11
	Billy Wilson		FB	1972–79	—	216	6
	Arthur Egerton Knight		LB	1908–22	—	206	0
2015	Svetoslav Todorov		ST	2001–07	—	83	33
	Noel Blake		CB	1984–88	—	173	14
	Dave Kemp		ST	1976–78	—	74	48
	Billy Haines		FW	1922–28	—	164	119
2016	Paul Merson		MF	2002–03	—	44	12
	Colin Garwood		ST	1978–80	—	71	34
	Cliff Parker		OL	1933–51	—	242	57
	Vince Hilaire		MF	1984–88	—	146	25
2017	Alex Wilson		FB	1949–67	—	350	4
	Alan Rogers		FW	1979–84	—	161	15
	Mark Hateley		ST	1983–84	—	38	22
	Mick Kennedy		CM	1984–87	—	129	4

Key:

GK = Goalkeeper	CB = Centre-back	LB = Left-back	RB = Right-back	FB = Full-back	LH = Left half	RH = Right half	WH = Wing half
CM = Centre midfielder	LW = Left winger	RW = Right winger	OF = Outside forward	IF = Inside forward	FW = Forward	ST = Striker	U = Utility player

Women's team

Main article: Portsmouth F.C. Women

The club's female counterpart is Portsmouth Women, which was founded in 1987. The team currently competes in the FA Women's National League South and play at Havant & Waterlooville's stadium. Following the takeover of the club by the Portsmouth Supporters Trust, it was announced that there would be closer ties between the men's and women's clubs.

On 5 June 2023, Portsmouth announced that their women's team would integrate under The Tornate Company, meaning the side would be turning semi-professional for the first time in the club's history.

Club management

Coaching positions

Source:

Position	Staff
Chairman	Michael Eisner
Directors board	Michael Eisner Eric Eisner Breck Eisner Anders Eisner Andy Redman Mark Catlin
CEO	Andrew Cullen
Sporting director	Richard Hughes
Head coach	John Mousinho
Assistant head coach	Jon Harley
First team development coach	Zesh Rehman
Goalkeeping coach	Joe Prodomo
Head physio	Bobby Bacic
Physio	Jack Hughes
Head of sport science	Miles Littlechild
Head of recruitment	Phil Boardman
Head of performance analysis	Dan Ashby
Kit manager	Vacant
Mascots	Nelson & Pompey Sailor

Managerial history

Further information: List of Portsmouth F.C. managers

Ownership

Portsmouth Football Club has operated under five different parent company names in its history:

• Portsmouth Football and Athletic Company Limited (5 April 1898 – 27 July 1912)
• Portsmouth Football Club Limited (27 July 1912 – 12 May 1999) (initially as 'Portsmouth Football Company Limited' from 27 July 1912 until 23 January 1989 when name officially changed to 'Portsmouth Football Club Limited')
• Portsmouth City Football Club Limited (12 May 1999 – 25 May 2010) (initially as 'Overflint Limited' from 7 April 1999 – 12 May 1999)
• Portsmouth Football Club (2010) Limited (25 May 2010 – 10 April 2013) (initially as 'PFC Realisations Limited' from 25 May 2010 – 23 November 2010)
• Portsmouth Community Football Club Limited (10 April 2013 – present) (initially as 'Portsmouth Supporters Trust (Operations) Limited' from 7 February 2012 – 14 September 2012)

The current owner of Portsmouth Community Football Club Limited is The Tornante Company, which purchased the club from the Portsmouth Supporters Trust (PST) on 3 August 2017.

Affiliated clubs

Portsmouth have had a long-standing relationship with Havant & Waterlooville, with regular pre-season friendlies organised between the two clubs. Portsmouth have also previously used West Leigh Park, Havant & Waterlooville's home stadium, for reserve team matches. Previous links with Belgian side Zulte Waregem and Irish academy Home Farm have been cancelled.

Portsmouth have developed a relationship with Gosport Borough after their promotion to the Conference South. Portsmouth fans were encouraged to support Gosport in their FA Trophy final match at Wembley in March 2014. They also play friendlies and loan out players to the side.

Honours

Source:

Portsmouth are one of only five English football clubs to have been champions of all four tiers of the professional English football pyramid.

League

• First Division (level 1)
  • Champions: 1948–49, 1949–50
• Second Division / First Division (level 2)
  • Champions: 2002–03
  • Runners-up: 1926–27, 1986–87
• Third Division South / Third Division / League One (level 3)
  • Champions: 1923–24, 1961–62, 1982–83, 2023–24
• Fourth Division / League Two (level 4)
  • Champions: 2016–17
  • Promoted: 1979–80
• Southern League First Division
  • Champions: 1901–02, 1919–20
• Western League First Division
  • Champions: 1900–01, 1901–02, 1902–03

Cup

• FA Cup
  • Winners: 1938–39, 2007–08
  • Runners-up: 1928–29, 1933–34, 2009–10
• FA Charity Shield / Community Shield
  • Winners: 1949 (shared)
  • Runners-up: 2008
• EFL Trophy
  • Winners: 2018–19
  • Runners-up: 2019–20
• Hampshire Senior Cup
  • Winners: 1902–03, 1912–13, 1951–52, 1986–87

Citations

General references

• Farmery, Colin (1999). Portsmouth: From Tindall to Ball – A Complete Record. Desert Island Books. ISBN 1-874287-25-2.
• Farmery, Colin (2004). Seventeen Miles From Paradise – Saints v Pompey: Passion, Pride and Prejudice. Desert Island Books. ISBN 1-874287-89-9.
• Farmery, Colin (2005). Portsmouth: the Modern Era – a Complete Record. Desert Island Books. ISBN 1-905328-08-7.
• Inglis, Simon (1996). Football Grounds of Britain. Collins Willow. ISBN 0-00-218426-5.
• Pennant, Cass; Silvester, Rob (2004). Rolling with the 6.57 Crew – The True Story of Pompey's Legendary Football Fans. John Blake Publishing. ISBN 1-84454-072-3.

External links

• Official website