The festive fixture, a big date in the footballing calendar, is a typical day out for fans – whether Pompey play at home or away.
However, this year’s Boxing Day fixture may cause some of the Fratton fans to stay at home.
Pompey’s hosts on that day are currently building a new south stand at the Memorial Stadium, which will accommodate away fans. As a result, the number of Blues fans permitted to attend will be drastically reduced.
John Mousinho’s side were supported by 1,275 away supporters during last season’s 2-0 away triumph at Rovers in March. This term, that total might be as low as 500, however Pompey are hoping for an additional 200 tickets.
With Pompey averaging 1,411 away fans in their five away games so far, director of sales Mark Judges is expecting a challenge.
‘We have to be honest – there will be disappointed fans this season, with demand so high (for away games),’ he remarked at the recent Tony Goodall Fans’ Conference. From a ticketing standpoint, Bristol Rovers is likely to be the most difficult game of the season for us.’
‘Bristol Rovers are now only able to give roughly 500 tickets due to the renovation of their away stand,’ said chief executive Andy Cullen. There’s a chance we’ll receive 200 extra, but it’ll almost surely be a pretty small allocation, and this Boxing Day game will be quite popular.’
Pompey fans will be even more disappointed to learn that the club’s request for more tickets for this month’s trip to Reading has been denied.
The Blues have been allotted little under 3,000 seats for Saturday’s Madejski Stadium match. However, considering Reading’s proximity to Portsmouth and the Royals’ challenges this season to achieve their 24,000-plus capacity, an application was filed to boost that figure.
‘I did phone their Operations Director to ask for more,’ Cullen added. The response was that we had already been given more than the EFL required (2,000) and that their SAG (Safety Advisory Group) would not approve any more owing to the stadium configuration. We have, however, secured a modest number of additional hospitality tickets near the away end.’
‘We’ve got roughly 80 of these hospitality tickets that we’re in the process of getting onto the system and working out a fair manner to distribute these out to supporters,’ said the judges. They will be more expensive.’
It’s worth mentioning that several Pompey fans have approached Reading directly about these hospitality tickets, and the Royals have sold the majority of them immediately. All available hospitality spaces can be reserved by calling Reading at 0118 968 1313.
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