Portman Road Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Portman Road
Construction
View from the Greene King Stand, with the Britannia Stand to the left, North Stand opposite and the Cobbold Stand to the right
Full name	Portman Road Stadium
Location	Ipswich, Suffolk
Owner	Suffolk County Council
Capacity	30,311
Field size	112 yards (102 m) x 82 yards (75 m)
Surface	Grass
Opened	1884
Expanded	2002
Tenants
Ipswich Town F.C.

Portman Road is a big football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It has been the home of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. This stadium has also hosted one friendly match for the England national football team.

Many other sports events have taken place here. These include athletics meetings and international hockey games. Portman Road has also held music concerts. Famous artists like R.E.M. and Elton John have performed there.

The stadium was made much bigger in the early 2000s. This increased the number of people it could hold from 22,600 to 30,311. It is the largest football stadium in East Anglia. The most people ever to watch a game here was 38,010. This happened during an FA Cup match against Leeds United in 1975. The stadium also has places for meetings and food. It has a club store where you can buy Ipswich Town souvenirs.

History of Portman Road
Stadium Design and Features
Other Events at Portman Road
Records and Achievements
Images for kids
See also

History of Portman Road

Portman Road was first used by a local cricket team in 1855. In 1884, Ipswich Town F.C. moved to the ground. Both teams shared the stadium during the summer months.

The first professional football team to play here was Preston North End in 1892. They played against a Suffolk County team. A temporary seating area was built in 1898 for a match against Aston Villa. More than 5,000 people watched that game. In 1901, a tobacco factory was built next to the pitch.

A wooden seating area, called "The Chicken Run", was built in 1906. Four years later, two amateur England games were played at Portman Road. During the First World War, the British Army used the ground for training. The pitch needed a lot of repair work after they left in 1920. In the 1920s, greyhound races were held to help raise money for the stadium. In 1936, Ipswich Town F.C. became a professional team. The cricket club then left the ground.

Portman Road hosted Ipswich Town's first Football League match on August 27, 1938. Ipswich won 4–2 against Southend United. Over 19,000 spectators watched the game. Fans helped pay for more improvements. Concrete seating areas were added in 1952. This meant the ground could hold over 29,000 people. Floodlights were put in place in 1960. Ipswich's first televised match was played two years later.

The "Portman Stand" was built in 1971. This made the ground's capacity more than 37,000. After the Hillsborough disaster, all football stadiums had to have only seats. This meant all standing areas had to be changed. The stadium's capacity was then reduced to about 22,000. Statues of former Ipswich Town managers, Bobby Robson and Sir Alf Ramsey, were placed outside the stadium in the 1990s. Ipswich was promoted to the Premier League in 2000. After this, the ground was made bigger to its current size of just over 30,000 seats.

Stadium Design and Features

Portman Road stands

The football pitch is surrounded by four seating areas. These are the Sir Bobby Robson Stand (North), the Cobbold Stand, the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand (South), and the East of England Co-operative Stand. The main section of the Cobbold Stand was built in 1971. The East of England Co-operative Stand was first built in 1952. It was updated in 1990. The North Stand was completely rebuilt in 2001. It can hold about 7,500 people.

The current groundsman, Alan Ferguson, has won many awards. He has been named "Groundsman of the Year" for both the Premiership and Championship. The pitch was voted the best in the Championship for two years in a row, in 2004 and 2005.

The stadium is about 450 yards (411 m) from Ipswich railway station. The station is on the main line from London Liverpool Street to Norwich. The stadium does not have parking for fans.

The East of England Co-operative Stand, with turnstiles
Sir Bobby Robson Stand (North Stand) with club store
Sir Alf Ramsey Stand (South Stand)
Cobbold Stand

Other Events at Portman Road

On August 20, 2003, Portman Road hosted its only senior England match. It was a friendly game against Croatia. England won 3–1 in front of 28,700 people. England's youth teams have also used the stadium many times. The first time was on November 24, 1971. The England U23 team tied 1–1 with Switzerland.

Other sports have been held at Portman Road. These include athletics in 1927 and an American football match in 1953. Several international hockey matches were played here in the 1960s and 70s.

The stadium has also hosted many music concerts. Famous performers include Elton John, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Rod Stewart. In March 2005, about 8,000 Christians gathered at the stadium. This was the largest Christian worship event in Suffolk since Billy Graham visited in 1984.

Records and Achievements

Average and highest attendances at the ground since 1936

The most people to watch a football match at Portman Road is 38,010. This was for an FA Cup game against Leeds United on March 8, 1975. The record for a modern all-seated game is 30,152. This was set on December 21, 2003, against Norwich City. The biggest crowd for a non-competition game was 23,284. This was for Bobby Robson's special match. Ipswich, including George Best, played against an England team.

The highest seasonal average number of fans was 26,431 in the 1976–77 season. This was after Ipswich became professional. The lowest average attendance was 8,741 in the club's first professional season, 1936–37. The most total fans in one season was over 814,000 in the 1980–81 season.

Portman Road hosted Ipswich Town's first game in European football. They beat Floriana of Malta 10–0 in the European Cup in 1962. Ipswich Town has never lost a home game at Portman Road in European competitions. They played 31 matches over 40 years without a loss. This was a world record until AZ Alkmaar broke it in December 2007.