Pompey in the Community has been the one constant of Portsmouth Football Club over the recent tumultuous years. Despite the difficulties these challenges have presented, Pompey in the Community has managed not only to survive, but to thrive. We are now looking to expand our facilities to cope with the ever increasing demands upon our programmes.

Pompey in the Community is an integral part of the club and harnesses the motivational power of Pompey to promote sports participation, education, healthy living and achievement among people of all ages and abilities. Last season, across Portsmouth and the surrounding area, more than 37,000 people directly benefitted from our programmes.

It’s incredible that as a club we have been through some of the most challenging times but throughout it all we have continued to have one of the most well respected   and highly achieving community departments in the country. 

It’s testament to the quality and dedication of our coaches that so many of the current Pompey Academy youngsters began their footballing pathway with Pompey in the Community as well as several of the first team squad including Jack Whatmough, Ben Close and Dan Butler.  The academy lads utilise the study centre for all their academic studies and having a facility like ours really encourages them to excel in their learning as well as on the pitch.

Working within Pompey in the Community is a real privilege – an opportunity that’s enables us to give so much back to the local community. This is our campaign to ensure that we can work with even more deserving people from Portsmouth and the surrounding area.  

Description of the new facility

The new facility will be immediately next door to our current study centre and wil be joined internally – this will mean the facility will almost double in size. There will be three new classrooms, two sufficiently large enough to accommodate a class of 30 youngsters and the third a bespoke cooking classroom.

The larger classrooms will be football themed; the first has been designed to look like a changing room, complete with a shirt hanging over each desk. There will also be curved, floor to ceiling glass with a virtual view of Fratton Park embossed upon it to give the feeling that the youngsters are actually in the stadium itself.

Computer Generated Drawing of the “Changing Room” styled classroom

The second is a slightly more futuristic classroom, designed to represent the seating in the stands themselves. The learners will be sat in the stands, looking out over the pitch towards a green screened wall which will enable us to film videos and take photograph importing any backgrounds they’d like. The carpet will represent the pitch and will have the look, but not the feel, of real grass! The youngsters will learn on iPads which will enable them to take their learning from the classroom into the stadium itself – a real motivation for those who love their club and much as we do.

Computer Animated Drawing of the “stadium seating” classroom

The “tunnel” below leads to the back of the new facility which will house a new “cooking classroom” which will enable us to work with

The tunnel that leads to the cooking classroom and facilities

Why FanFunding?

To make this dream a reality we know we have to embrace our relationship with the community and continue to work together.  We’re aware that this campaign is coming soon after the Tifosy campaign for the Academy’s Training pitches but when the lease came up on the adjacent unit we realised it was now or never! The unit would be taken by someone else and the opportunity would pass us by.

We know that together we can make this happen.

Rewards

Developing Pompey’s  community contribution is something for you to be proud of on its own, but that’s not enough. We want to thank you for supporting our cause with some exclusive rewards, many with something uniquely Pompey.

You’re of course welcome to contribute as much or as little as you want, but every contribution will receive a thank you and your chosen reward. There will also be some special opportunities that will feature during the campaign so make sure you keep an eyes open for some unique experiences.