PORTSMOUTH FC
Portsmouth FC background:
Founded in 1898, Portsmouth are a professional club now playing in the npower League 2. The club play their home games at Fratton Park. The club is affectionately know as Pompey and retains a fierce rivalry with Southampton. The club enjoyed their best spell of success in the 1930s and their last competition win came as recently as 2008 when the won the F.A cup under the guidance of Harry Redknapp.
Portsmouth were moderately successful in the first decade of the 21st century, especially during the 2007–08 Premier League season, when they won the FA Cup, beating Cardiff City 1–0 in the final. They subsequently qualified for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup (now Europa League) competing against European heavyweights such as seven times European Cup winners A.C. Milan. During this period, Portsmouth were recognised to have a large number of international footballers, including England players Glen Johnson and Jermain Defoe, as well as Peter Crouch, David James and Sol Campbell. However, financial problems soon set in and Portsmouth were relegated to the Football League Championship in 2010. In 2012 they were again relegated, to League One, and again, in 2013, to League Two. They will therefore begin the 2013-14 season in the fourth tier of the English football league system for the first time since the late 1970s.
Portsmouth became the largest fan-owned football club in English Football history after the Pompey Supporters Trust (PST) successfully gained possession of Fratton Park in April 2013.
