‘Half the floodlights didn’t work’ – Portsmouth Women’s long journey to the Championship
Meteoric rise from lower reaches of women’s game sees Pompey preparing for a Championship opener at Charlton
On an August weekday afternoon at Westleigh Park in Havant, two distinct sounds are most audible. One is the Portsmouth head coach, Jay Sadler, shouting “shape, shape, shape” as he puts his squad through their paces. The other is the whir of an electric drill, coming from the scaffolding tower rising above the east stand on the far side.
The building work being done is to enhance the television gantry, to ensure it meets the broadcasting requirements of a second-tier club, is just one example of the efforts going on behind the scenes as Portsmouth transition to fully professional football for the first time after their promotion to the Women’s Championship.
