Portsmouth Football Club brought down the curtain on a hugely successful 125th anniversary season with a civic reception at the Guildhall, hosted by the Lord Mayor, Cllr Tom Coles.
Men’s and women’s head coaches John Mousinho and Jay Sadler were guests of honour, along with respective captains Marlon Pack and Hannah Haughton.
Fellow players Kusini Yengi, Leeta Rutherford, Ava Rowbotham and Georgie Freeland, and chief executive Andrew Cullen, attended the event, which took place in the banqueting hall in the Lord Mayor’s Chambers.
Also invited were more than 40 members of club staff and volunteers who had worked to bring the 125th anniversary project to life over the past 18 months.
Beforehand, there was an official photograph taken on the Guildhall steps before the party moved inside for the reception.
Colin Farmery, chair of the 125 steering committee, said: “I don’t think we could have scripted a more perfect 125th anniversary season if we’d tried and the double title win made it the perfect campaign on the field.
“However, the 125th year was about far more than that. When the project planning got underway two years ago, we had been asked by the club to engage with as many social and cultural touchpoints in the city as possible and to create a lasting legacy.
“The creative writing project, led by Richard Williams and Chris Perry, has generated some terrific poetry and prose, which will be shared in a forthcoming booklet, and some verse will also be celebrated in the stands at Fratton Park.
“A 125th anniversary concert by the Portsmouth Philharmonic Orchestra raised £850 for Pompey in the Community and gave us the memorable Pompey Overture composed by Hugh Carpenter.
"I don’t think we could have scripted a more perfect 125th anniversary season if we’d tried."
“The Pompey Supporters’ Trust played a big role in the year and, with them, we delivered the Jimmy Dickinson statue, the iconic mural of recent club icons outside the Pompey Store and the tifo display at the Wigan game.
“With the PST’s support, we also have a 125th photographic exhibition at the University of Portsmouth to come in the summer.
“In July there will be the unveiling of the Victory Sail project, led by artist Pete Codling, which will include 125 football club faces among around 1,000 representing more than 800 years of Portsmouth history.
“In addition, the 125 project delved into the club’s rich history with a founders’ day game, recognising the people that formed Portsmouth FC.
“Jane Byrne, George Lewin Oliver’s granddaughter was there, as was Robert Blyth, great great grandson of Bob Blyth, who played in the first Pompey team in 1899 and eventually became chairman.
“We had a friendly match against the Royal Artillery FC in September and they were represented at the reception by Nick Edwards, while Jimmy Dickinson’s son Andrew attended, along with Alan Knight, which represented an unbroken 80-year strand of service to the club.
“In April we had the 125th anniversary dinner, which relaunched the Hall of Fame and Jake Payne was present to represent the work which has been done over the years on both that and the annual former players’ day.
“Last, but by no means least, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of community ownership in April 2023 and it was a pleasure to welcome Iain McInnes, Mick Williams – who was also the previous chairman of Pompey Women – and Mark Trapani to recognise them once again.”
In addition, the limited edition 125th official history book proved hugely popular, selling out almost immediately, but a revised and updated paperback version is due to be published in August.
