Portsmouth FC | FA Cup Third Round Fixture 2023

Portsmouth FC, FA Cup Third Round Fixture, 2023
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Background

Portsmouth Football Club (PFC) reached the 3rd round of the FA Cup which was played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against Tottenham Hotspur on 7th January 2023. 

Due to strike action by railway staff on the 7th of January 2023, Lucketts Travel were called on to increase the number of vehicles allocated to the fixture, from the usual 2 coaches to 40 coaches. 

With the kick-off scheduled for 12:30 pm, a proactive approach was needed to transport 1700 of the 9000 travelling supporters and staff from pick-up points in Portsmouth to the Tottenham Stadium.

Our Transport Solution

The Lucketts Travel operations team put together a site plan around Fratton Park, Portsmouth FC’s home stadium to ensure everything was in place logistically. 

On-site support was in place and operational, sales and marshalling staff were in position to assist with ticketing queries, direct supporters to the next available vehicle, and assist them in boarding coaches where necessary.

Portsmouth supporters were made to queue in the Milton Lane alley between the car park and ticket office and along Anson Road, prior to being moved to Rodney Road for boarding the coaches. 32 coaches were placed along Eastern Road while 8 coaches were situated on Rodney Road. Supporters were required to board the coaches on a first-come-first-served basis with no pre-allocated seating, to reduce delays to departure times and ensure all coaches were filled prior to departure.

With 1763 Portsmouth supporters set to travel to the fixture via coach, setting up adequate customer communications was a key component to ensuring the success of the day.  Email communications were sent by the Lucketts sales team on Friday 6th January detailing the recommended arrival time at Fratton Park, departure times, queue locations, and an insight into what communications ought to be expected on the day of travel. 

While boarding, PFC supporters were given information that identified the designated coach they were travelling on and departure times from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (1 hour after the final whistle). 

Contingency vehicles were situated at our Luckett’s depot in the event of any mechanical issues when departing, with an extra vehicle situated at the South Mimms service station from 2:00 pm for the return journey. Engineers were also present at Portsmouth and in Fareham ensuring that vehicles were prepped for departure.

Environmental Impact 

Transporting 1763 Portsmouth FC fans and staff by coach to their FA Cup Third Round Fixture has resulted in the following:

• 5,285.96 tonnes of avoided emissions in comparison to the Average Diesel Car 
• 5,273.14 tonnes of avoided emissions in comparison to the Average Petrol Car 
• 3,414.14 tonnes of avoided emissions in comparison to the Average Hybrid Car 
• 300.58 tonnes of avoided emissions in comparison to the National Rail Service

Learn more about our sustainability targets.