Pompey’s 125th anniversary celebrations continue with a dinner this evening that see the latest Hall of Fame inductees revealed, while Saturday’s match against Shrewsbury is the club’s annual Former Players Day.
125th Anniversary Dinner
Portsmouth Football Club are staging a 125th anniversary dinner this evening and as part of the event, will be inducting the latest three individuals to grace the Hall of Fame.
The identities of the three inductees will be revealed on the night, but five current members will be present as special guests to help celebrate a special year.
Goalkeepers John Milkins and Alan Knight, midfielders Mick Tait and Norman Piper, and striker Guy Whitingham will join more than 250 fans at the dinner.
The Hall of Fame was initiated in 2009 by the club’s former players’ association and was a popular feature until 2019, when the pandemic intervened and cancelled the 2020 edition.
Fifty players have been inducted over the 10 years and as part of the 125th celebrations, it was decided that the time was right for a revival.
Colin Farmery, chair of the 125 steering committee, explained: “One of the targets we set ourselves was to have a commemorative dinner for the 125th, so I was delighted when the club were able to support this evening.
“When it was proposed we reinvigorate the Hall of Fame awards as part of the occasion, I thought that was a brilliant idea.
“To give the event a new twist, we are revealing the inductees on the night, but I’m confident fans across the club will approve of the people chosen.
“We came up with a new formula for nominating inductees, with the FPA nominating living candidates and the Pompey History Society posthumous candidates. The three finally selected for inclusion this year were chosen by the club.”
To be nominated a player needed to fulfil at least one of the following criteria:
• Made at least 150 league appearances
• Scored at least 50 league goals
• Won promotion and/or a trophy while at the club
• Represented their country with distinction while at the club
• Qualified for a testimonial or ten years’ service
• Made an outstanding social, cultural or sporting contribution to the club
Two players – one living and one posthumous – will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. In addition, another posthumous candidate will be inducted into the club’s Honorary Hall of Fame, for non-playing club servants.
Former Players Day
On Saturday, the club are staging the annual former players day, with a plethora of stars from years gone by attending the Shrewsbury game and introduced to the crowd at half-time.
Building on the success of last year’s 125th anniversary parade, this time around 30 former players, or family representatives of some who are no longer with us, will be guests of the club.
Hall of Fame inductees John Milkins, Norman Piper, Vince Hilaire, Guy Whittingham and Svetoslav Todorov are due to be in attendance, as well as other stars spanning seven decades, such as Ray Crawford, David Munks, Terry Brisley, Kenny Swain, Darryl Powell, Martin Kuhl, Jimmy Carter and Brian Howard.
There will also be an appearance by the latest player to be inducted to the Hall of Fame, who will be revealed at the club’s 125th anniversary dinner the previous night.
In addition, the club are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the club’s first top-flight title in 1949, so leading the parade will be Andrew Dickinson, Jack Froggatt Jnr and Dave Reid, sons of Jimmy, Jack Snr and Duggie, who were stalwarts of that successful side.
The former players are being hosted in the Warrior Lounge, so please note that the Victory Lounge will have reduced capacity pre-match, while some of them will be mingling with fans in lounges and the FanZone.
