Portland United - The Camp & Satherley Stadium

Portland United FC

The Camp & Satherley Stadium

Grove Road

Portland

Dorset

DT5 1DP

Official Website

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Ground Number: 1444

Saturday 5th July 2025

Portland United 2-4 Weymouth

Friendly

PORTLAND UNITED FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1920, joining the Dorset County & District League upon formation. They were continuously amongst the top clubs in the league but without actually taking the title. Portland United joined the Western League Division 2 in 1925 and saw great success between 1926 & 1932 with two 3rd place finishes, two runners-up spots and two titles. They didn't go up to Division 1 until after the end of the Second World War. Portland remained here until 1970, their best finish coming in 1966 when they finished as runners-up to Welton Rovers.

After leaving the Western League, they embarked upon a 31-year stint in the Dorset Combination. Portland finished as runners-up to Parley Sports in 1984 before winning the title in 1999 & 2000. After finishing as runners-up to Hamworthy Recreation in 2001, they were promoted to the Wessex League. Despite finishing 8th in 2003, the club struggled, going back down to the Dorset League in 2006. Four more titles followed before Portland went up to the Wessex League in 2015, once more as runners-up to Hamworthy Recreation. It was a hugely successful time for the club as they won Division 1 and the Premier Division in successive seasons, but did not take up the promotion. They have been here ever since, their lowest finish of 17th coming last season.

Portland United have reached the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round on five occasions. The latest of these was in 1966 when they took Yeovil Town to a replay. They have also reached the FA Vase 2nd Round three times. Local honours include four Dorset Premier League Cups. Their record attendance of 4,129 came against Weymouth in 1949.

The Isle of Portland is a tied island in the English Channel. The southern tip, Portland Bill, lies 5 miles south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset. It has a population of around 13,500. Portland is a central part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site on the Dorset and east Devon coast, important for its geology and landforms. Portland stone, a limestone famous for its use in British and world architecture, including St Paul's Cathedral and the United Nations Headquarters, continues to be quarried here. The most famous person from Portland is Paul Durkin, the former Premier League referee.

The location is probably most well-known for a 1980s kids' TV show. The Adventures of Portland Bill is a British stop motion animated children's television series made in 1983. It is set in a fictional lighthouse on the Guillemot Rock, just off the coast from the fictional village of McGuillycuddy. Norman Rossington provides the voice of all the characters, with Portland Bill the principal keeper acting as the narrator of each episode.

MY VISIT

I had long wanted to go to Portland United. However, at around three hours each way, it was just that bit too far for midweek, what with work at 4 in the morning. A Saturday it would have to be then and it would have made a great day out on public transport. However, even with using Colin's railcard, even with getting the bus to Reading to save money and having a slower journey and even with using split fares, it was still cheaper by around £15 to get in the car and drive if we split the costs between us. Madness if you believe the government's claims about trying to achieve net zero, but then, the same as always, the government is just trying to milk the public to help out mates. It'd be a nice day out an an opportunity to visit the two Wetherspoons in Weymouth. Having not been to Weymouth FC since 2004 and wanting to update my blog, it was a shame that it was so far away. The only situation I can see myself doing a revisit is with Wycombe since Colin has already been.

I conducted research on Portland United on Thursday evening, which took far longer than expected. From our game at Chislehurst, it was a bus to Sidcup station, a train to London Bridge and two tubes home. We were very lucky to only have a three-minute wait for the half-hourly service to Amersham which meant we got back half an hour ahead of schedule. It was then an easy journey home via Colin and I was able to have a couple of drinks and sort my stuff before going to bed at 1. My alarm woke me up at 8:10 after a reasonably good night of sleep. I got up, got freshened up, got dressed and had breakfast before getting ready to leave. I got going at 9, meeting Colin at the end of my road. It was a good journey until we hit the A31 at Ringwood with lots of delays here. There was then a delay getting into Weymouth but we were there at 12.10. The cheap car park I selected near the Quay did the job, though there were few spaces. It was a reasonable £1.70 for two hours.

The Quay looked lovely, even against an overcast sky. Typically, it had been blazing sunshine all week, before a gloomy weekend. A typical dirty trick by the weather. From there, it was a walk to the first Wetherspoons, The William Henry. Very busy but I bagged a table and had a pint of Dorset Nectar Dabinett which was excellent. From there, it was a look around Weymouth. There was a nice-looking cake shop, but they were cash only. Although I'm not as militant as fellow hopper Richard in avoiding card-only places, it wasn't sufficiently tempting for me to avoid inflexible places. From there, it was to the other Wetherspoons, the Swan for lunch. I ordered spicy chicken pizza and a Monster Energy drink. Whereas the other pub had a hen party, this one was full of Coffin Dodgers, as evidenced by the row of mobility scooters parked up outside. Service was less swift here but a tick is a tick. Weymouth looked like a great and popular place to visit, maybe I'll return someday. The pizza was great, though it could have been warmer. Either way, Weymouth had been a great pitstop, even though I felt like I'd only scratched the surface. Colin wanted to have a look around a few shops and inevitably, the fat bastard in me ended up back at that cake shop. However, it was so sparsely stocked, I decided that I'd rather give my money to someone else. From there, it was under 20 minutes to Portland, where we parked on a side road a couple of minutes' walk from the ground.

 

It was £7 in and £1 for a programme. I then went to the bar to see what they did, but it was only Thatchers, so I didn't bother. As I came down the stairs, I could hear a spoiled, entitled brat moaning to a club official about the lack of pin badges. I did a lap of the ground to get some pictures. Weymouth were the better side early on and they took the lead on 14 minutes, a dipping shot from outside of the area by Jake McCarthy. Two minutes later, it was 2-0 when one of five trialists poked home. The lead was halved on 37 minutes when #10 advanced down the right, cut in and planted a beautiful curling shot in the top left corner from just outside the area. However, Weymouth made it 3-1 a couple of minutes later, the same trialist netting again. The second half was quieter but Portland dominated. They pulled it back to 3-2 on the hour, a low shot on the turn from 25 yards by Archie Woolford. They ran out of steam after this, and on 87 minutes, Weymouth made it 4-2, squeezing home from a tight angle.

 

THE GROUND

GROVE CORNER or THE CAMP AND SATHERLEY STADIUM is a fantastic place amongst nice scenery. There is plenty of parking and regular buses link it to Weymouth. Food and drink-wise, a pleasant bar is available, though sadly no local Dorset cider - just Thatchers. There is a snack bar and a burger bar, although I tried neither. There are two seated stands, which hold around 200 people between them under cover. There is also a small standing covered area, officially for wheelchairs, it appears. The rest of the ground is open, but has grass banking, meaning you can get a great view. A superb programme is available for just £1, which would put many higher clubs to shame. It's a friendly club in a lovely part of the world, and I'd recommend a visit.