Ipswich Town F.C. — BrandWiki

Ipswich Town F.C.

website	https://itfc.co.uk

current	2025–26 Ipswich Town F.C. season

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Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football.

Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn professional until 1936; the club was elected to the Football League in 1938. Ipswich won the league title in 1961–62, their first season in the top flight, and finished runners-up in 1980–81 and 1981–82. They finished in the top six in the First Division for ten years, and won the FA Cup in 1978 and UEFA Cup in 1981. They have never lost at home in European competition, having defeated teams such as Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio and Barcelona.[2]

Ipswich Town have played their home games at Portman Road since 1884. The club's traditional home colours are blue shirts with white shorts and blue socks. They have a long-standing rivalry with Norwich City, against whom they contest the East Anglian derby.[3]

History

Early years and entry to the Football League (1878–1954)

The club was founded as an amateur team in 1878 and were known as Ipswich A.F.C. until 1888 when they merged with Ipswich Rugby Club to form Ipswich Town Football Club.[4] The team won a number of local cup competitions, including the Suffolk Challenge Cup and the Suffolk Senior Cup.[5] After playing in the Norfolk & Suffolk League from 1899 and the South East Anglian League between 1903 and 1906, they joined the Southern Amateur League in 1907 and, with results improving steadily, became champions in the 1921–22 season.[6] The club won the league a further three times, in 1929–30, 1932–33 and 1933–34, before becoming founder members of the Eastern Counties Football League at the end of the 1934–35 season. A year later, the club turned professional and joined the Southern League, which they won in its first season and finished third in the next.

Ipswich were elected to the Football League on 30 May 1938, and played in the

Crest and colours

Crest

Ipswich Town's shirts did not sport a crest until the mid-1960s, when they adopted a design based on the Ipswich coat of arms, featuring a gold lion rampant guardant on a red background on the left half and three gold ramparts on a blue background on the right half. In 1972, the crest was redesigned as the result of a competition, won by the Treasurer of the Supporters Club, John Gammage. Each element of the new design was intended to represent the region.[83] "'I regarded the Suffolk Punch as a noble animal, well suited to dominate our design and represent the club. And to complete the badge I thought of the town of Ipswich which contains many historical buildings, including the Wolsey Gate, and is close to the sea with a large dock area.'" This crest was re-used on the home and goalkeeper kit during the 2020–21 season, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Ipswich's UEFA Cup triumph.[84] The crest was modified in 1995 after consultation with a Supporters Forum, with the turrets of the Wolsey Gate moved to the top of the crest, the yellow background changed to red, the Suffolk Punch given a more dominant physique and the F.C. expanded to Football Club. Three stars were added to the sleeve of the team's away shirt for the 2004–05 season,[85]

Stadium

Between 1878 and 1884, Ipswich Town played at two grounds in the town, Broomhill and Brook's Hall,[96] but in 1884, the club moved to Portman Road and have played there ever since.[1] At their new home, Ipswich became one of the first clubs to implement the use of goal nets, in 1890,[1] but the more substantial elements of ground development did not begin until, in 1901, a tobacco processing plant was built along the south edge of the ground. The first stand, a wooden structure, was built on the Portman Road side of the pitch in 1905. In 1911 the roof was blown off,[1] and the ground was later commandeered by the British Army for the duration of World War I. The club turned professional in 1936, and work began on the first bank of terracing at the north end of the pitch. The following year, on the back of winning the Southern League, a similar terrace was built at the southern 'Churchmans' end.[97]

Supporters

A recent nickname for Town is "The Tractor Boys",[107] which was first used during the club's brief period in the Premier League from 2000 to 2002, when the team regularly competed against more fashionable clubs from larger, more cosmopolitan cities. The nickname is an example of self-deprecating humour referring to Suffolk's primarily rural and agricultural heritage. The origins of the nickname are not certain, but the first generally accepted use of the nickname was created whilst playing at Leeds United in September 2000: Ipswich were winning the game 2–1 and the Leeds fans started chanting, "We're being beaten by a bunch of tractor drivers". Barracking by supporters of more established Premiership clubs during Town's spell in the Premiership lent the ironic chant "1–0 to the Tractor Boys" increased potency and publicity, and the nickname is commonly used by the media.[108][109] Former Town manager Jim Magilton commented in the local press that he disliked the nickname and said that it conjured up "images of carrot-crunching yokels",[110] while players such as Matt Holland accepted the chant with good humour.

Records and statistics

Mick Mills holds the record for Ipswich league appearances, having played 741 first-team matches between 1966 and 1982. The club's top league goalscorer is Ray Crawford, who scored 203 goals between 1958 and 1969, while Ted Phillips holds the record for the most league goals scored in a season, 41 in the 1956–57 season in Third Division South. Allan Hunter won the most international caps whilst a player at the club, making 47 appearances for Northern Ireland during his time at Ipswich.

The club's widest victory margins in the league have been their 7–0 wins against Portsmouth in the Second Division in 1964, against Southampton in the First Division in 1974 and against West Bromwich Albion in the First Division in 1976. Their heaviest defeats in the league were 10–1 against Fulham in 1963 and 9–0 against Manchester United in 1995.

Ipswich's record home attendance is 38,010 for a sixth round FA Cup match against Leeds United on 8 March 1975. With the introduction of regulations enforcing all-seater stadiums, it is unlikely that this record will be beaten in the foreseeable future.

The highest transfer fee received for an Ipswich player is £37.5 million from Nottingham Forest

Players

Current squad

[124]

Club sponsor and minority stakeholder Ed Sheeran is honourably issued squad number 17.[125]

Out on loan

Under-21s and Academy

Ipswich currently runs a category one academy.[126] The academy was particularly successful in the 1960s producing some of Town's greatest players including Kevin Beattie, Terry Butcher, John Wark and Mick Mills.

Club officials

First-team key staff

Board of directors

Corporate hierarchy

Information correct as of 9 September 2025[133]

Managers

As of 11 April 2026. Only permanent managers are shown.

Honours

League

First Division/Premier League (Tier 1)[134]
Champions: 1961–62
Runners-up: 1980–81, 1981–82
Second Division/First Division/Championship (Tier 2)[135]
Champions: 1960–61, 1967–68, 1991–92
Runners-up: 2023–24
Play-off winners: 2000

Ipswich Town in popular culture

A number of Ipswich players appeared alongside Sylvester Stallone and Pelé in the 1981 prisoner of war film Escape to Victory, including John Wark, Russell Osman, Robin Turner, Laurie Sivell, and Kevin O'Callaghan. Other Ipswich Town players stood in for actors in the football scenes—Kevin Beattie for Michael Caine, and Paul Cooper for Sylvester Stallone.[137]

Ipswich Town Football Club Women

A women's team affiliated with the club, Ipswich Town Women currently compete in the Women's Super League 2, the second tier of women's English football, following promotion from the FAWNL South Division as champions in the 2024–25 season. The team also has an academy playing in the U21 Premier League with England recognition. The team play their home games at Colchester Community Stadium in Colchester, the home of Colchester United, as well as playing the occasional game at Portman Road.

External links

Independent websites

Ipswich Town at Sky Sports
Ipswich Town FC at Premier League
Ipswich Town FC at UEFA

References

Visit Us Ipswich Town F.C., retrieved 21 June 2024^
David Alexander. Bent relives Ipswich glory days to give Royle perfect start The Guardian, 1 November 2002, retrieved 28 April 2013^
East Anglian Derby Ipswich Town F.C., retrieved 16 March 2007

The Bobby Robson era (1969–1982)

Robson led Ipswich to two major trophies and several seasons in top flight European football. The successful period began in 1973 when the club won the Texaco Cup and finished fourth in the league, qualifying for the UEFA Cup for the first time.[14] In the 1974–75 season they reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time, losing to West Ham United after a replay, and finished third in the league.[15] By the late 1970s, Robson had built a strong team with talent in every department, introducing the Dutch pair Arnold Mühren and Frans Thijssen to add flair to a team that featured British internationals including John Wark, Terry Butcher and Paul Mariner, although the Ipswich squad perhaps lacked the depth of established big clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United.[16] Ipswich regularly featured in the top five of the league and in the UEFA Cup. At their peak in the 1979–80 season, they beat Manchester United 6–0 in a league game at Portman Road, a game where United goalkeeper Gary Bailey also saved three penalties.[17] The defeat cost United two points – the margin which eventually separated them and champions Liverpool.[18] Major success came in 1978 when Ipswich beat Arsenal at Wembley Stadium to win their only FA Cup trophy.[19] The triumph was followed by almost winning the triple in 1980–81. Ipswich led the top division for most of the season and were on course to win a second league title plus FA Cup and European honours. However, injuries and fixture congestion (a squad of thirteen players played over sixty matches) took its toll and Ipswich ultimately came runners up to Aston Villa (a team they had beaten home and away in the league and in the FA Cup) and were semi-finalists in the FA Cup.[20] Ipswich did win the UEFA Cup, however, in 1981 with a 5–4 victory over AZ Alkmaar in the two-legged final.[21] The run to the final included a 4–1 win at Saint-Étienne, captained by Michel Platini.[22] The club also finished league runners-up in the subsequent 1981–82 season.[23][24][25]

Robson's success with Ipswich attracted the attention of many bigger clubs, and he was linked with the Manchester United job when Dave Sexton was sacked in May 1981, but the job went to Ron Atkinson instead. The Football Association lured Robson away from Portman Road a year later, when he accepted their offer to manage the England national team in July 1982.[26]

Years in the Championship (2002–2019)

First team coach Tony Mowbray was given four matches as caretaker manager, winning once, but he was ultimately replaced as manager by the former Oldham Athletic, Everton and Manchester City manager Joe Royle, who had played for local rival Norwich City.[43] Royle inherited a team struggling near the Division One relegation zone, but revived fortunes such that the team narrowly failed to reach the playoffs.[44] The 2003–04 season saw the club come out of administration and continue to challenge for promotion back to the Premier League.[45] They finished that season in fifth, but were defeated in the playoff semi-finals by West Ham United.[46]

Narrowly missing automatic promotion in 2004–05, Royle again took Ipswich to the play-offs, but once more they lost to West Ham United in the semi-finals.[47] 2005–06 saw Ipswich finish in 15th place—the club's lowest finish since 1966.[48] Joe Royle resigned by mutual consent on 11 May 2006,[49] and a month later, Jim Magilton was officially announced as the new manager.[50] In November 2007, the club were involved in takeover discussions with both businessman Marcus Evans and former Birmingham City director David Sullivan.[51][52] In December 2007, Evans completed his takeover of the club, purchasing an 87.5% stake in the club, investing around £44 million, which included the purchase of the club's existing £32 million debt.[53] The club agreed a sponsorship deal with the Marcus Evans Group on 20 May 2008, lasting until 2018, the longest in the club's history.[54]

After failing to reach the playoffs despite substantial investment, Magilton was sacked in April 2009, and new Chief Executive Simon Clegg replaced him with former Manchester United player, Roy Keane.[55] Keane's spell as manager came to an end after an unsuccessful 18 months, when he was sacked in January 2011, to be replaced briefly by Ian McParland in a caretaker role before Paul Jewell took the reins on a permanent basis.[56] A poor start to the 2012–13 season with Ipswich bottom of the Championship after winning only one of their first twelve games, led to Jewell leaving his position on 24 October 2012 by mutual consent.[57]

He was replaced temporarily by Chris Hutchings for a single match in a caretaker role, before former Wolves boss Mick McCarthy was appointed full-time on 1 November 2012.[58] McCarthy led Ipswich to avoid relegation, taking them from bottom of the league in November to finish in 14th position.[59] The following season produced a 9th-place finish[60] and in the 2014–15 season a 6th place and play-off finish – though the club lost in the semi-finals to local rivals Norwich City 4–2 on aggregate.[61] Ipswich ended the 2016–17 season in 16th place, their lowest finish since the 1958–59 season.[62] McCarthy announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the 2017–18 season on 23 March 2018, though he ultimately left the role early with four games to go.[63] He was replaced until the end of the season by

On 30 May 2018, Paul Hurst was announced as the new manager of the club on a three-year contract.[65] However, after a poor start to the season and with the team bottom of the table, Hurst was sacked in October 2018 after less than five months in charge – making him the shortest serving manager in the club's history.[66] He was replaced by former Norwich City manager Paul Lambert, but he was unable to prevent relegation to League One at the end of the 2018–19 season, ending Ipswich's 63-year stay in the top two tiers of English football.[67]

League One and rise to the Premier League (2019–present)

Lambert remained as manager following relegation to take charge of Ipswich's first season in the third tier since 1957. Ipswich finished the season in 11th place, the club's lowest finish since 1953. The standings were decided by points-per-game due to the season's suspension in March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[68] After failing to mount a promotion challenge during the following season, Lambert left the club by mutual consent on 28 February 2021.[69] Former Wigan boss Paul Cook was appointed as his replacement three days later.[70]

On 7 April 2021, the club announced that US investment group Gamechanger 20 Limited had purchased a majority stake in the club. The consortium was made up of Ohio-based investment group ORG Portfolio Management, the "Three Lions Fund" (made up of three Phoenix Rising board members, including Brett M. Johnson, Berke Bakay and Mark Detmer) and former owner Marcus Evans, who remained as a minority shareholder.[71] Mike O'Leary, former West Bromwich Albion chief executive, was appointed as the club's chairman following the acquisition.[72]

Ipswich finished the 2020–21 season in ninth place, three places outside the play-offs.[73] Expectations were high ahead of the following season, but following a series of disappointing results, Cook was sacked in December 2021.[74] He was replaced by Kieran McKenna, first-team coach at Manchester United.[75] Ipswich finished the 2021–22 season in 11th place.[76]

With McKenna's first full season in charge, the following season proved more successful. After an undefeated streak of 18 league games, with several club records broken, Ipswich were promoted back to the Championship as runners-up.[77] Ipswich finished the 2022–23 season in second place, with 98 points and scoring 101 league goals.[78]

After winning their final league game of the 2023–24 season, Ipswich achieved back-to-back promotions, becoming the fifth team to do so, and were promoted as runners-up to end their 22-year absence from the top tier.[79] They sealed the runner-up spot with 96 points, and the highest goal tally of 92.[80][81]

Ipswich spent most of the 2024–25 season in the bottom half of the league and in the relegation zone. On 26 April 2025, following a 3–0 defeat away to Newcastle United, the club was relegated back to the Championship.[82]

Kit suppliers and sponsors

In 1981, Ipswich Town announced a sponsorship deal with Japanese-based electronics company Pioneer Corporation, who became the first official sponsors of the club. Pioneer Corporation also sponsored the west stand of the club's Portman Road stadium up until 1999, formerly known as the West Stand. Pioneer would continue to sponsor the club's kits until 1985, when a new sponsorship deal was agreed with local Suffolk radio station Radio Orwell. The radio station would only sponsor the club's kits for a single season before being replaced with pharmaceutical and horticultural chemical manufacturers Fisons. Fisons were the main sponsors of the club from the 1986–87 season through to the 1994–95 season, including the 1991–92 season when the club won the Second Division championship and gained promotion to the inaugural season of the newly founded Premier League.

Since then Ipswich have had multiple kit sponsors, including Suffolk-based brewing company Greene King from 1995 to 2001, and the energy companies TXU Energi (2001–2003), Powergen (2003–2006) and E.ON (2006–2008). After the club's takeover by Marcus Evans in 2007, Marcus Evans Group became the club's new primary sponsor and would go on to be the football club's main sponsor from 2008 until 2018. In January 2018, the club agreed a new three year sponsorship deal worth almost £2 million with British online casino company Magical Vegas.[91] In May 2020, Magical Vegas revealed that they had donated the final year of their shirt sponsor rights to The Carers Trust charity for the 2020–21 season.[92] On 6 May 2021, the club announced that popular artist and longtime Ipswich fan Ed Sheeran would be the club's new shirt sponsor for the 2021–22 season, a deal which was later extended to cover until the end of the 2024–25 season.[93][94] On 14 June 2022, Ipswich announced that the club had signed a 4-year contract with Umbro to become the new kit manufacturers for both the Men's and Women's teams, marking the first time since 1995 that Ipswich's kits were made by Umbro.[95]