Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn professional until 1936; the club was elected to theFootball League in 1938. Ipswich won theleague title in1961–62, their first season in the top flight, and finished runners-up in1980–81 and1981–82. They finished in the top six in the First Division for ten years, and won theFA Cup in1978 andUEFA Cup in1981. They have never lost at home in European competition, having defeated teams such asReal Madrid,AC Milan,Inter Milan,Lazio andBarcelona.[2]
Ipswich Town have played their home games atPortman Road since 1884. The club's traditional home colours are blue shirts with white shorts and blue socks. They have a long-standing rivalry withNorwich City, against whom they contest theEast Anglian derby.[3]
The club was founded as an amateur side in 1878 and were known asIpswich A.F.C. until 1888 when they merged withIpswich Rugby Club to form Ipswich Town Football Club.[4] The team won a number of local cup competitions, including the Suffolk Challenge Cup and theSuffolk Senior Cup.[5] After playing in theNorfolk & Suffolk League from 1899 and theSouth East Anglian League between 1903 and 1906, they joined theSouthern Amateur League in 1907 and, with results improving steadily, became champions in the1921–22 season.[6] The club won the league a further three times, in1929–30,1932–33 and1933–34, before becoming founder members of theEastern Counties Football League at the end of the1934–35 season. A year later, the club turned professional and joined theSouthern League, which they won in its first season and finished third in the next.[7]
The club were immediately relegated back to the Third Division South the following year at the end of a poor season, but made better progress afterScott Duncan was replaced as team manager byAlf Ramsey in August 1955. The club won the Third Division South title again in1956–57, and returned to the higher division. This time, Ipswich established themselves in the Second Division, and as the division champions, won promotion to the top level of English football, theFirst Division, in1960–61.[7]
In the top flight for the first time, Ipswich became champions of the Football League at the first attempt in1961–62.[7][8][9] As English league champions, they qualified for the1962–63 European Cup, defeating Maltese sideFloriana 14–1 on aggregate before losing toAC Milan.[7] Ramsey left the club in April 1963 to take charge of theEngland national team. Under his leadership the England team won the1966 World Cup. He received aknighthood for "services to football" in 1967.[10]
Ramsey was replaced byJackie Milburn,[7] under whose leadership fortunes on the pitch plummeted. Two years after winning the league title, Ipswich slipped down to the Second Division in1964, conceding 121 league goals in 42 games – one of the worst-ever defensive records in English senior football.[11] Milburn quit after just one full season and was replaced byBill McGarry in 1964.[7] The club remained in the Second Division for four years until McGarry guided Ipswich to promotion along with his assistantSammy Chung in the1967–68 season, winning the division by a single point ahead ofQueens Park Rangers.[12] During the summer of 1968,Steve Stacey, signed from fourth division sideWrexham, went on to make his debut on 14 September 1968 becoming the first black player to represent the club in the football league.[13] McGarry left to manageWolves and was replaced byBobby Robson in January 1969.[7]
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 theTexaco Cup and finished fourth in the league, qualifying for theUEFA Cup for the first time.[14] In the 1974–75 season they reached the semi-finals of theFA Cup for the first time, losing toWest Ham United after a replay, and finished third in the league.[15] By the late 1970s, Robson had built a strong side with talent in every department, introducing the Dutch pairArnold Mühren andFrans Thijssen to add flair to a team that featured British internationals includingJohn Wark,Terry Butcher andPaul Mariner, although the Ipswich squad perhaps lacked the depth of established big clubs likeLiverpool andManchester United.[16] Ipswich regularly featured in the top five of the league and in the UEFA Cup. At their peak in the1979–80 season, they beatManchester United 6–0 in a league game at Portman Road, a game where United goalkeeperGary 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 in1978 when Ipswich beatArsenal atWembley Stadium to win their onlyFA 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 side 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 atSaint-Étienne, captained byMichel 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 theManchester United job whenDave Sexton was sacked in May 1981, but the job went toRon Atkinson instead.The Football Association lured Robson away from Portman Road a year later, when he accepted their offer to manage theEngland national team in July 1982.[26]
Relegation after Robson and promotion under Lyall (1982–1994)
Robson's successor at Ipswich was his assistant managerBobby Ferguson.[7] Under Ferguson, Town finished mid-table twice,[27][28] but worsening performances meant that they began to struggle in the top division. The recent construction of an expensive new stand at Portman Road limited the club's budget, despite the money gained from sales of key players including Thijssen and Wark.[29]
Ipswich were finally relegated to the Second Division at the end of the1985–86 season. Butcher, the last remaining key player from the successful 1981 team, was sold toRangers that summer.[30][31] Ferguson, who had remained in charge despite the relegation, left the club in May 1987 after his contract expired, following Ipswich's failure to return to the First Division.[7] Ipswich Town were then managed byJohn Duncan for three years until he was replaced by formerWest Ham United bossJohn Lyall in May 1990, with Ipswich still in the Second Division.[32] Lyall guided Ipswich to the Second Division title and promotion to the newFA Premier League, ready for the1992–93 season.[33] Suffering only two league defeats before the New Year,[34] Ipswich started the season well and were fourth in the Premier League in January 1993, but a dip in form during the final weeks of the season saw them finish 16th.[35] Poor form continued into the following season and Ipswich only avoided relegation that year whenSheffield United suffered a 3–2 defeat atChelsea on the final day of the season.[33] Six months later, fortunes on the pitch had not improved, and Lyall was sacked in December 1994 with the club bottom of the Premiership.[36]
Relegation and revival under George Burley (1994–2002)
Lyall's successor,George Burley, was unable to turn team performances around, and Ipswich were dealt a Premiership record defeat, 9–0, atManchester United, on their way to relegation.[37][38] Back in the second tier of the league, Burley led the club to three consecutive promotion playoffs, but they were to endure defeats in all three semi-finals. Ipswich finally returned to the Premiership in 2000 after coming from behind to beatBarnsley 4–2 in the lastDivision One playoff final atWembley Stadium.[7] Ipswich performed well in the Premiership in their first season with Burley's side finishing in an impressive fifth place—being pipped byLiverpool on the last day of the season for a place in theChampions League. Consolation was a UEFA Cup place andFA Premier League Manager of the Year Award for Burley.[39]
However, the following season was not so successful. The team took only one win in their opening seventeen league games, leaving them bottom in December. Despite a good run of form in January and February, Burley could not save the club from relegation back to the Championship at the end of the season. The loss of income due to relegation also led to the club going intofinancial administration.[40] There was the minor consolation of again qualifying for the UEFA Cup, this time via theUEFA Fair Play ranking, and Ipswich survived two ties before losing in the second round proper to Czech sideSlovan Liberec.[41] A slow start to the season, culminating in a 0–3 defeat at strugglingGrimsby Town, meant that Burley was sacked in October 2002 after nearly eight years as manager.[42]
First team coachTony Mowbray was given four matches as caretaker manager, winning once, but he was ultimately replaced as manager by the formerOldham Athletic,Everton andManchester City managerJoe Royle, who had played for local rival Norwich City.[43] Royle inherited a side struggling near the Division One relegation zone, but revived fortunes such that the team narrowly failed to reach the playoffs.[44] The2003–04 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 byWest Ham United.[46]
Narrowly missing automatic promotion in2004–05, 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 businessmanMarcus Evans and formerBirmingham City directorDavid 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 ExecutiveSimon 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 byIan McParland in a caretaker role beforePaul 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 byChris Hutchings for a single match in a caretaker role, before former Wolves bossMick 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] Thefollowing season produced a 9th-place finish[60] and in the2014–15 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 the2016–17 season in 16th place, their lowest finish since the1958–59 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 byBryan Klug as a caretaker manager and Ipswich finished the season in 12th.[64]
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 managerPaul 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)
Kieran McKenna was appointed as manager of Ipswich Town in December 2021.
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 theCOVID-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 bossPaul 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 ofOhio-based investment group ORG Portfolio Management, the "Three Lions Fund" (made up of threePhoenix Rising board members, includingBrett M. Johnson, Berke Bakay and Mark Detmer) and former owner Marcus Evans, who remained as a minority shareholder.[71] Mike O'Leary, formerWest Bromwich Albion chief executive, was appointed as the club's chairman following the acquisition.[72]
Ipswich finished the2020–21 season in ninth place, three places outside theplay-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 byKieran McKenna, first-team coach at Manchester United.[75] Ipswich finished the2021–22 season in 11th place.[76]
Kieran McKenna and players celebrate on the pitch after Ipswich Town seal back-to-back promotions in May 2024.
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 the2022–23 season in second place, with 98 points and scoring 101 league goals.[78]
After winning their final league game of the2023–24 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 the2024–25 season in the bottom half of the league and in the relegation zone. On 26 April 2025, following a 3–0 defeat away toNewcastle United, the club was relegated back to the Championship.[82]
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 goldlion rampant guardant on a red background on the left half and three gold ramparts on a blue background on the right half.[83] 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.[84]
"I regarded theSuffolk 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'sUEFA Cup triumph.[85] 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 toFootball Club. Three stars were added to the sleeve of the team's away shirt for the 2004–05 season,[86] and also to the home kit for the 2005–06 season.[87] These stars were added to represent the three majortrophies which Ipswich Town have won; theFA Cup, theUEFA Cup and theold First Division. The stars were relocated directly above the crest when the shirt was redesigned prior to the 2007–08 season, with them being moved again in 2022–23 to the back of the shirt.[88]
Ipswich's orange away kit used during the1999–2000 season
Ipswich Town's traditional home colours are blue shirts with white shorts and blue socks. One of Ipswich Town's nicknames isThe Blues, stemming from their traditional kit. The club's first registered colours were blue and white striped shirts with black shorts. All-blue shirts and white shorts were first worn in the 1936–37 season, following the clubs entry into theSouthern Football League after turning professional. These have stood as the primary colours of the club's home kits ever since.[89]
Since turning professional, Ipswich have used a number of away colours, including white, orange, red and black vertical stripes, claret and green, cream and black vertical stripes and dark blue and claret.[83] In 2006, the club donated 500 orange and blue-and-white shirts to children inIraq.[90]
In 1981, Ipswich Town announced a sponsorship deal with Japanese-based electronics companyPioneer 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 stationRadio Orwell. The radio station would only sponsor the club's kits for a single season before being replaced with pharmaceutical and horticultural chemical manufacturersFisons. 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 theSecond Division championship and gained promotion to the inaugural season of the newly foundedPremier League.
Since then Ipswich have had multiple kit sponsors, including Suffolk-based brewing companyGreene King from 1995 to 2001, and the energy companiesTXU Energi (2001–2003),Powergen (2003–2006) andE.ON (2006–2008). After the club's takeover byMarcus 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 Britishonline casino company Magical Vegas.[91] In May 2020, Magical Vegas revealed that they had donated the final year of their shirt sponsor rights toThe Carers Trust charity for the 2020–21 season.[92] On 6 May 2021, the club announced that popular artist and longtime Ipswich fanEd 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]
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 toPortman 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 theBritish Army for the duration ofWorld War I. The club turned professional in 1936, and work began on the first bank ofterracing 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]
All sides were terraced by 1954, andfloodlights were erected in 1959 for use in lower light conditions.[1] The two-tier Portman Stand was built along the east side of the ground in place of the existing terraces in 1971, and the West Stand was extended in 1982 by the addition of a third tier. The rebuilt West Stand was renamed the Pioneer Stand as a result of the club's sponsorship by the electronics companyPioneer Corporation and was converted to all-seating in 1990.[1] In 1992, following the recommendations of theTaylor Report in the wake of theHillsborough disaster three years earlier, the terraces in both the north and south stands were also converted to all-seating, creating the first complete all-seater stadium in the top flight of English football - post Taylor Report (Highfield Road was previously all-seater in the early 1980s), with a spectator capacity of 22,600.[1]
Success that took place on the pitch led to further investment in the infrastructure, with the club spending over £22 million on redeveloping both North and South stands, resulting in a current capacity of 30,311, making it the largest-capacity football stadium inEast Anglia. In the past ten years, statues of both Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson have been unveiled outside the stadium.[98][99] The North Stand was renamed in honour of former managerSir Bobby Robson in September 2009. On 31 March 2012, in conjunction with celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Ipswich Town winning the First Division, the South Stand was renamed in honour of Ipswich and England's former managerAlf Ramsey. Portman Road now features two stands named after their two most successful managers in the club's history, as well as being England's two most successful managers. On 10 July 2012, the West Stand, formerly known as thePioneer Stand and theBritannia Stand, was renamed theEast of England Co-operative Stand following a sponsorship deal with theEast of England Co-operative Society.[100] The Co-op's sponsorship lasted until 2021, when it was not renewed and returned to be simply the West Stand.[101]
The East Stand of Portman Road, formerly known as thePortman Stand, is called theCobbold Stand, named after the former owners of the club.[102] The playing surface at Portman Road is highly regarded and has been voted best pitch in the league on a number of occasions.[103] The former groundsman, Alan Ferguson, received a number of accolades, including both Premiership and Championship Groundsman of the Year.[104][105] The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one seniorEnglandfriendly international match, againstCroatia in 2003.[106]
A recent nickname for Town is "The Tractor Boys",[107] which was coined during the club's brief period in thePremier League from2000 to2002, when the team regularly competed against more fashionable clubs. The nickname is an example ofself-deprecating humour referring to Suffolk's agricultural heritage.[108] 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 2000–2001: 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.[109][110] Former Town managerJim Magilton commented in the local press that he disliked the nickname and said that it conjured up "images of carrot-crunching yokels",[108] while players such asMatt Holland accepted the chant with good humour.[111]
Ipswich have a global fan base, with the official Ipswich Town Supporters Club having supporters branches across the world.[112] The club has a particularly strong affiliation with German clubFortuna Düsseldorf, with Fortuna fans making an annual visit toPortman Road since 2006. Ipswich fans also organise visits to theMerkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf to support Fortuna at their home matches.[113] The two clubs organised two pre-seasonfriendlies in Düsseldorf in 2015 and in Ipswich in 2024.[114]
The club's main rivals areNorwich City. When the two teams meet it is known as theEast Anglian derby, or, informally, as the "Old Farm derby", a comic reference to the "Old Firm" derby played between Scottish teamsCeltic andRangers and theprominence of agriculture in East Anglia.[115] The series began in the early 20th century, when both clubs were amateur organisations. The first derby was held between the two clubs on 15 November 1902, with the first derby between the two professional clubs taking place in 1939. Locally, much is made of the informal title "Pride of Anglia". Fans claim the title for either winning the East Anglian Derby, finishing highest in the league, having the better current league position and having the more successful club history.[116]
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 isRay Crawford, who scored 203 goals between 1958 and 1969, whileTed Phillips holds the record for the most league goals scored in a season, 41 in the1956–57 season inThird Division South.Allan Hunter won the most international caps whilst a player at the club, making 47 appearances forNorthern Ireland during his time at Ipswich.[117]
Ipswich's record home attendance is 38,010 for a sixth roundFA Cup match againstLeeds 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.[117]
The highest transfer fee received for an Ipswich player is £37.5 million fromNottingham Forest forOmari Hutchinson in August 2025,[118] while the most spent by the club on a player was £20 million for Hutchinson fromChelsea in June 2024, following the club's promotion to the Premier League.[117]
Bobby Robson is the club's longest serving manager in terms of games managed, managing Ipswich for 709 matches between 1969 and 1982.Scott Duncan is the club's longest serving manager in terms of time spent as manager at the club, managing the club for 6,487 days between 1937 and 1955.[119]
Ipswich still maintain anundefeated home record in European competition with 31 home games unbeaten. This record began in 1962, when the club first qualified for theEuropean Cup.[120] When Manchester United had their unbeaten 56 match home run ended in 1996[121] Ipswich had the longest ongoing undefeated home streak in Europe. Due to the team's absence from European competitions in recent years, Dutch clubAZ surpassed them in 2007. When AZ lost to Everton a few weeks later and saw their 32 match unbeaten run end, Ipswich took that title again.[122] In the 2014/2015 European season,PSG surpassed Ipswich, briefly taking over the title, but also saw their unbeaten run end.[123]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
In 2007, the club created a hall of fame into which a number of personnel associated with the club are inducted every year. The inaugural members,Ray Crawford,Mick Mills,Ted Phillips andJohn Wark, were inducted in 2007 by a ballot of former Ipswich players.[131][132]
Alf Ramsey managed Ipswich Town between 1955 and 1963, before leadingEngland to win theWorld Cup in 1966.Bobby Robson managed Ipswich Town from 1969 to 1982.Kieran McKenna the current manager of Ipswich Town.
^Francis, Tony (23 February 2003)."Tractor Boys ploughed out".The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived fromthe original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved16 March 2007.
^"Town out of UEFA Cup".BBC Suffolk. 14 November 2002.Archived from the original on 29 November 2002. Retrieved19 March 2007.
^Up until 2000, when the stand was completely rebuilt, it was commonly referred to as "Churchmans" after the family who owned the tobacco factory (before John Players Ltd) which stood next to it
^Duncan Adams (21 February 2012)."What's Portman Road Like?".Ipswich Town: Portman Road. Football Ground Guide. Archived fromthe original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved22 March 2012.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
