Soccer. Ed Sheeran, all-rounder from Ipswich Town, English giant in full renaissance

It is a juicy new story that we only find in the English football world, or almost. Like Wrexham, the Welsh club owned by Ryan Reynolds who validated promotion to League One, the third national tier, on Saturday 13 April, Ipswich Town, the sleeping giant of English football, are well on their way to returning to the top. In addition to a promotion that was announced next season, will Tractor boys shares another point in common with the Wrexham side The blueswho face Hull City on Saturday 27 April (9pm), is also supported by a world star.

In sporting terms, a slow descent into hell

A lover of the club since he was young, Ed Sheeran (33) has invested time and money in this club on the east coast of England. The singer was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and grew up twenty miles from Portman Road, the historic home of Tractor boys inaugurated in 1884 and with a capacity of 30,311 seats, former stronghold of English football. The blues came down from the Premier League in 2002, before vegetating in the Championship for 17 long seasons.

Even worse, Ipswich Town, champions of England in 1962, winners of the FA Cup in 1978 and the Europa League in 1981, completely collapsed during the 2018-2019 season. Last in the championship, Tractor boys relegated to League One and returned to the English third division for the first time since 1957. A disaster for the club.

Fan of City Since he was a kid, Ed Sheeran hasn’t let his longtime team down. In great sporting difficulty with this relegation to League One, the club was also faced with significant financial difficulties. Bought in 2021 by Berke Bakay, Mark Detmer and Brett Johnson, three American investors, Ipswich Town also saw that the supporter always had his hand in his pocket.

” The club has a large part in the local community and this is a way for me to show my support “. The English pop singer became the shirt sponsor of his favorite team in May 2021, and has since been a major player, albeit extra-sporting, in the club’s revival. Already at that time, this collaboration had made possible Tractor boys to top up the coffers considerably, as Rosie Richardson, the director of sales at Ipswich Town, enthused: ” Ed has shown his support for his hometown in many ways, and this collaboration is another example. “.

“Ed is our most prominent supporter”

Very busy with his two-year international tour, the English singer returns as soon as he can to Portman Road to support Tractor boys. Finally, it’s a bit like Ed Sheeran accompanying Ipswich Town every weekend as it’s his Mathematics trip (the name of his ride) that appears on the jerseys of Blues across the four corners of England.

When he finds time to go to Portman Road, the author of The shape of youmore than 6 billion views on YouTube, is not just a simple spectator, although he prefers to be discreet as Massimo Luongo, midfielder of Ipswich Town, confided after a match against Hull City: « He doesn’t want too much attention, he just supports the club “. That day, the Englishman remained a beer server for the Portman Road supporters. After the match, won 3-0 by the locals, Ed Sheeran popped into the dressing room to congratulate his protégés, who welcomed him by reproducing his global hit Perfect released in 2017 (282 million views on YouTube).

Behind the bar, in the changing rooms, Ed Sheeran is also, indirectly, part of the squad. Blues. Since joining the club as a partner in 2021, the club has decided to no longer attract the number 17, owned by the singer. Even better, during Ipswich Town’s promotion from League One to the Championship last season, the artist was treated to his own second champions medal. “ Ed is a very important person to us, he is our most prominent supporter and has supported the club through sponsorship for several years now », Kieran McKenna, the Northern Ireland coach, recalled a few months ago.

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With a second promotion in two seasons hoped for Tractor boysit seems that the singer’s prediction when he signed the partnership with the club three years ago is coming true: ” With the new American owners coming in, there are sure to be some exciting times ahead for fans, myself included “. Three days after the end, leaders of the Championship by one point ahead of Leicester, second, and 8 above Southampton 4th, the players of Ipswich Town seem launched towards a rise in the Premier League. To the delight of their exceptional sponsor.