Ipswich Town CEO Mark Ashton reveals season ticket sales passed 11,000 in first week as Ed Sheeran and Gamechanger Ltd's buy-ins strikes a chord with fanbase

russell.claydon@iliffepublishing.co.uk

Published: 13:09, 12 June 2021

| Updated: 16:22, 14 June 2021

Ipswich Town will have at least 2,000 more season ticket holders helping to financially back their third shot at promotion out of Sky Bet League One than at the start of 2020/21.

Chief executive Mark Ashton has revealed more than 11,000 supporters have committed to a season ticket at Portman Road for the upcoming campaign, during the first week of public sale on the reduced 'Early Bird' prices.

But with the new ambitious American-led ownership group restricted to paying players within the parameters of the new Salary Cost Management Protocol (SCMP) – restricting League One clubs to a maximum of 60 per cent of their turnover on wages – he is keen to keep increasing that number.

More than 11,000 supporters have committed to season tickets for 2021/22 at Portman Road - more than 2,000 up the previous year's total but still a bit below 2019/20's level Picture: Barry Goodwin

Speaking on Mark Murphy's Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Suffolk yesterday, amid fans claiming the club had sold 16,000 seats already, he said: "Season ticket sales are just over 11,000 which is great. I think we were at circa 9,000 before the start of last season so it is going in the right direction and I would encourage the fans to make sure they get their season tickets and enjoy the journey."

Asked about the importance of the club having a strong season ticket base, he said: "It is absolutely imperative because we have said we have got a club that is going to be well funded moving forward. But we are governed by the salary protocols in League One and that is really clear: we can only spend 60 per cent of our overall revenue on players, full stop. That is what we can do, so every penny that we bring into the club, whether that is through the supporters or through the commercial activities is absolutely vital to us because it allows us to make sure we spend sensibly and the best we can to bring the best players into this football club."

The club had announced a 15 per cent increase on season ticket sales at the end of the early bird deadline two years ago, before the pandemic struck, with the figure of sales at May 7, 2019 given as 11,748 before 2019/20 – the first since relegation from the Championship.

New Ipswich Town CEO Mark Ashton is looking to make a big difference at Portman Road following his arrival from Bristol City Picture: ITFC

With the uncertainty surrounding the takeover delaying season ticket prices being revealed, the club have extended the early bird deadline right up to 5pm on Friday, August 6. The season is due to start the following day, unless Town are handed an league opening Friday fixture.

Ahead of the public sale starting on Monday, the club revealed "a vast majority of 2020/21season ticket holders have renewed for next term with the club also offering the renewal price to the 2019/20 season ticket holders who didn’t purchase for last year amid so much uncertainly caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Over a third of those 3,000 season ticket holders from 2019/20 have booked their place back at Portman Road as Town target promotion and a return to the Championship, taking the overall tally to that 10,000 figure."

It means more than 1,000 tickets were sold during the first week of public sale.

Season tickets can be purchased online here or by calling the ticket office on 03330 05 05 03. A full list of prices can be found here.

Meanwhile, with Norwich City having had to pull the plug on their shirt sponsorship deal following negative publicity of the company's activities, Ashton feels Suffolk music superstar Ed Sheeran – who is sponsoring the club's shirts for 2021/22 – has become the perfect partner to help the club revitalise its image and reach a global audience.

Global music superstar Ed Sheeran is sponsoring the shirts of his beloved Ipswich Town for 2021/22 Picture: Ed Sheeran

"I just think it is absolutely fantastic as it opens the club to a global audience and I am so grateful to him for the way he has put the club forward by wearing the shirt on Tik-Tok and other social media platforms. It is fantastic, it really takes the club to a global reach," he told Mark Murphy's Breakfast Show.

"We want to make sure this club sits at the heart of its local community and this is a really big county and the football club sits right at the heart of it so on and off the pitch.

"We want to present the football club in the right way and I think the whole relationship with Ed Sheeran is something very, very special.

"He is a genuine fan of the club and we are just so grateful for his support."

With the Framlingham star having announced he will do a Euro 2020 Tik-Tok show from Portman Road, Ashton also expressed his hope there could be a concert in front of an audience in the stadium.

He said: "The relationship with Ed and his management company is outstanding and where that will lead I'm not quite sure. Listen, we would love to see him here performing but he is a worldwide superstar and he will have commitments all around the globe, I am sure. But we are just so grateful for what he's done and he knows he is welcome here to cheer on the team anytime."

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