Ed Sheeran made an unexpected cameo on Ipswich Town’s in-house TV station, and he was so happy that he could hardly contain his smile. He pulled out a small blue pouch from his pocket. Although the four-time Grammy winner is accustomed to receiving recognition for his work, it was evident that the League One promotion medal he was holding in the palm of his hand was particularly meaningful. Sheeran, who had sponsored Town’s front-of-shirt since the 2021–22 campaign, was able to claim his own piece of history as Kieran McKenna’s team achieved a record-breaking season in England’s third division in 2022–23. Sheeran was also listed as the club’s No. 17 in the official squad.
His recent association with the team has coincided with their achievements with the entry of the American investment company Gamechanger 20 in 2021; the club’s promotion to the Premier League last season marked the beginning of a much larger endeavour. Ipswich, who are now second in the Championship table behind Leicester City, are doing well already. Sheeran attended one of their 11 games this season—the 3-0 victory over Hull City in October—at Portman Road.
The 32-year-old’s connection dates back to his early years, when he was raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, around 20 miles away from Ipswich. With a storied history dating back to 1962 when they won the First Division (now the Premier League) under Sir Alf Ramsey, the man who would go on to lead England to World Cup triumph in 1966, they are by far the biggest club in the area. After that, Ipswich won the FA Cup in 1978 and the UEFA Cup (now known as the Europa League) in 1981, both under the tutelage of the great Sir Bobby Robson. After losing their status as a premier league team in 2002, they had a difficult past up to the takeover in 2021, which highlighted Sheeran’s devotion to the team.
“Ipswich Town represents the pride of Suffolk as well as the pride of Anglia,” Sheeran declared during a recent Town TV appearance. All the people I grew up with adore it. It wasn’t about saying, “Here’s my tour, let’s put it on the shirt,” for me. It feels like home, and it felt fitting to combine my career with something I adore greatly. When I was a kid, I was a big fan of Ipswich, but when I started playing music every day, I got bored. When I was twenty-one, I returned here because I had found a place here and, since all of my friends had moved away, I had lost touch with the community. However, during a five-year period, I wasn’t anything, I didn’t follow anything.”
The club has benefited greatly from the relationship; record shirt sales have been linked to both the team’s on-field accomplishments and Sheeran’s sponsorship. The singer’s Equals album artwork was incorporated into the design of the third kit from last season, which was an all-black design that sold out on the first day of general sale and went on to become the club’s most popular shirt ever, with over 11,000 being purchased in the six weeks following its release. During the first season of the agreement, 2021–22, the club sold the most home shirts ever; within four months, however, sales in 2022–23 surpassed that record.
Sheeran’s relationship with jersey sponsorship started much more modestly, as he volunteered to help his local girls’ youth team in Framlingham. When the team’s under-11 squad needed a new shirt sponsor, he answered the calls as a former player for Framlingham Town. His homecoming performances at the conclusion of his Divide world tour in 2019 were staged in Ipswich’s Chantry Park. He has long been an advocate of his hometown and county and has frequently performed there. When he concluded the last night of the tour wearing a Framlingham Town shirt, it was the first time Ipswich Town had sold shirts with his emblem on them.
Since then, Sheeran has worn the No. 17 jersey with his name on it while playing and sold Town shirts as tour memorabilia. The artist picked the number to correspond with his birthday, which is February 17. CEO Mark Ashton awarded him the official squad number in 2021, and his name will be listed on matchday programmes with the rest of the squad. Although some pessimistic supporters might view the club’s collaboration with Sheeran as a publicity gimmick, the deal marked a positive change from Magical Vegas, the previous front-of-shirt sponsor.
Since his October visit to the dressing room following his appearance on Town TV—the first occasion he had spoken to players—shirt sales have benefited the team, and he has not misused his position as their most well-known supporter. In a concourse bar, he also made an unexpected appearance while fetching pints. Midfielder Massimo Luongo stated, “I got called up (to play for Australia), we won the game (against Hull), and obviously Ed popped in afterwards, so that was a very good day.” It was incredibly awesome because I’m a huge fan as well. It was his first time visiting the changing rooms; he simply supports the team and doesn’t want too much attention.
It was about time it was finished, even though I’m not even sure he wanted to come down—he simply wanted to scurry in and out. While Sheeran was there, fans serenaded him with one of his songs, and he disclosed that, when on tour, he frequently goes to away games and watches games.After winning the September Championship manager of the month award, Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna stated, “It was a great moment,” in an interview with Sky Sports. Ed is a very significant individual to the football team; he is our most well-known backer and has been providing sponsorship support for the group for a number of years.
The fact that he still resides in Suffolk and is near his roots makes everyone in Ipswich and Suffolk extremely proud of him. Ed’s presence in the locker room has contributed to some amazing moments this season. We know we need to keep our feet on the ground and keep up our intense work ethic, but after one of the games was one of those.