60 Fun Facts About Ipswich Town

Ipswich A.F.C. became Ipswich Town in 1888 after merging with a club that played which sport?

The club stayed amateur for another 48 years, turning professional only in 1936.

In what year were Ipswich Town elected to the Football League?

They had turned professional two years earlier and won the Southern League at the first attempt.

Which manager, later England's World Cup winner, replaced Scott Duncan at Ipswich in August 1955?

He took the club from the Third Division South to the First Division title in seven seasons.

Ipswich won the Football League championship in 1961-62. What was remarkable about the timing?

They had come up as Second Division champions the previous spring.

By what aggregate did Ipswich beat Floriana in their first European tie, the 1962–63 European Cup?

The 10-0 home leg is still a club record; AC Milan knocked them out in the next round.

Two years after winning the title, Ipswich went down in 1964 having conceded how many goals in 42 games?

Jackie Milburn's one full season in charge produced one of the worst defensive records in English senior football.

Bill McGarry left Ipswich after winning the 1967-68 Second Division to manage which club?

His replacement in January 1969 was a 35-year-old Bobby Robson.

Steve Stacey, who made his debut in September 1968, was Ipswich's first what?

He had been signed that summer from Fourth Division Wrexham.

Ipswich beat Manchester United 6-0 in 1979–80 despite United keeper Gary Bailey doing what?

The two points United lost that day were exactly the margin by which Liverpool won the title.

Which two Dutch midfielders did Robson bring to Ipswich in the late 1970s?

They added flair to a side built around Wark, Butcher and Mariner.

Who scored the only goal of the 1978 FA Cup final for Ipswich against Arsenal?

He was substituted moments later, overcome with emotion and feeling faint; Wark had hit the post twice.

What odds did William Hill offer on Ipswich winning the 1978 FA Cup final the day before?

Ipswich had finished 18th that season and lost 6-1 at Aston Villa in their previous match.

Ipswich's route to the 1978 final included a 6-1 win at The Den that was delayed 17 minutes by what?

Paul Mariner scored a hat-trick against Millwall that day.

Ipswich won the 1981 UEFA Cup 5-4 on aggregate over which Dutch club?

They won the first leg 3-0 at Portman Road, then lost 4-2 in Amsterdam's Olympic Stadium.

In the first leg of the 1981 UEFA Cup final, who opened the scoring for Ipswich from the penalty spot?

He had scored three penalties in one match against Aris Salonika in the first round.

On the way to the 1981 UEFA Cup, Ipswich won 4-1 away at which French club, captained by Michel Platini?

That season a squad of about thirteen played more than sixty matches, and Ipswich still finished second in the league.

Ipswich were league runners-up in 1980-81 to a club they had beaten home and away that season. Who?

Injuries and fixture congestion wrecked a possible treble; they were runners-up again the following year.

Which Ipswich player doubled for Michael Caine in the football scenes of Escape to Victory?

Paul Cooper doubled for Sylvester Stallone, and Wark, Osman, Sivell, Turner and O'Callaghan all appeared on screen.

Bobby Robson left Ipswich in July 1982 to do what?

He had been linked with the Manchester United job the year before, but it went to Ron Atkinson.

Terry Butcher, the last key player from the 1981 side, was sold after the 1986 relegation to which club?

An expensive new stand had squeezed the budget even as Thijssen and Wark were sold.

Which ex-West Ham manager took Ipswich up as champions into the first Premier League season?

Ipswich were fourth in January 1993 before fading to 16th; Lyall resigned in December 1994 with the club bottom.

Ipswich suffered a then Premier League record 9-0 defeat in 1995 at which ground?

Andy Cole scored five; the margin was equalled by Leicester at Southampton in 2019 and by Liverpool against Bournemouth in 2022.

Which club did George Burley's Ipswich beat 4-2 in the 2000 Division One play-off final?

They came from behind to win, then finished fifth in the Premier League the following season.

In 2000-01 Ipswich finished fifth, pipped to a Champions League place on the final day by whom?

George Burley won the Premier League Manager of the Year award as consolation.

How did Ipswich qualify for European football in 2002 despite being relegated from the Premier League?

They beat two sides before losing to Slovan Liberec; the club went into administration the same year.

Which ex-Norwich player managed Ipswich to play-off semi-finals in 2004 and 2005, both lost to West Ham?

He resigned in May 2006 after a 15th-place finish, the club's lowest since 1966.

Which businessman bought an 87.5% stake in Ipswich in December 2007, investing around £44 million?

His group's shirt sponsorship ran from 2008 to 2018, the longest in the club's history.

Which former Manchester United captain managed Ipswich for 18 months from 2009 to 2011?

He was sacked in January 2011 and eventually replaced by Paul Jewell.

Paul Hurst, sacked in October 2018, is Ipswich's shortest-serving manager. How long did he last?

Paul Lambert followed but could not prevent relegation to League One, ending 63 years in the top two tiers.

The 2019 relegation to League One ended Ipswich's stay in the top two divisions of how many years?

Their first third-tier season since 1957 ended 11th, decided on points per game during the pandemic.

The US group that bought a majority stake in Ipswich in April 2021 was called what?

It combined Ohio-based ORG Portfolio Management with a fund from three Phoenix Rising board members.

Kieran McKenna joined Ipswich in December 2021 from which role?

He replaced Paul Cook and finished 11th in his first half-season.

How many league goals did McKenna's Ipswich score in their 2022-23 League One promotion season?

They went up as runners-up with 98 points after an 18-game unbeaten run.

Ipswich's 2024 promotion made them only the fifth club to do what?

They finished second with 96 points and a division-high 92 goals, ending a 22-year top-flight absence.

Which manager did Ipswich hire from Strasbourg in June 2026?

McKenna stood down to spend more time with his family after taking the club straight back up.

What animal dominates the Ipswich Town crest designed by supporter John Gammage in 1972?

Gammage also included the Wolsey Gate turrets and the town's docks; three stars for the three major trophies were later added.

The three stars on Ipswich's shirt represent which trophies?

They first appeared on the away shirt in 2004-05 and now sit on the back of the shirt.

Which musician and lifelong Ipswich fan became the club's shirt sponsor in 2021?

The deal was extended to the end of 2024-25 and he has also played concerts at Portman Road.

In 1890 Ipswich became one of the first clubs to use what at Portman Road?

The ground had been shared with East Suffolk Cricket Club since the club arrived in 1884.

In 1992 Ipswich's Portman Road became the first English top-flight ground to achieve what?

Capacity was 22,600 then; £22 million on the North and South stands took it to 30,311, the largest in East Anglia.

Portman Road's record crowd of 38,010 watched a 1975 FA Cup sixth-round tie against which club?

Ipswich reached the semi-finals that year and finished third in the league.

Which player holds Ipswich's league appearance record with 741 games between 1966 and 1982?

He captained the 1978 Cup winners; Ray Crawford is the top league scorer with 203.

The 'Tractor Boys' nickname is traced to a 2000 chant by fans of which club, then losing 2-1 to Ipswich?

'We're being beaten by a bunch of tractor drivers' became a badge of self-deprecating pride, though Jim Magilton hated it.

The Ipswich-Norwich fixture is jokingly called the 'Old Farm derby' in reference to which rivalry?

The first derby was played in November 1902 when both were amateur clubs.

Fans of which German club have made an annual visit to Portman Road since 2006?

Ipswich fans return the trip to the Merkur Spiel-Arena, and the clubs played friendlies in 2015 and 2024.

Which club paid Ipswich a then-record £37.5 million for Omari Hutchinson in August 2025?

Ipswich had bought Hutchinson from Chelsea for £20 million a year earlier, then their record purchase.

In which year did Ipswich Town turn professional, two years before joining the Football League?

The club had been an amateur side since its foundation in 1878.

Which two grounds did the club use before settling at Portman Road in 1884?

Portman Road has been home ever since and now holds 30,311, the biggest football ground in East Anglia.

Which Japanese electronics firm became Ipswich's first official shirt sponsor in 1981?

The company also sponsored the West Stand at Portman Road until 1999.

Who is Ipswich's all-time top league scorer, with 203 goals between 1958 and 1969?

Ted Phillips holds the single-season record with 41 league goals in 1956-57.

Which trophy did Bobby Robson's Ipswich win in 1973, the season they first qualified for the UEFA Cup?

They finished fourth in the league that year and reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1975.

Which former assistant took over as Ipswich manager when Robson left for England in 1982?

Robson's former assistant kept the club mid-table twice before relegation in 1986.

Portman Road's east side is named after which family, the club's former owners?

It was originally the Portman Stand, built in 1971 to replace terracing.

What squad number is honorarily issued to sponsor and minority owner Ed Sheeran?

The singer, a lifelong fan, became shirt sponsor in 2021.

Which four men were the inaugural inductees of the club's Hall of Fame in 2007?

They were chosen by a ballot of former Ipswich players.

In 2006 the club donated 500 orange and blue-and-white shirts to children in which country?

Orange has been among Ipswich's many away colours, alongside claret and green and cream and black stripes.

Ipswich's 11th-place finish in 2019-20 was their lowest since which year?

It was the club's first season in the third tier since 1957, decided on points-per-game after COVID-19.

Which Newcastle result on 26 April 2025 confirmed Ipswich's relegation from the Premier League?

They bounced straight back, winning promotion at the first attempt in 2026.

Which manager left Ipswich by mutual consent in May 2006, a month before Jim Magilton took over?

His 15th-place finish in 2005-06 was the club's worst since 1966.

In which league did Ipswich Town Women earn promotion as champions in 2024-25?

They now compete in the Women's Super League 2, the second tier of women's football in England.