Ed Sheeran’s Involvement in Ipswich Town’s Premier League Return Victory

Ed Sheeran, who later became Ipswich Town’s main shirt sponsor while the club was in League One, was just learning to play guitar when Ipswich Town defeated Middlesbrough in the Premier League in April 2002. In the subsequent two decades, Sheeran rose to global music stardom, while Ipswich Town, once Uefa Cup winners, descended to the third tier of English football. However, this past Sunday in north London, Sheeran attended a match where his hometown team concluded a 22-year period without a top-flight victory. Following first-half goals from Sam Szmodics and Liam Delap, Sheeran observed the Tractor Boys maintain their lead to defeat Tottenham, marking their initial win of the current season. The win was particularly significant as Ipswich debuted their pink third kit, a design developed in partnership with Sheeran. The 33-year-old then concluded a memorable day by participating in the celebrations with manager Kieran McKenna’s players. During their time in League One, Sheeran and numerous other Ipswich supporters likely questioned if they would ever witness their team compete in the Premier League once more. Nevertheless, Sheeran became the club’s primary shirt sponsor in 2021, and after Ipswich achieved consecutive promotions to return to the top flight, he acquired a minority stake in the club this summer. The singer-songwriter even assisted in serving pies at their season-opening home game against Liverpool, making his presence at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium seem appropriate. His smile only appeared after Szmodics’ overhead kick gave Ipswich the lead, as they had previously led in five of their last 10 league matches this season without securing a win. He showed immense excitement when Liam Delap scored Ipswich’s second goal, and on this occasion, the Tractor Boys maintained their advantage to move out of the relegation zone. When questioned about Sheeran post-match, Szmodics remarked: “Is he here? Well, we’ll try to get him in the changing room!” Soon after, manager McKenna informed Match of the Day that Sheeran had “popped in”. “We were wearing the third kit, the one he had a part in designing, so that was nice,” McKenna stated. “Maybe he brought us some good luck.” He added: “He congratulated the boys, and everyone knows he’s been an important part of the club in the last few years with the support he gives us, so it was nice for him to be here.” A video featuring McKenna, with the title ‘McKenna ‘so proud’ after first Ipswich Premier League win in 22 years’, was part of the original presentation. Sheeran, however, avoided embarrassing McKenna by not bringing his guitar, which was likely beneficial as the Ipswich manager confessed he is “not very good” at karaoke. “There were no sing-songs, but the players are delighted,” McKenna stated. “They know this is a win to cherish, but they also know where we want to get to as a club – winning games in the Premier League – and we know this season that’s going to be a challenge.” He added: “It’s been a big journey to get to this point.” After their relegation in 2002, Ipswich did not achieve a quick return to the Premier League, reaching the Championship play-offs only once after 2005 before being relegated to League One in 2019. “It’s a really significant moment and a day to cherish in the recent history of the club,” McKenna commented. He continued: “You look at the journey the club has been on in the past 22 years, the ups and downs, some heights but some depths as well.” “For the supporters to see their club win in the Premier League at a fantastic club like Tottenham, in a stadium like this against a team like that, it is a massive day for them,” he concluded. Ipswich did not qualify for the play-offs during their initial two seasons in League One and were positioned 12th in December 2021, the month McKenna succeeded Paul Cook. In his inaugural full season, the Tractor Boys secured promotion as runners-up, a feat they replicated in the Championship last season. “For us who have been involved in the journey for the past couple of years, it’s a really significant day as well,” McKenna further stated. He concluded: “Everyone’s delighted but I know that pretty quickly we’ll all move on to the next thing.” Additional content included various entertainment program details, musical karaoke suggestions, information on wildlife park festivities, environmental concerns regarding microplastics and food waste, and the © 2024 BBC copyright notice with its external linking policy.