Ipswich Town Chairman Details Portman Road Expansion, Rules Out In-Season Work

Mark Ashton, chairman and chief executive of Ipswich Town, expressed a desire to expand the club’s stadium capacity to 40,000. He further disclosed that the club is exploring an extension to the West Stand at Portman Road. Additionally, the Blues have secured a significant plot of land, intended for the potential expansion of the Cobbold Stand, situated on the opposite side of the stadium. He stated, “It is on the to-do list but it is not top of the to-do list, I must be honest with you.” Ashton clarified his reasoning, adding, “Why? Because I’m certainly not going to take a stand down in the midst of a Premier League season. That is just not the right thing to do.” Should the current Cobbold Stand be dismantled, 750 season ticket holders and 3,000 visiting fans would temporarily lose their seating. However, the club has identified a possible resolution for this issue. Ashton elaborated, saying: “The next development there is the West Stand, which sees an increase in capacity of surprise, surprise, circa 4,000 people.” He explained the proposed solution: “So, when you take down the Cobbold Stand down, people don’t lose their season tickets and they could move across.” The current capacity of Portman Road is approximately 30,000. Ashton emphasized that there is no set timeline for the extension of either stand, primarily because the reconstruction of the club’s training ground holds the highest priority.