Lifelong Ipswich Town fan Ed Sheeran has acquired a minority stake in the English Premier League football club.
Sheeran is a regular visitor to the club’s 29,673-capacity Portman Road Stadium home ground and, since ascending to stardom, has been increasingly involved in a commercial and marketing capacity.
His worldwide Mathematics Tour, stylised as +–=÷×, has been the front of shirt sponsor for the men’s and women’s teams since 2021 and, most recently, he appeared in a video to launch the team’s third kit, which he also helped to design.
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“It’s any football fan’s dream to be an owner of the club they support, and I feel so grateful for this opportunity,” the singer-songwriter said, confirmed the announcement of his 1.6% stake. “I have lived in Suffolk since I was three years old and, while I travel the world and sometimes feel like an outsider in big cities, Suffolk and Ipswich have always made me feel part of the community and protected. It’s such a joy to be a fan of Ipswich Town. There are ups and downs but football is all about taking the highs and the lows. I’m not a voting shareholder or a board member, this is just me putting some money into the club I love and them returning the gesture, so please don’t get onto me with signing suggestions or tactics to play!”
Mark Ashton, Ipswich Town Chairman, said: “This is an incredibly proud day for the football club. The support Ed and his team have shown us over the last three years has been nothing short of remarkable and for him to make this investment in the club feels like the natural progression in our relationship. For one of the biggest artists in the world to give us so much of his time and give the club such incredible exposure around the world, while asking for very little in return, highlights just what makes this relationship such a special one. It’s been a pleasure to get to know Ed and his team over the last three years and we look forward to building our relationship further now as the club enters the Premier League.”
Ipswich earned promotion to the Premier League after finishing second in the 2023/24 Championship season.
