It is something that we often neglect to mention, but the fans of Ipswich Town football club are some of the most loyal in the country – if not in Europe, or indeed the world!
I find it truly staggering to see this amazing upturn in attendance figures, and as we approach a double-header at Portman Road against lowly opposition with a small following, it is quite remarkable to see how many supporters are prepared to spend not inconsiderable sums on supporting the Blues. It’s hats off to the lot of you!
This season, the average home gate has been close to 26,000, and I think even in those heady Premiership days, we would have done well to have exceeded this! It is an extraordinary achievement for a club which has been stuck in the third tier of English football for the last four seasons. Most fans are clearly not fair-weathered friends.
Already almost 24,000 tickets have been sold for the game with Burton Albion, and by the time of kick-off, it will be nearer to 26,000 once again. Two games in 3 days costs a lot of dosh, and yet, 21,000 tickets have been sold for Accrington Stanley, and we can expect that attendance to rise dramatically too – especially if we win the first one convincingly! We know the importance of these matches so big support is very helpful.
And the biggest round of applause should go to our die-hard supporters, who go up and down the country, week in and week out, supporting the Town. An astonishing 1,850 tickets have already been sold in the away end for that long trek into Lancashire to face Bolton Wanderers. Although the journey last weekend was much shorter, a sensational 7,000 supporters followed the Blues to Milton Keynes for our 1-0 victory. I am running out of superlatives to describe you all, but one thing I will say is, thank you for making it happen! As players drive home to their families and begin to switch off after a match, this never occurs to a dedicated Town supporter. They never switch off!
I’ve supported Ipswich since 1961 Frank and remember my first match was watching us beat the mighty Spurs. Since that time there have been plenty of ups and downs but how many provincial Teams can boast winning the equivalent of the Premiership, the FA Cup and EUFA Cup and had two Managers in charge of the National Team.
As a long standing season ticket holder it has never ceased to amaze me what a loyal fan base the Club enjoys and the the away support particularly in recent seasons has been fantastic.
Since the Burley era its been rather a bumpy ride and the quality of performances indifferent to say the least. However with the New Owners, an energetic CEO and meticulous Manager now in place we can all see the light in the tunnel!
Indeed we can Terry. Indeed we can!