Despite having played a large portion of their recent history in the English football league’s second and third divisions, Ipswich Town can boast some of the most well-known celebrities as supporters.
In addition to having witnessed many iconic on-field events, Portman Road has also seen its fair share of celebrity stardust off the pitch, with some of the names on this list maybe catching you off guard.
Those big names range from passionate regular followers of Kieran McKenna’s side, to more casual links to the club, but all will likely have an eye on where the Tractor Boys finish in the league.
Here, FootballLeagueWorld looks through who those famous fans are…
Ed Sheeran
Perhaps the most notable Ipswich fan is Ed Sheeran, the multi-award winning global music artist is regularly the most played popstar in the UK and has gained fans from around the world.
However, Sheeran has not strayed too far from his roots and is regularly seen taking in a game at Portman Road, usually wearing some form of club merchandise and passionately cheering on the team.
He has been Ipswich’s front-of-shirt sponsor since the 2021/22 season and even got handed his own squad number in the side, so his commitment to the Tractor Boys is clear for all to see.
Will Ferrell
It is slightly harder to nail down precisely how much of a fan Hollywood star Will Ferrell is of Ipswich, having declared interest in a number of different teams throughout the years, but one of those clubs is indeed the Tractor Boys.
The Anchorman star was at a press conference in Miami over a decade ago, and when asked about football, responded: “I like football. My club [is] Ipswich…or Aston Villa.”
Ferrell has since been spotted at Chelsea, Wrexham, QPR and Manchester City, so it would be tricky to describe him as a dedicated one-club man, but something obviously provoked him to answer Ipswich all those years ago.
Tom Chaplin
The former lead singer of Keane, Tom Chaplin, is another renowned name from the world of entertainment who has fond memories of Portman Road.
Chaplin has spoken before of his favourite football moment, when Ipswich beat Italian giants Inter Milan in 2001.
He won’t be the only Ipswich fan with strong memories of that night, but he might be one of the few that started their lives as a Norwich City fan, following his Dad’s team before converting to the Tractor Boys later in life.
Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter has operated at the very top of his sport, darts, earning his place in a World Championship final against Phil Taylor and winning countless tournaments.
However, Painter, having scaled back his darts playing, would love to see his team, Ipswich, climb back to the same heights he managed during his career.
Painter has been a season ticket holder at Portman Road for a number of years, following the Tractor Boys across the divisions whenever his darts career allowed him to get there.
Omid Djalili
Comedian and actor Omid Djalili is a Londoner and as such has lived all of his life as a Chelsea fan, but having moved away from the capital following the Covid years, Djalili has declared a soft spot for the Tractor Boys.
Speaking to the East Anglian Daily Times back in 2022, he said: “Chelsea has been my club since I was five, but as a football fan, anyone who knows Ipswich from the late 70s and early 80s remember when they became everyone’s second team.
“They had great players, a lot of their players played for England, like Terry Butcher, Paul Mariner, and Kevin Beattie. And of course we had Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson who became England managers.”
Djalili has made friends with a group of fans at Portman Road, and goes down to watch the side whenever he can.
Charlie Simpson
Adding to the long list of famous music stars to follow the Tractor Boys, the Ipswich-born ex-Busted singer Charlie Simpson has been a fan of the Portman Road club since childhood, and has even at one time bought shares in the club.
Retelling fond memories of following the club, in 2003, Simpson told TWTD: “I was here to see us beat Manchester United 3-2 eight years ago which was fantastic because my brother supports United, and I also went to Wembley.
“It was brilliant to be there and I can remember coming back down the A12 with all the Ipswich flags hanging down from the bridges.
“Ipswich has always been my club since I was growing up and the share issue is a good chance to get involved in Town.”
