Ipswich Town

Lore & Background

Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn professional until 1936; the club was elected to the Football League in 1938. Ipswich won the league title in 1961–62, their first season in the top flight, and finished runners-up in 1980–81 and 1981–82. They finished in the top six in the First Division for ten years, and won the FA Cup in 1978 and UEFA Cup in 1981. They have never lost at home in European competition, having defeated Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio and Barcelona.

In Their Own Story

The wind off the Wash cuts through the away end of Portman Road like a blade, but nobody in the sky-blue shirt notices. It is February, the floodlights are humming, and the ball is in the air over a packed, rain-slicked penalty box. A header, a scramble, and then the roar—thick, guttural, Suffolk-thick—rolls up from the terraces and swallows the stadium whole. For one breathless second, the town is not a dot on the map between Norwich and Cambridge. It is the centre of English football, and the sky above Portman Road is the only blue that matters.

Reader's Guide

Ipswich Town have played their home games at Portman Road since 1884. The club's traditional home colours are blue shirts with white shorts and blue socks. They have a long-standing rivalry with Norwich City, against whom they contest the East Anglian derby.

Did You Know?

• Ipswich Town won the First Division title in 1961–62, their first season in the top flight.
• The club won the FA Cup in 1978, beating Arsenal at Wembley Stadium.
• Ipswich won the UEFA Cup in 1981, defeating AZ Alkmaar 5–4 on aggregate.
• They have never lost at home in European competition.