Ipswich Town is a football club based in a town of the same name in Suffolk, England. They share a heated rivalry with Norfolk’s Norwich City, whom they have contested with the East Anglian Derby numerous times since 1902. The nearly 30,000-capacity Portman Road prides itself as the home ground of Suffolk’s only professional football club. The players of the team usually have their home kits in blue.
Ipswich Town 23/24 Kits
Beginning in the 2021/22 season, the club secured a principal sponsorship deal with known English singer-songwriter and Suffolk native Ed Sheeran. As such, Ipswich kits displayed the artist’s logo for his worldwide tour. Kit maker Umbro joined the club a season later, building on its history of technical sponsorship for the club during the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Ipswich Town 23/24 Home Shirt
Inspired by the 1999/00 home kit, Ipswich Town’s 2023/24 Umbro home featured a blue body and a white panel covering the shoulders and the outer side of the sleeves. It also had a sport collar (which followed the blue shade), and the body’s colour spilled over to the sleeves’ inner side. Red trims on the edges of the sleeves were also a throwback to the source shirt. Subtly blending with the base colour of the body was a repeating jacquard pattern of chevron-like shapes.
Ipswich Town 23/24 Away Shirt
Taking its cue from the 1999/00 away, Ipswich Town’s 2023/24 Umbro alternate kit was predominantly orange with navy trims on the collar and near the sleeve edge. But unlike the plain fill on the body, the modern shirt designed the orange base with a gradient hoops in conjuction with a repeating diamond pattern. The sleeves were the ones left with a solid plain fill.
Ipswich Town Home Kits
2022/23 Ipswich Town Home Shirt
Ipswich wore an Umbro home shirt again in 2022/23, 27 years since the last time the club was in technical partnership with the brand . The predominantly blue jersey had a tonal distorted linear graphic, inspired by the architectural lines and structure of the Cobbold Stand at Portman Road. A diagonal halved design on the sleeve cuffs added white to that part of the shirt. The red neckline connected the raised sides of the collar, finishing the jersey’s look.
2021/22 Ipswich Town Home Shirt
Ipswich Town had their usual blue identity as the colour formed the base of the club’s 2021/22 adidas home shirt. The sleeves had a brighter shade relative to that of the body panel, which displayed subtle pinstripes on the front. Sponsored by Ed Sheeran, the shirt incorporated the artist’s ‘Tour’ symbol on the sponsor space. White details reflected in the shoulder stripes and in the blue-piped round collar and sleeve cuffs.
Ipswich Town Away Kits
2022/23 Ipswich Town Away Shirt
Ipswich last wore an Umbro away shirt 27 years ago before doing so again in 2022/23. The black-and-red shirt based its design on the 92/93 third and 93/94 away, which explained the uneven stripe graphic, where those on the left-hand side narrowed, on the front and the sleeve cuffs. Both the broad v-collar and sleeves were plain black.
2021/22 Ipswich Town Away Shirt
Sponsored by Ed Sheeran, the Ipswich adidas away shirt for 2021/22 bore the musician’s Tour logo on the sponsor space. The jersey was white with contrasting three black stripes running down the length of each side of the body. Faded horizontal lines on the front side presented the shirt with some visual design.
Starting as the Ipswich A.F.C., the club was formed in 1878 as an amateur side. They became known with their current official name 10 years later after the successful merger of Ipswich A.F.C. and the Ipswich Rugby Club. After dominating in several amateur leagues, they finally turned professional in 1936.
Their nickname the ‘Tractor Boys’ was a relatively recent addition to English football monickers, first sprouting around the early 2000s. With their team trailing 2-1 in a 2000/01 Premier League match against Ipswich, Leeds United supporters started chanting “We’re being beaten by a bunch of tractor drivers.” And jeers from more popular league clubs gave rise to “1-0 to the Tractor Boys.” What was meant to be an insult soon gained potency and publicity, increasing usage from the media and ultimately getting acceptance from the club (standing proud for the agricultural heritage of Suffolk).
One achievement Ipswich Town can be proud of is that they are the only British side to have not lost at home in European competition, even defeating the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio and Barcelona.