Greaer Investment Allows Ipswich Town To Brink Of Women's Championship

Forbes

01-04-2025

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 12: Ipswich Town players take a selfie on the pitch prior to The Adobe ... More Women's FA Cup Fourth Round match between Manchester City and Ipswich Town at Joie Stadium on January 12, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
At the end of the season, both Ipswich Town men's and women's teams could be heading into the Championship but for the women's team it will be the result of sustained investment.
On Sunday, a 2-0 win over Gwalia United at the Martello Ground in Felixstowe moved Ipswich Town three points clear of their nearest rivals Hashtag United having played one game less.
After years of coming close to promotion into the fully professional second tier of the English game, the Suffolk side know they now only require one win from their last three matches to secure the FA Women's National League title and a place in the Women's Championship next season.
Yesterday, Ipswich Town released their accounts for the previous season. They revealed that investment in their women's team has increased by five times in the last two years and more than doubled in the past season. Part of that investment has seen the women's team recruit a new general manager, Rachel Harris from London City Lionesses, and assistant coach, Lauren Phillips from Southampton.
Earlier in the season, planning permission was also submitted and approved for the club's training base at Playford Road to be redeveloped from 2025 into a state-of-the-art facility in time for the start of the 2026/27 season.
The current main building at the training ground will be developed and refurbished to then be used by the women's teams on a permanent basis and a new hydrotherapy center, modernised gym, rehabilitation and performance locations will be constructed.
For Kyra Robertson, currently captaining the side, the creation of something more mundane would be equally as important for the women's team. She told me 'I think just having our own area would be really nice."
"Obviously, at the moment we share a lot of facilities so having our own dedicated area that's ours and probably one big, nice changing room, just so we can all really be together. We've talked about that a lot, how we are such a together team. I think the changing room is really somewhere you build the bonds with everyone. So yeah, I think that would be a nice part.'
The club's record goalscorer Natasha Thomas added another two to her tally to ensure the win on Sunday and she was confident the club will this time get over the line. 'We know what we've got to do, we know how many games we've got left. So for me, until it's done , until we know that is going to be the case, we'll keep on providing the goals, we'll keep on providing the performance."
"Even if we do that in the next game, or the second game, we'll perform until the end of the season. We want to ensure that we can get all the points on the board that we possibly can and we'll keep going from there.'
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 12: Im A Celebrity star GK Barry, girlfriend of Ella Rutherford of ... More Ipswich Town, is pictured prior to The Adobe Women's FA Cup Fourth Round match between Manchester City and Ipswich Town at Joie Stadium on January 12, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by)
The women's team has also been sprinkled by star dust during this campaign with their matches regularly being attended by television personality GK Barry, the girlfriend of striker Ella Rutherford. The Loose Women presenter was there again on Sunday, one of 1,013 fans in the small ground watching the game, inbetween graciously posing for hundreds of selfies with patience and good humor.
Last weekend, when the club played only their second match at the club's main stadium, Portman Road, the team were watched by music legend, Ed Sheeran. His Mathematics tour are the principal shirt sponsor of the club and he visited the women's team changing rooms after the game to show his support with a video of the players joining him in singing 'Castle on the Hill' going viral on social media.
Thomas told me 'it was just really good because you know how much he loves the club, so I think it's just him ensuring that he was with us as well as the men's first team. It was just nice to have him there. We had some pictures, got some autographs. We sung along with him and to be honest, it was such a good day and it really topped it off for us.'
Head coach Joe Sheehan added that 'it's amazing. I'm fortunate I've met him previously so it was maybe a little bit different for the players today. I was quite pleased to just stand back and watch it because seeing our players spend some time with him and sing and whatever else, chanting or dancing, was great.'
'I think it's a really great feeling and he's incredible for this football club, the support he provides, and he's such a great guy, such a genuinely nice man, a real family man. Passionate about the region and the football club and he was delighted to come here and watch us, is gutted he can't do it more often, but his support is absolutely brilliant.'
The captain of the men's side, Sam Morsy is also showing his support for the women's team. He told me 'it's been brilliant for them to be fair, they're doing amazing and they're on the same journey as us, they're progressing. Joe's a really good coach, and a good guy. He's always in and around the men's first team to probably see how he can develop himself. It's great to have them around and great to see them improving as well, and being on their journey.'