Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has bought a minority stake in Premier League side Ipswich Town.
Sheeran is a boyhood supporter of Ipswich, who were promoted to the English top flight last season after finishing second in the Championship.
The 33-year-old has taken a 1.4 per cent share in Ipswich and will not join the club’s board, as his stake is passive.
“I am really excited to have bought a small percentage of my hometown football club,” Sheeran said. “It’s any football fan’s dream to be an owner of the club they support, and I feel so grateful for this opportunity.
“I have lived in Suffolk since I was three years old and, while I travel the world and sometimes feel like an outsider in big cities, Suffolk and Ipswich have always made me feel part of the community and protected.”
“It’s such a joy to be a fan of Ipswich Town. There are ups and downs but football is all about taking the highs and the lows. I’m not a voting shareholder or a board member, this is just me putting some money into the club I love and them returning the gesture, so please don’t get onto me with signing suggestions or tactics to play! ”
Sheeran became a sponsor of Ipswich when the men’s team were in League One — the third tier of English football — ahead of the 2021-2022 season, signing a one-year contract to promote his Mathematics Tour with a front-of-shirt deal. That deal has been extended every season since and also covers Ipswich’s women’s side, which competes in the third tier.
Ipswich’s shirts for the 2024-25 season are again sponsored by Sheeran (Paul Harding/Getty Images)
Sheeran, who has won four Grammy Awards and seven BRIT Awards, starred in Ipswich’s promotional video for their third kit earlier this month. He is regularly seen at their Portman Road home and has an executive box at the stadium.
Ipswich chairman Mark Ashton added: “The support Ed and his team have shown us over the last three years has been nothing short of remarkable and for him to make this investment in the Club feels like the natural progression in our relationship.
“For one of the biggest artists in the world to give us so much of his time and give the club such incredible exposure around the world, while asking for very little in return, highlights just what makes this relationship such a special one. ”
Ipswich will play Premier League football for the first time in 22 years when the 2024-25 season begins this weekend. Kieran McKenna’s side host Liverpool on Saturday for their first game of the new campaign.
(Top photo: Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images)
Read the full article here