by Ed Sheeran has become the latest A-list celebrity to take a stake in a football team after purchasing a minority stake in Ipswich Town.
Sheeran, who was born in West Yorkshire but grew up in Framlingham, Suffolk, has been a lifelong fan of the Tractor Boys and has been a shirt sponsor of the men’s and women’s teams since 2021. The 33-year-old’s total stake in the Premier League club, which he acquired through Gamechanger 20 Ltd, is 1.4%. He will not be a voting shareholder or a board member.
As part of the agreement, Sheeran will receive a box at Portman Road, which he has personalized ahead of the 2024/25 season. “I’m really pleased to have bought a small share in my hometown football club,” Sheeran said on Ipswich’s website.
“It is every football fan’s dream to own the club they support and I am so grateful for this opportunity.
“I have lived in Suffolk since I was three years old. Although I travel the world and sometimes feel like an outsider in big cities, I have always felt part of the community and protected in Suffolk and Ipswich.
“I’m just putting some money into the club I love and they’re giving me the gesture back. So please don’t pester me with transfer suggestions or game tactics!”
Sheeran is the latest superstar to raise the profile of a lesser-known team – celebrity chef Delia Smith has been closely associated with Ipswich’s great rivals Norwich City for more than two decades. Elton John was chairman of Watford FC from 1976 to 2002, the team he supported from the age of seven. In 2021, actors Ryan Reynolds, star of Deadpool, and Rob McElhenney, of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame, completed their 100 percent takeover of Wrexham FC.
Ipswich are back in the top division for the first time since 2002 after being promoted from the Championship and will start the new season at home against Liverpool on Saturday.
Mark Ashton, the club’s chairman, said: “The fact that one of the world’s greatest artists gives us so much of his time and brings so much global exposure to the club without asking for much in return underlines what makes this relationship so special.”
