Ipswich Town are one of the sensations of the current edition of the Championship . Freshly promoted from England’s third division, the club occupies second position in the table, behind only the favorites Leicester . In addition, the Blues are also known for being linked with the international pop star Ed Sheeran .

Sheeran was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, near Leeds, but grew up in Suffolk, a county in the northeast of England where the city of Ipswich is located. The singer has always maintained a close relationship with the region — so much so that, in 2021, he ended his Divise Tour, which broke official records for attendance and revenue, in the municipality with less than 150 thousand inhabitants.

He also strengthened his relationship by donating money to Ipswich Hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic and received an honours degree from Suffolk University for his “outstanding contribution to music”.

Naturally, the connection extends to football — Ed Sheeran is a die-hard Ipswich supporter, to the point of having sponsored his favourite team . In the 2021/11 and 2022/23 seasons, the modest club’s kit featured the symbols +-=÷x and the word “tour”. The singer often uses the mathematical symbols to name his albums and tours.

— The club is an important part of the local community and this is my way of showing my support. With the arrival of new US owners, Ipswich fans, like myself, can look forward to exciting times ahead — he said in May 2021, when the stands were still empty due to the pandemic.

He referred to a US consortium that bought the club for £40m with the hope of lifting the club out of the doldrums of the past two decades.

Last Tuesday (3), the connection was once again evident when Sheeran attended a game at Portman Road and was filmed in the team’s dressing room after the game, won by the home team 3-0. In the scenes, the players form a circle and sing the hit “Perfect”, released by the singer in 2017.

Ipswich fan (and former sponsor) Ed Sheeran visited the Championship runners-up’s dressing room and was celebrated with his hit “Perfect”. pic.twitter.com/D3UUsKUg6V

— Leonardo Bertozzi (@lbertozzi) October 5, 2023

Ed Sheeran sponsorship brings Ipswich Town luck

In some ways, it’s possible to say that the sponsorship not only helped the club financially, but also brought them luck. With Sheeran’s logos on the shirt, Ipswich finished runners-up in the third division and secured promotion after four years in mid-table.

Before that, they spent 17 years in the Championship. Their last Premier League appearance was in 2001/02, when Ed Sheeran was 11 years old. The club also has the distinction of having suffered the biggest defeat in PL history: 9-0 to Manchester United in 1995.

However, the Blues do have some history in English football. The club were league champions in 1962 and also won the FA Cup in the 1977/78 season. In the same season, they were national runners-up twice in a row (80/81 and 81/82).

It’s a shame that Ed Sheeran , so successful on the international scene, didn’t see any of the greatest glories of his beloved club. But, if it depends on the singer’s encouragement, the future promises to be better.