Ed Sheeran will be in attendance at Ipswich Town’s return to the Premier League on Saturday after purchasing a minority stake in the club

Ed Sheeran is a lifelong Ipswich supporter(Image: (Photo by Richard Calver/Getty Images))

The town of Ipswich has been filled with excitement all summer ahead of their return to the Premier League. They face Liverpool – an unknown package in many ways – with Arne Slot due to take charge of his first Premier League game at Portman Road on Saturday lunchtime.

As well as the obvious buoyant mood around the place, one of the Town’s favourite sons will be in attendance – Ed Sheeran is set to cast his eye over the occasion.

The 33-year-old singer was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire but was raised in Framlingham a market town in Suffolk – around 17 miles North of Portman Road.

Ipswich stake

Sheeran – admittedly a fan of Ipswich – took his involvement a step further on Thursday when the club announced he had acquired a 1.4% stake in the club through Gamechanger 20 Ltd. As part of the agreement, the singer will have exclusive access to an executive box at home games but will not join the board of the club.

Speaking to Ipswich’s website, he 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. ”

He continued, expressing his excitement ahead of the historic campaign: “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! I’m excited for the Premier League to start this weekend. Let’s go!”

Sheeran originally became involved with the club on a business level through a kit sponsorship deal in 2021, when his album logo was visible on Men’s and Women’s shirts.

Ed Sheeran’s net worth

Gaining a small stake in the club will have cost pocket change for Sheeran as he boasts a fortune of £300m according to the Sunday Times Rich List, most of which is tied up in private businesses and property, so the figure is subject to fluctuations.

The singer has achieved seven number-one albums so far in his career, most recently with ‘Autumn Vibrations’ in 2023.

According to Cosmopolitan, the singer is earning around $7.3m (£5.6) from Spotify streams with several of his songs surpassing the one billion listeners mark. As of 2017, Sheeran achieved the highest grossing tour of all time, as his ‘Divide’ tour earned revenue around the £638m mark, as per Forbes.