August 16 – Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has secured a minority stake in Premier League club Ipswich Town. A lifelong fan of the Tractor Boys, Sheeran has acquired a 1.4% share in the newly promoted side.
Ipswich have confirmed that Sheeran’s share is a passive and minority investment in the club, and that he will not join the club’s board.
Earlier this year US-based private equity firm Bright Path Sports Partners bought a 44% stake in the club for a reported £105 million – which based on that valuation would put Sheeran’s stake at more than £2 million, though how much he paid for his shares has not been disclosed.
The four-time Grammy award winner inked a one-year sponsorship deal in 2021, when the club was battling in League One, to feature his Mathematics Tour on the front of the club’s shirts. As Ipswich have climbed up the football pyramid, the sponsorship has been extended season after season.
“It’s any football fan’s dream to be an owner of the club they support, and I feel so grateful for this opportunity,” said the 33-year-old.
“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 on to me with signing suggestions or tactics to play.”
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 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 return to the Premier League on Saturday as they host Liverpool at Portman Road. The last time the tractor boys were in the Premier League, they were beaten 5-0 by the reds on the last day of the season in 2002.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1734956191labto1734956191ofdlr1734956191owedi1734956191sni@g1734956191niwe.1734956191yrrah1734956191