'Been such a dream' - Ed Sheeran's 'badgering' of Ipswich Town pays off as singer announces series of gigs at beloved Portman Road

Sheeran, who is a minority stakeholder at Ipswich and went to school in Suffolk town Framlingham, has revealed he will play at the club's stadium for three shows from July 11-13. The 34-year-old said it has been "such a dream" of his to play at Portman Road and that after "badgering" the first-team, his efforts to perform there have paid off.

He wrote on Instagram: "One of the first ever concerts I went to as a kid was at Ipswich Town's Portman Road to see Elton John. James Blunt opened for him, and I got so obsessed with James’ music, it really shaped me as a singer-songwriter from then on. I started doing shows around Ipswich as a young teenager, in pubs and bars, then moved to London to ‘make it’ because that’s what you did back then. Then things took off for me and I toured the world, but never ended up playing Ipswich really, for whatever reason, but mostly because I lived there and thought if I’m gonna do it, it has to be special. I wanted to play Portman Road in 2019 when we finished the Divide tour, but because of the football season, we ended up playing the big park. It’s always been such a dream to play Portman Road that I kept badgering the @ipswichtown team, but because I tour so much and football is very rigid in their schedule, I always missed the opportunity to play it. Fast forward to now, having become an investor in Ipswich Town, I got a bit more sway and asked if I could launch my new record there, as a one-off weekend of shows, and they agreed. I play all around the world, in such amazing stadiums, but nothing means as much as this one here. This really is a true homecoming, and is 3 nights only."

Sheeran is arguably Ipswich's most famous fan and has a small stake at the club, who have just been relegated from the Premier League. But his profile is certainly helping the Tractor Boys put their name on the map, and it clearly means a lot to him that he can look forward to this homecoming gig.

Fans can pre-order ‘Play’ via Ed’s official website to gain access to an exclusive pre-sale for concert tickets from 9am on Wednesday, 7 May. You must have a Ticketmaster account registered with the email address used for the album pre-order. General sale will then begin on Friday, 9 May at 10am.

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Sheeran, who also announced his new album Play will be released in September, will hope Ipswich can end the season on a more positive note as they prepare for next term in the Championship.