Ed Sheeran’s fame helped us sign a player, Ipswich Town chairman reveals

Mark Ashton, the chairman and chief executive of Ipswich Town, has revealed that Ed Sheeran used his global stardom to play a part in the Suffolk football club’s summer transfer activity.

The 33-year-old singer-songwriter is a lifelong fan of the Tractor Boys and has been a shirt sponsor for both the men’s and women’s teams since 2021 before acquiring a minority stake in the club in August.

However, Sheeran has also found a new role at the Premier League club, with Ashton revealing he helped with the recruitment of one player after joining a Zoom call with the potential signing.

Mark Ashton (left) revealed Sheeran’s influence in the summer transfer window (Robbie Stephenson/PA)PA Archive/PA Images - Robbie Stephenson

“A local man, global superstar, sponsor of the football club, now a shareholder and now officially part of our recruitment team,” Ashton said at a Soccerex event broadcast by Sky Sports News.

“In the summer we were trying to persuade one particular player to join the football club and realised very quickly that he was an Ed Sheeran fan.

“Ed jumped on a Zoom call with him at the training ground just before he stepped on stage with Taylor Swift, hopefully that was a key
part of getting the player across the line.

“We’ve gone from the third tier of English football to the Premier League, but we haven’t forgotten our roots and Ed’s a key part of that, the work that we do in our local communities is central to us.”

Asked if the player involved in the call was doing well for Ipswich, Ashton replied: “Certainly scoring a few goals!”

Sheeran was in the crowd as the club secured their first Premier League win of the season at Tottenham on November 10.

The team, currently 17th in the league table, face Manchester United on Sunday.