Ipswich Town have so far sold a little over 11,000 season tickets ahead of the new campaign, CEO Mark Ashton has said.
Season tickets went on general sale on Monday after close to 10,000 fans had previously opted to renew with their 2019/20 or 2020/21 tickets, with more than a thousand new seats purchased so far this week.
“We are going to bring some energy, new focus and a new way of working to the club and that’s very evident in the positivity being shown in both the shirt sales and ticket sales,” Ashton said.
“Season tickets are just over 11,000, which is great, and we were at around 9,000 before the start of last season so it’s going in the right direction.
“I’d just encourage the fans to make sure they get their season tickets and enjoy the journey.”
Ashton also stressed just how important ticket sales are for the club, given the Blues are restricted to spending 60% of their turnover on player salaries under League One’s Salary Cost Management Protocol (SCMP) fair play rules.
“(Season ticket sales) are absolutely imperative,” he said. “We’ve said we’ve got a club that’s going to be well-funded moving forward but we’re governed by the salary protocols in League One (Salary Cost Management Protocol) and that’s really clear.
“We can only spend 60% of our overall revenue on players, full stop. Every penny we bring in, be it through supporters buying tickets or commercial activities, is absolutely vital to us because it means we can spend sensibly and to the best we can do to bring the best players into the football club.”
Ashton also hailed the sponsorship deal which sees global superstar Ed Sheeran sponsor the Blues’ shirts this season, in a move which is likely to bring a sharp increase in sales.
“What a fantastic thing to do,” the CEO said.
“I can’t take the credit for this. This was put together by Rosie Richardson and her commercial team at the club, who have worked with Ed and his management team. It’s fantastic.
“It opens the club to a global audience and I’m so grateful to him for the way he’s publicised by wearing the shirt on TikTok and other social media platforms. It’s fantastic and takes the club to a global reach.
“We want to make sure this club sits at the heart of its community in a really big county. On and off the pitch we want to present the football club in the right way.
“The whole relationship with Ed Sheeran is something very, very special. He’s a genuine fan of the club and we’re grateful for his support.”
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