Ipswich Town: Mark Ashton on vision for women's team

Ipswich Town chairman Mark Ashton has a vision for the women's team.

Before the club's American takeover in 2021, the Tractor Girls played eastern region fourth-tier football and none of the players were paid. 

Fast forward less than four years and Joe Sheehan's team are semi-pro, have their own training pitch at Playford Road and have put themselves in a great position to step up to the Championship.

The winners of the National League South are automatically promoted to the second-tier. Ipswich, who have lost one league game all season, find themselves two points behind leaders Hashtag United but with two games in hand.

Promotion to the Championship is in Ipswich Town Women's hands heading into their final five games. (Image: Ross Halls)

“It's been a really good, strong season from Joe Sheehan and his team. We set out at the start of the season with, not an expectation, but a clear understanding that the focus was promotion," Ashton explained.

“We've invested financially more into the women's team this year, from both staff and the playing perspective, because we want to get into the Championship. I've made no bones about that.

“We want to get into the Championship and then we want to stabilise, stay in that division and then build progressively from there because the WSL is a whole other ball game, another set of challenges.

“I think Ipswich Town women's team represents the club fantastically. They're fully integrated at the training ground. It's been a really strong season and we've got ourselves in a great position to get across the line."

Natasha Thomas scored twice when ITFC Women beat Chatham Town 5-0 at Portman Road last March. (Image: Ross Halls)

The Tractor Girls played their first ever league game at Portman Road last March, with a crowd of 10,173 cheering them on to a 5-0 win against Chatham Town.

More than 8,000 tickets have already been sold for this Sunday's game. The EADT and Ipswich Star are delighted to give you the chance to buy half price tickets - £3.50 for adults and £1.50 for juniors.

“I'd like us to see get more than we did last time," said Ashton. "I know it's another ask. I recognise that we are still in a cost of living crisis and every penny that families spend is important to them. But I'd just ask everyone to get behind the team if they can.

“We'll treat it just like a men's first team game. There will be the normal coach welcome, the pyrotechnics before the game, Ed Sheeran's going to be here.

“It will be treated as it should be. Hopefully we can get a home win."

Suffolk superstar Ed Sheeran is going to be in attendance at Portman Road on Sunday. (Image: PA)

Town Women usually play their home games at The Martello Ground, home of Felixstowe & Walton United, attracting crowds of 500-1000.

Asked if the team would stay on the coast, or play regularly at Portman Road next season, should they be promoted, Ashton replied: “I think there'll be a blend. Because we're moving to a Cat One academy there will be more (male) youth games at Portman Road next season too.

“We're in the final knockings now of agreeing the facilities plans for next season."

On how far he believes the women's team can go, he said: “Like everything, we always want to be the best version of ourselves and we want to build everything in as sustainable and professional a manner as we possibly can.

“Getting to the Championship from where we started when we joined the club would be a huge step. There have been a lot of steps up for this club - be it from the Championship to the Premier League for the men’s team, Cat Two to Cat One for the academy, or tier three to tier two in the women's game. These are all independent business plans within a business.

ITFC Women faced club giants Man City in the FA Cup fourth round earlier this season. (Image: Ross Halls)

“There's a huge amount of work being undertaken by Rachel (Harris, general manager of ITFC Women), Gary Probert (director of football operations) and the team in preparation for what a Championship women's team could look like. WSL, as I said, brings a whole host of new physical challenges and we need to be prepared for those.

“Ultimately we just want to keep progressing and moving forward.

“The women's team is an important part of the club. Where we give a young nine-year-old boy that clear pathway through to the men's first team, we've got to give the nine-year-old young girl the same opportunity and the same pathway.

“We treat our women’s programme with the respect and investment that it deserves because it underpins our culture. We're all in this together as one family inside ITFC."