Ipswich Town, freshly relegated from the Premier League after a challenging 2024–25 campaign, confirmed their squad numbers for the upcoming Championship season, with new signings like Ashley Young (No. 15), Azor Matusiwa, Cedric Kipre, and David Button joining the roster. The team reportedly prepares for a Championship campaign hoping for a swift return to the Premier League. However, a move by Ipswich Town has sent shockwaves through the football fraternity and fans igniting many reactions on one of their signings.
Ipswich Town football club has once again assigned their number 17 jersey to global music superstar Ed Sheeran for the 2025–26 EFL Championship season. It is said that Sheeran has been a lifelong supporter of the club as he also has an ownership at 1.4% stake at the club, and he has been their main shirt sponsor from 2021 until the upcoming season. Ipswich offered him a number 17 shirt signifying his date of birth 17th February 1991. The move of his inclusion in the squad has attracted many reactions from fans and former players, sending the social media in a frenzy.
“Fair play Ed, he’s in the A team now,” says a fan as a humorous take on Ed Sheeran’s inclusion
Most of the fans had a humorous take on the announcement made by Ipswich Town on their social media. A post said, “When are we getting Taylor Swift 31?” Another jokingly wrote one of Sheeran’s hits, The A Team in the reaction. “Heard 17 won’t play a lot in this season because his legs don’t work like they used to before,” said a fan on social media referring to the lyrics of Ed Sheeran’s song Thinking Out Loud. It is also claimed in a reaction that this decision by the Ipswich Town team management is a marketing strategy. “It’s a nice marketing strategy to give a shirt to Ed Sheeran. Neutral fans might buy his jersey,” the post said. While another fan found the club assigning Sheeran a jersey cringey and wrote, “Can you please stop this endless pandering to Ed Sheeran. Yes he has sponsored us and is now a share holding but this is getting pathetic now, Makes us a laughing stock.”
