Ipswich Town are preparing to bring in fresh rules governing how season tickets are used.
The club’s rapid rise in recent seasons, climbing from League One all the way to the Premier League before returning to the Championship, has sparked huge demand among supporters. With Kieran McKenna’s side now pushing for another promotion — unbeaten since late October and sitting fifth, just three points off second place — interest in securing a seat at Portman Road has surged.
That success has come with a downside: the season ticket waiting list has exploded.
Ipswich plan changes to ensure committed fans fill seats
Speaking to TownTV, CEO and chairman Mark Ashton revealed that a surprising number of season ticket holders are failing to attend matches, even as 6,000 supporters joined the waiting list last month alone.
Ashton explained that empty seats harm the matchday atmosphere and, by extension, team performance. With so many fans desperate for tickets, the club intends to tighten expectations around regular attendance.
“We are going to have to put some rules in place if there are consistent no-shows from season ticket holders,” Ashton said. “We’ve got 6,000 people here who want those tickets. We can’t have empty seats on matchdays because that affects atmosphere, which affects performance, which affects everything we’re trying to do.
“Look out for that as we move through the rest of the season and into the summer because I think how we operate will change.”
A sign of Ipswich’s impressive growth
The need for attendance rules and a formal waiting list underlines just how far Ipswich have come. Confidence is high around the club, and many fans want to secure their place as the team pushes for a swift Premier League return.
Ashton’s concerns about atmosphere are understandable. A packed, noisy Portman Road could make all the difference in a tight promotion battle, and ensuring season ticket seats are actually used has become essential.
Whether Ipswich can force their way into the top two remains to be seen, but their upward momentum is only driving demand higher — and the race for season tickets is likely to get even more intense.