Ipswich Town: Portman Road set for big change | OneFootball

Big changes are set to take place at Portman Road for Ipswich Town ahead of Premier League promotion in 2026/27...

Big changes are afoot again for Ipswich Town in 2026/27, with Portman Road set to play host to Premier League football for the second time in three seasons after Kieran McKenna's third promotion with the club.

Ipswich Town played back-to-back campaigns in the Premier League at the turn of the millennium, but relegation in 2002 saw them spend 22 years away from the top flight. That included four campaigns in League One before Kieran McKenna turned things around.

They finished 11th in his first year in charge but his first full campaign saw them smash their way out of the division by scoring 101 goals. The Tractor Boys secured consecutive promotions by finishing second in the Championship again, with McKenna returning the club to former glory.

It was maybe too much too soon last time out, but Ipswich will hope to make survival stick this time. However, it's likely that they will be fighting relegation again, meaning that they have had jeopardy every season for the last five in a row across the top three tiers of English football.

Ipswich Town reveal new stadium plans for Portman Road

No matter what happens next season, Ipswich fans will turn up in droves. Portman Road has a capacity of just under 30,000 and it has averaged 28,303, 29,742, and 28,845 over the last three seasons.

If they are to kick on as a club, one way would be to generate more revenue from matchdays. To do that, they might need to expand Portman Road to accommodate more supporters for every game, be that in the second tier or the Premier League.

Improving the facilities and matchday experience as a whole can also help, with Town submitting plans to redevelop parts of the West Stand at Portman Road following their promotion. The latest information comes via the BBC.

Documents submitted to Ipswich Borough Council outline proposals to expand the ground-level concourse, while the wider project would also see the club's FanZone refurbished. Additional improvements include the installation of automated turnstiles, an increase in parking provision, and the relocation of several kiosks around the stadium.

The West Stand is Portman Road's largest stand and holds around 8,700 people. In recent decades, it has been redeveloped in phases, including making upgrades just after their last promotion season in 2024.

Documents state that "the proposal submitted represents a progressive development for Ipswich Town Football Club." But also that the current proposed changes will make a "more comfortable and safe experience on matchday."

The proposals would see the office, archive, and medical facilities at the southern end of the West Stand relocated to make way for a larger concourse area. Plans also include a redesign of the turnstile layout in an effort to ease pedestrian congestion around the stadium on matchday, particularly along Sir Alf Ramsey Way.

Furthermore, the club hopes to increase community access to the FanZone by hosting more non-matchday events. The application will now be reviewed by the council through the usual planning process, with a decision expected in due course.

Ipswich Town need to seriously expand Portman Road in the near future

Given their location and catchment area, Ipswich is a town and club well-placed to attract large attendances. When you consider their position as the dominant club in Suffolk and the relative lack of nearby competition from other major football clubs, it seems a no-brainer to expand further at some stage.

Supporters are drawn not only from Ipswich itself, but from across Suffolk and parts of neighbouring Norfolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire. Continued success on the pitch has only strengthened demand for tickets. As mentioned previously, Portman Road is regularly operating close to capacity in recent years.

As a result, there is a strong argument for further stadium expansion over the coming years. Something like an initial increase to around 35,000 seats would appear sensible, allowing the club to meet growing demand without overextending financially, while retaining scope for further expansion should attendances continue to rise.

Ipswich are one of English football's largest clubs and they should have a club, training facilities, and a stadium that all reflect that. There are 32 English clubs with larger stadiums next season in English football, with that needing to change soon.