Ipswich Town F.C. Women
| Full name | Ipswich Town Football Club Women | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | The Blues, The Tractor Girls | ||
| Ground | Colchester Community Stadium, Colchester Portman Road, Ipswich | ||
| Capacity | 10,105 (Colchester Community Stadium) 30,056 (Portman Road) | ||
| Owner | Gamechanger 20 Ltd | ||
| Chairman | Mark Ashton | ||
| Manager | Joe Sheehan | ||
| League | Women's Super League 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | FA Women's National League South, 1st of 12 (promoted) | ||
| Website | itfc.co.uk/itfc-women | ||
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Ipswich Town Football Club Women is a women's team affiliated with Ipswich Town Football Club. The club currently competes in the Women's Super League 2, the second tier of women's English football, following promotion from the FAWNL South Division as champions in the 2024–25 season.
They play their home games at Colchester Community Stadium in Colchester, the home of Colchester United, while also playing the occasional game at Portman Road. The club wears the traditional home colours of blue shirts with white shorts and blue socks. Like the men's team, they have a long-standing rivalry with Norwich City, against whom they contest the East Anglian derby, though in recent years the two clubs have been in separate leagues.
History
It is unknown when the team was founded, but they are credited as being one of the first teams to compete in the newly founded Women's Premier League (now defunct) in 1991.[1] The league was created to help bring women's regional football to a more national one and to bring it more in line with the male game. At the time, the league was seen as the tier 1 league in women's English football. Ipswich would go on to stay in the league for 2 more seasons until they were relegated to the Southern Division (now the FAWNL South Division) at the end of the 1993–94 season.
During the COVID-19 pandemic all football was stopped and the FA announced that all results for tiers 3–6 of women's football for the 2019–20 season were declared null and void, denying Town promotion despite being top of the league winning 11 out of 14 games and having a +42 goal difference at the time. When the 2020–21 season started, Town carried on their winning ways by winning their opening 4 games and sitting top of the league scoring 18 and conceding no goals before the season was halted again when the country went into another lockdown. After this lockdown and following a consultation from the FA, Town applied for promotion and were successful in their bid.[2] Following promotion back to the FAWNL South Division, the club turned professional in June 2021 when Sophie Peskett signed Ipswich's first professional women's contract.[3] This was soon followed when 8 further players, including Town's leading all-time scorer Natasha Thomas, all signed professional contracts.
On 19 February 2024, it was announced that Ipswich Town Women would play their first ever game at Portman Road for the game on 23 March 2024 against Chatham Town, with all four stands being open for ticket sales.[4] They went on to win the game 5–0 in front of an attendance of 10,173.[5] On 19 November 2024, it was announced that Ipswich Town Women would return to Portman Road for the upcoming game on 23 March 2025 against Plymouth.[6]
On 27 April 2025, Town went into their final game of the season against Cheltenham Town looking to secure promotion and the title. Already being 3 points ahead of 2nd place Hashtag United and having a far more superior goal difference, promotion looked guaranteed. Town went on to win the match 8–0, winning the league title and secured promotion to the Women's Super League 2 for the first time in the club's history.[7] On 23 June 2025 it was announced that after more than a decade, Town would be leaving their home ground of Dellwood Avenue in Felixstowe and relocating to the Colchester Community Stadium in Colchester on a two year deal. Town's head of women's football (Rachel Harris) and chairman (Mark Ashton) announced that the move away from Dellwood Avenue had to be made following the promotion to the Women's Super League 2 and having to meet league standards, but were also working towards securing a permanent home for the women's team in the Ipswich area.[8]
Records and statistics
Player records
- Most appearances: Natasha Thomas, 252 (2015–present)
- Most overall goals: Natasha Thomas, 173 (2015–present)
- Most goals in a season: Natasha Thomas, 28 goals in the 2015–16 season
International
- First international appearance: Natasha Thomas for Jamaica against France on 25 October 2024
- Most international caps: Natasha Thomas, 5 caps for Jamaica as an Ipswich player
Club records
Matches
- Record league win: 13–0 against Milton Keynes Dons, Southern Premier Division, 27 October 2024
- Record FA Cup win: 12–0 against Milton Keynes Dons, first round, 3 November 2024
- Record league defeat: 9–0 against Millwall Lionessess, Southern Division, 22 March 2009
- Record FA Cup defeat: 10–0 against Manchester City, fifth round, 16 February 2020
Goals
- Most league goals scored in a season: 89 in 22 matches, Southern Premier Division, 2024–25
- Fewest league goals scored in a season: 14 in 22 matches, Southern Division, 2009–10
- Most league goals conceded in a season: 86 in 18 matches, Premier Division, 1993–94
- Fewest league goals conceded in a season: 10 in 22 matches, Southern Premier Division, 2024–25
Points
- Most points in a season: 58 in 26 games, Southern Premier Division, 2021–22
- Fewest points in a season: 6 in 18 games, Premier Division, 1993–94
Attendances
- Highest attendance at a home match:
- Colchester Community Stadium: 1,462 (against Nottingham Forest), Women's Super League 2, 14 September 2025
- Portman Road: 10,807 (against Plymouth Argyle), Southern Premier Division, 23 March 2025
- Dellwood Avenue: 2,150 (against Cheltenham Town), Southern Premier Division, 27 April 2025
- Lowest attendance at a home match:
- Colchester Community Stadium: 455 (against Leicester City), League Cup group stage, 24 September 2025
- Portman Road: 10,173 (against Chatham Town), Southern Premier Division, 23 March 2024
- Dellwood Avenue: 16 (against Actonians LFC), Division One South East, 8 January 2017
Note: Some club records before the 2003–04 season are missing[9]
Players
Current squad
- As of 6 September 2025[10]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Former players
Club officials
Current season
Women's Super League 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Sunderland | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 20 | −3 | 12 | |
| 9 | Sheffield United | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 19 | −9 | 12 | |
| 10 | Durham | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 15 | −2 | 10 | |
| 11 | Portsmouth | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 27 | −12 | 10 | |
| 12 | Ipswich Town | 11 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 30 | −21 | 5 | Relegation to the Women's National League North or South |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Women's FA Cup
As a WSL2 side, Ipswich entered the tournament in the third round. The draw was made on 24 November 2025 with Town being drawn away to AFC Portchester.[11] After advancing, Ipswich were then drawn at home against Sheffield United in the fourth round.[12]
| 14 December 2025 Third round | AFC Portchester | 0–5 | Ipswich Town | Portchester |
| 13:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: OnSite Group Stadium Attendance: 446 |
| 18 January 2026 Fourth round | Ipswich Town | v | Sheffield United | |
| TBC GMT |
Women's League Cup
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crystal Palace | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 6 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | Leicester City | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | London City Lionesses | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 | |
| 4 | Ipswich Town | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of wins; 5) Head-to-head record
Women's Player of the Year
| Women's Player of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Name | Ref |
| 2021–22 | Bonnie Horwood | [13] |
| 2022–23 | Megan Wearing | [14] |
| 2023–24 | Sophie Peskett | [15] |
| 2024–25 | Sophie Peskett | [16] |
Honours
League
- South East Combination League / FAWNL South Division (level 3)
- FAWNL South East Division (level 4)
- Promotion: Ipswich were top of the league in both the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no teams were promoted or relegated. Ipswich won promotion to the National League South via application at the end of the 2020–21 season.
References
- ^ "The Story Of Women's Football In England". The FA. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Tractor Girls Promoted". Ipswich Town FC. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "First Pro Female Footballer At Town". Ipswich Town FC. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Ipswich Town F.C. Women To Play At Portman Road". Ipswich Town F.C. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "Ipswich Town F.C. Women win at Portman Road". TWTD. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "Town Women Set For Portman Road Return". Ipswich Town F.C. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
- ^ "Town Women Thrash Cheltenham to Confirm Title and Promotion". TWTD. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
- ^ "Town Women and U21s to Play at Colchester". Ipswich Town F.C. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ "Full Time Results". The FA. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "Ipswich Town F.C. Women – Squad". Ipswich Town F.C. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ "Town Women to Face AFC Portchester in FA Cup". TWTD. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ "Town Women to Host Blades in FA Cup". TWTD. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Women's Awards at End of Season Dinner". Ipswich Town F.C. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ "Megan Wins Award". TWTD. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "End of Season Awards". Ipswich Town. 13 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "End Of Season Dinner 2025". Ipswich Town. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.