Ipswich Town's chairman Mark Ashton has talked up the club's plans for Portman Road redevelopment in the future. However, he has insisted that doing so now is not in the plans.
Ipswich is enjoying its time in the Premier League, though the long-term plans for the club look to be making a step in the right direction. Regardless of what league they find themselves in next season. Right now, Portman Road has a capacity of just under 30,000, though Ashton dreams of a 40,000-seater stadium one day.
Speaking to BBC Suffolk, chairman and chief executive of Ipswich Town Mark Ashton laid the groundwork for what the future might hold for Portman Road. “It is on the to-do list but it is not top of the to-do list, I must be honest with you.” But while it is on the list of things to do, Ashton was clear that it won't be done mid-season regardless, “Why? Because I'm certainly not going to take a stand down in the midst of a Premier League season. That is just not the right thing to do.”
750 season ticket holders currently use the Cobbold stand, alongside 3,000 away fans. While season ticket holders are one thing, away fans would need to be relocated, shifting even more home fans away from the stadium. Ashton continued, “So, when you take down the Cobbold Stand down, people don't lose their season tickets and they could move across.”
Portman Road development – West Stand is the priority
For Ipswich fans, it does at least seem like the club has an idea of what the future looks like for the stadium. Speaking about future work he said, ” The next development there is the West Stand, which sees an increase in capacity of surprise, surprise, circa 4,000 people. So, when you take down the Cobbold Stand down, people don't lose their season tickets and they could move across.”
Sound reasoning all around from Ashton, but plans for future development don't currently have a solid timeframe, so don't expect any major news anytime soon. We've followed the Portman Road redevelopment for the past year, and outside of Premier League certification improvements, nothing else seems to be in the pipeline. Understandably, Ipswich might be looking to focus on the on-pitch matters for now, before ripping that up to lay the foundations for the future of the stadium.
40,000 is the dream
“We need to give supporters the best matchday facility and the best matchday hospitality and experience that we possibly can.” The last major Portman Road redevelopment came in the 1970s, when the Cobbold Stand was erected. Clearly, to bump the capacity by over 10,000, it will take more than one stand getting a facelift, however. In fact, the Cobbold Stand is likely to be the early focus, being the most recent it would likely be the easiest to update. That said, how much a chunk that stand can eat into the 10,000 capacity goal remains to be seen.
Maybe if the club remains in the Premier League for another season they can use that money to invest in the long-term future of the football club. For now, the iconic stadium remains.