History of Ipswich Town F.C. facts for kids
Ipswich Town Football Club is a famous English football team. It is based in Ipswich, Suffolk. The club started in 1878. At first, they played as an amateur team. This means players were not paid.
In 1936, the club became professional. They joined the Southern League. Then, in 1938, Ipswich Town joined the Football League. This was a big step for the club.
Ipswich Town had great success in the 1960s. This was under manager Alf Ramsey. They won the First Division title in 1961–62. This was just one season after they were promoted from the Second Division.
Later, in the 1980s, Bobby Robson led the team. They won the FA Cup in 1978. They also won the UEFA Cup in 1981. This was a major European trophy.
Both Alf Ramsey and Bobby Robson went on to manage the England national football team. Ramsey led England to win the World Cup in 1966. Robson guided the team to fourth place in the 1990 World Cup.
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How the Club Started: 1878–1936
Ipswich AFC was founded on October 16, 1878. It was an amateur team. The first president was Thomas Cobbold, a local politician. The team's first game was a 6–1 win against Stoke Wanderers. This happened on November 2, 1878.
In 1884, the team moved to Portman Road. This is still their home stadium today. In 1888, Ipswich AFC joined with Ipswich Rugby Club. They formed Ipswich Town F.C.
The club won its first trophy in 1886–87. This was the Suffolk Challenge Cup. In 1890, they played in the FA Cup for the first time. Ipswich joined the Norfolk & Suffolk League in 1899. They also became champions of the new South East Anglian League in 1903.
In 1907, Ipswich helped start the Southern Amateur League. They won this league four times. This was in 1922, 1930, 1933, and 1934. In 1936, Ipswich Town decided to become a professional football club.
Joining the Football League: 1936–1955
In 1936, Ipswich Town became a professional team. They were voted into the Southern League. Mick O'Brien became the club's first professional manager. Their first professional game at Portman Road was a 4–1 win. Ipswich won the Southern League in their first professional season.
After O'Brien left, Scott Duncan became manager in 1936. He led Ipswich to third place in 1937–38. On May 30, 1938, Ipswich Town joined The Football League. They started in the Third Division South.
The Second World War stopped league football. Duncan managed the club for over 500 games. This was between 1937 and 1955. In the early 1950s, Tom Garneys was a top goal scorer.
Ipswich won the Third Division South title in 1953–54. This earned them promotion to the Second Division. But they were relegated back to the Third Division the next year. Scott Duncan then resigned. Alf Ramsey became the new manager.
Alf Ramsey and Becoming Champions: 1955–1969
Alf Ramsey's arrival brought great change. In his first season, Ipswich scored 106 goals. They finished third in Division Three (South). The next season, 1956–57, they won the Third Division South title. Ted Phillips scored 46 goals that season. This is still a club record.
Ipswich played under floodlights for the first time in 1956. After three seasons in the Second Division, Ipswich had their best season yet. In 1960–61, they won the Second Division. This meant they were promoted to the top league in England.
In 1961–62, Ipswich became champions of the Football League. This was their first try in the top division! Ray Crawford was a top scorer that year. As champions, Ipswich played in the European Cup. They beat Floriana but lost to A.C. Milan.
Ramsey left the club in April 1963. He became the manager of the England national football team. Ipswich finished close to relegation that season. A statue of Alf Ramsey was put outside Portman Road in 2000. This was to remember his success.
After Ramsey, Jackie Milburn became manager. The team's performance dropped. Ipswich was relegated to the Second Division in 1963–64. Milburn left after one season. Bill McGarry took over. He led Ipswich back to the top division in 1967–68. McGarry then left for another club. Bobby Robson became manager in January 1969.
Bobby Robson and European Success: 1969–1982
Bobby Robson had been a manager at Fulham. His first two seasons at Ipswich were tough. But he kept the team in the top division. In 1972–73, Ipswich finished fourth in the First Division. They also won the Texaco Cup, beating Norwich City.
Finishing fourth meant Ipswich qualified for the UEFA Cup. In 1973–74, they played against Real Madrid. Ipswich won 1–0 at home. They drew 0–0 away. This was a big surprise. Ipswich went out in the quarter-finals.
In 1974–75, Ipswich finished third in the First Division. In 1976, they signed Paul Mariner for a club record fee. The team challenged for the First Division title in 1976–77. They finished third.
In 1977–78, Ipswich won the FA Cup. Roger Osborne scored the winning goal against Arsenal at Wembley. This was the club's second major trophy. They also reached the third round of the UEFA Cup. They beat Barcelona 3–0 at home.
Robson brought in Dutch players Arnold Mühren and Frans Thijssen. The 1980–81 season was very special. Ipswich finished second in the league. They also won the UEFA Cup. They beat AS Saint-Étienne and 1. FC Köln. In the final, they beat AZ 67 Alkmaar 5–4 on aggregate. This was a huge achievement for the club.
In 1981–82, Ipswich finished second in the First Division again. Bobby Robson was offered the job to manage the England national football team. He left Ipswich on July 7, 1982. During his 13 years, Robson mostly used players from Ipswich's youth teams. A statue of Bobby Robson was unveiled at Portman Road in 2002.
After Robson: 1982–1995
Bobby Ferguson replaced Bobby Robson as manager. Ipswich had some success in cup competitions. But their league positions dropped. In 1985–86, Ipswich finished 20th. They were relegated to the Second Division.
Ferguson resigned in 1987. John Duncan managed the club from 1987 to 1990. Ipswich stayed in the middle of the Second Division. Duncan was sacked in 1990. John Lyall became the new manager.
Lyall led Ipswich to win the Second Division in 1991–92. This meant they were promoted to the new FA Premier League. Ipswich started well in the Premier League. They were in fourth place in January 1993. But they finished 16th.
The next season, 1993–94, was similar. Ipswich avoided relegation on the last day. Lyall was sacked in December 1994. The club was at the bottom of the Premiership. George Burley took over. But Ipswich lost 9–0 to Manchester United. They were relegated soon after.
Modern Era: 1995–Present
David Sheepshanks became club chairman in 1995. Ipswich tried to get promoted for several seasons. They lost in the play-off semi-finals three times. In 2000, Ipswich reached the Division One play-off final. They beat Barnsley 4–2 at Wembley. This sent them back to the Premiership.
Ipswich surprised everyone in 2000–01. They finished fifth in the Premier League. This earned them a UEFA Cup place. George Burley was named Manager of the Year.
In 2001–02, Ipswich's league form was poor. They were at the bottom of the table. They beat Inter Milan 1–0 in the UEFA Cup. But they lost the tie. Relegation was confirmed on the last day of the season. The club then went into financial administration. Many players were sold.
Ipswich still qualified for the UEFA Cup through Fair Play. But they lost in the second round. George Burley was sacked. Joe Royle became manager. He helped the club improve. Ipswich challenged for promotion. They reached the play-off semi-finals in 2004 and 2005. But they lost to West Ham United both times. Royle resigned in 2006.
Jim Magilton became the new manager in 2006. In 2007, Marcus Evans became the majority owner of the club. Magilton was sacked in 2009. Roy Keane took over. Ipswich had a tough start to the 2009–10 season. Keane left in 2011.
Paul Jewell became manager. Ipswich finished 13th and 15th. In 2012, Jewell left. Mick McCarthy took charge. He led Ipswich to a play-off place in 2014–15. They lost to local rivals Norwich City. McCarthy left in 2018.
Paul Hurst was manager for a short time. He was sacked in 2018. Paul Lambert became manager. In 2019, Ipswich was relegated to the third tier of English football. This was for the first time since 1957.
In 2021, Paul Cook became manager. A US investment group bought most of the club. Ipswich finished ninth in League One. Cook was sacked in December 2021. Kieran McKenna became manager. The team's form improved.
Promotion Back to the Championship: 2022–Present
Ipswich started their fourth season in League One very well. They won seven of their first ten games. They stayed in the top two for a long time.
Ipswich then had an amazing 18-game unbeaten run. This helped them get back into second place. On April 29, 2023, Ipswich confirmed their promotion. They beat Exeter 6–0. They scored 101 goals and earned 98 points that season. This brought them back to the Championship.
