2025 has been a year of continued progress for Ipswich Town Foundation, with new programmes launched, record levels of player engagement in the community, and a continued commitment to providing access to opportunities for all generations in Suffolk.

Take a look back at some of the highlights of another successful year.

January

The year started strongly for the Foundation, with Jack Abbott, Member of Parliament for Ipswich bringing the Premier League Trophy to two primary schools in Ipswich. Students at The Willows and Halifax Primary took part in assemblies centred around the impact football can have on our lives and the values it can teach us, before taking photos with the Trophy.

January also saw the Fans of the Future project, supported by the Premier League Fans Fund, featured on Match of the Day. A big moment for the Foundation, the feature provided an insight into the project, which offered children at primary schools in Ipswich in areas of high deprivation with opportunities to connect with the Football Club.

February

February saw Foundation trustee and Ipswich Town Women star Natasha Thomas visit Rose Hill Primary School. Natasha visited the participants of our Girls Only football session, delivered as part of the Premier League Primary Stars programme.

Foundation Primary Education Manager Chris Scopes travelled to Trichy, Tamil Nadu in India to deliver Premier League Primary Stars sessions alongside the Premier League and the British Council. As part of his visit, Chris supported teachers and donated 30 Ipswich Town kits to local primary school children.

March

The Foundation was joined by royalty in March, as His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester visited Portman Road. His Royal Highness met staff and participants from a range of Foundation programmes, including Refugee Football, Golden Days Café, and Premier League Kicks. The visit of His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester provided the Foundation with an opportunity to showcase the impact and diversity of the work being undertaken to support people across all generations across Suffolk and its borders.

Also in March, the Foundation hosted its first Stadium Sleepout in partnership with Emmaus Suffolk, raising over £13,000 to support the work of both charities. The event saw over 30 supporters and staff take part, raising awareness and funds to tackle homelessness in Ipswich.

April

April saw arguably the biggest day in the Foundation’s calendar, as the Club marked its annual Foundation Fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Portman Road. The day raised crucial awareness of and funds to support our work in the community, raising over £50,000 on the day. As part of the day, Foundation participants took part in a half-time pitch walk, providing supporters with a visual representation of the breadth of the Foundation’s impact in the community.

In the lead up to the Foundation Fixture, Town winger Chieo Ogbene was announced as Disability Ambassador, a role previously taken by George Edmundson. In his time out with his Achilles injury, Chieo built a strong relationship with participants across the disability provision, wanting to contribute to the Club off the pitch whilst he couldn’t on the pitch.

May

In May, Post-16 students representing Suffolk New College played in the Suffolk County Schools FA County Cup finals, with the U18 Mixed team taking home the trophy, and the U18 Girls battling hard but narrowly losing out to St Joseph’s College.

The Club and Foundation were present at the Suffolk Show in May, with staff from the Foundation providing information, inflatable activities, and taster sessions across the two days, including a Senior Blues session and a taster Quiz Night, hosted by Dave Vant.

June

June saw the Foundation announce a new partnership with St Joseph’s College, with 40 hours of weekly sessions now delivered on a brand new, state-of-the-art 3G pitch on site. The move marked a significant shift for the Foundation, providing higher quality facilities to participants across our football provision.

The annual Play on the Pitch events took place across June, with participants from across the Foundation’s diverse provision having the opportunity to take part in activities on the Portman Road pitch over two weekends.

SHINE, a six-week oral hygiene project, supported by the Premier League Foundation and Professional Footballers’ Association, was launched in June – a first for the Foundation as we seek to tackle a growing oral health crisis in young people in Ipswich.

The Foundation also hosted its annual Disability Awards evening, sponsored by Storm International, at Milsoms Kesgrave Hall, welcoming over 100 participants and their families to celebrate another successful year for the programme.

July

July saw the Club’s home and away kits launch for the 2025/26 season, with Foundation participants featured in the kit launch. Participants from the Foundation’s Adult and Youth Disability, Walking Football, and LGBTQ+ Football were all featured.

Following feedback from participants, the Foundation hosted the first Women’s Walking Football taster session at Portman Road in July. The session, which now runs weekly, provides a safe and inclusive environment for women of all abilities to reap the benefits of regular exercise.

August

The Foundation marked the Lionesses’ success in the UEFA Women’s Euros with a Celebration Event at Portman Road. Young girls came together to celebrate the incredible achievement, and were joined by Town Women stars Kyra Robertson and Sophie Peskett.

August saw CDR Global announced as sponsor of the Girls Performance Squads, which provide U14 & U16 girls with access to high-quality coaching and fixtures on a weekly basis. The deal sees CDR Global’s logo on the front of both Squads’ matchday kit, with Ipswich Town Heritage Society later announced as the programme’s training wear sponsor.

At the end of the month, the Foundation hosted a Summer Dream Day, providing young people and families in exceptionally challenging circumstances with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities at Portman Road. Joined by captain Dara O’Shea, trustee Conor Chaplin, and Disability Ambassador Chieo Ogbene, families took part in arts & crafts activities, as well as a stadium tour. A full look at a memorable event is available below.

September

The Foundation’s annual Golf Day returned in September, raising over £9,500 to support the work being carried out across Suffolk. Former players were out in force at Hintlesham Golf Club, with first team players Alex Palmer, Jacob Greaves and Jack Clarke joining the golfers for a Q&A session later in the day.

September also saw Town stars Christian Walton and Ben Johnson visit Senior Blues, the sessions providing the older generation of Town supporters with a safe, social space to share their stories, combatting social isolation – a prevalent issue in Suffolk.

October

October saw midfielder Jens Cajuste open a brand-new playground at Foundation partner school St Matthew’s Primary. The playground, made possible by a large donation left in the Will of a former pupil, will increase opportunities for students at the school.

World Smile Day falls in October, with the Foundation delivering a special SHINE workshop to students at Rose Hill Primary. The session taught students the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene, and how to avoid food and drink that might be damaging their teeth.

The Foundation’s Adult & Youth Disability teams welcomed Norwich City Community Sports Foundation ahead of Town’s 3-1 East Anglian Derby victory on 5 October. Both teams took part in fixtures that were played in the right spirit, with the day highlighting the strength of both Clubs in their respective communities.

November

November was a busy month for the Foundation, with a number of important events and campaigns taking place.

Firstly, the Foundation’s annual Fundraising Dinner saw special guests including Mark Ashton, Kieran McKenna, Fabio Wardley, Wes Burns, Conor Townsend, and guest speaker Mark Venus, come together to celebrate the Foundation’s work and achievements, raising over £36,000.

EFL Week of Action also took place in November, the campaign designed to showcase the work being done Clubs and their charitable arms across the country. During the campaign, the Foundation shared the story of Charlie, who progressed from a participant of the Youth Mental Health sessions to volunteering at a number of Foundation sessions.

As part of EFL Week of Action, the Foundation launched the Empower Hub, a project designed to provide support to families in an area of high-deprivation in Ipswich. Supported by the Premier League Foundation, Professional Footballers’ Association, and the Lentonbrook Foundation, the programme has provided access to opportunities for young people in IP2.

Finally, November saw the Foundation publicly launch its Premier League Inspires delivery, which sees the Foundation work in five secondary schools in Ipswich, supporting young people aged 11-18 to develop the personal skills and positive attitudes needed to succeed in life.

December

Throughout December, the Foundation supported Ipswich Greyfriars Round Table with their annual Rudolph Runs, bringing Rudolph and Santa to the streets of Ipswich to raise funds for the Foundation.

It was announced in December that LT Contractors have continued their support for the Walking Football programme, extending that to support the new Women’s Walking Football sessions. LT Contractors have supported the programme since 2023, with their logo featuring on the front of the matchday kit for all teams.

On 21 December, the Foundation hosted its annual Disability Christmas Party at Suffolk One, with Christian Walton joining participants. As part of his visit, Christian handed out kit to every participant, paid for by donations from the first team squad, to be worn in fixtures and at training sessions.

Finally, the Foundation hosted a range of Christmas events across its diverse provision. Through the Golden Days Café, Senior Blues, and Veterans Coffee Morning, students from local primary schools were invited to sing Christmas Carols and engage in arts & crafts activities with the participants. The Foundation also hosted a special Christmas Dream Day, and a number of Christmas activations at the newly-launched Empower Hub.

With 2025 coming to a close, Ipswich Town Foundation would like to thank everyone who has supported us throughout the year. Without your help, we simply would not be able to deliver on our aim to build an empowered, inspired, and inclusive community to be proud of.

Happy New Year, and see you in 2026.