In the
last 10 years Portman Road, the home of Ipswich Town
Football Club, has been given a massive facelift, with
nearly every aspect of the stadium, taking on a new
look, making the stadium barely recognisable from that
of the 1990's
The
new tier on the South Stand, Opened by UEFA President
Lennart Johansson, and the completely rebuilt Sir Bobby
Robson Stand took the capacity up from 22.559, to
30,000, the biggest since Portman Road was turned to an
all-seated stadium in 1992
The vast improvements
led to the club hosting it's first ever full
international match on 20th August 2003 where England
took on fellow European side Croatia in a friendly match
in front of almost 29,000 spectators.
The Stadium
also features statues of Town's legendary managers, Sir
Bobby Robson and Sir Alf Ramsey who both not only
achieved long periods success with the club, but also
went on to become iconic figures in football on the
international management stage.
In 2009 the club
decided to rename the North Stand after the late Sir
Bobby Robson, who sadly passed away from a long battle
against cancer in July 2009. The stand was officially
opened in September 2009 with a friendly against
Robson's hometown club Newcastle United.
Stadium Facts
The Record Attendance for a match at the stadium is
38,010 for the FA Cup Quarter Final tie against
Leeds in March of 1975.
Portman Road was the first stadium to go all seater,
just in time for Blues to take their place in the
first Premiership in the 1992-1993 season.
The Town Physio Centre was constructed at the ground
in 1993 at the same time as a new players lounge was
built.
The standard allocation for visiting fans is 10% of
the stadium capacity, which is now just over 30,000,
which is occasionally increased to 15% for some cup
games.
Ground Directions:
From the North:
Exit from the A14 at the A12 Colchester junction. Follow
the A1214 into Ipswich. You will go over two
roundabouts, and several sets of traffic lights. When
you get to the large set of lights, at the end of London
road, then you need to get into the middle lane, and go
straight over the lights.
At the next set of
lights you will need to turn right into West End road,
past a BMW garage. Continue along West end road for
about a mile, and then turn first left into 'Sir Alf
Ramsey Way'. Continue along 'Sir Alf Ramsey Way' for
about 300 yards, and the ground is on you right.
From the South: For those travelling
along the A12, the junction with the A14 is effectively
the first roundabout that you will come to. Then follow
the direction as above.
From the Train
Station The ground is only about a five
minute walk from the station. On exiting the station, go
straight over the bridge opposite, past the fire station
and then straight over into Princes Street (...you
should pass Staples on your left). Once into Princes
Street, take the first left into Portman Road. The
ground is about 100 yards down on the left.
The
new tier on the South Stand, Opened by UEFA President
Lennart Johansson, and the completely rebuilt Sir Bobby
Robson Stand took the capacity up from 22.559, to
30,000, the biggest since Portman Road was turned to an
all-seated stadium in 1992 
The Stadium
also features statues of Town's legendary managers, Sir
Bobby Robson and Sir Alf Ramsey who both not only
achieved long periods success with the club, but also
went on to become iconic figures in football on the
international management stage.
