Ipswich Town's Premier League promotion massive for town

Town were promoted to the Premier League after their 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town on Saturday May 4.

They also had a promotion parade through the town on May 6 to celebrate this achievement, with around 55,000 people coming out to celebrate the promotion.

With bigger clubs and fanbases coming to Ipswich, and national and international media focusing more on the club, their could be a huge boost to the economy in Ipswich.

Terry Baxter, Chair of Ipswich Central, the business improvement district for Ipswich town centre, said: "You can’t understate how important promotion to the Premier League is, not only for the club but for the whole town and its businesses.

Town were promoted to the Premier League over the weekend (Image: Charlotte Bond)

"With many millions of pounds in economic benefit anticipated for the area in the coming year, that’s huge for the town.

"The benefits can and will be massive as other places such as Brighton have experienced since promotion."

Brighton saw a £612 million contribution to the local economy across the 2022/23 season from the benefits of the football club being in the Premier League.

MORE: Gallery: Ipswich turns blue as fans celebrate Ipswich Town's promotion

Mr Baxter continued: "More people visiting means more people needing to stay in our hotels, more people eating out in restaurants and enjoying all that the town has to offer.

"This positive change for the town centre is a welcome boost we all want to see."

Terry Baxter (Image: Ipswich Central)

Also in the town over the Bank Holiday weekend, pubs and bars across the town saw record sales and busy trade, with one even taking 24% more in one day than they do in a standard week.

Shamrock in Ipswich said they were at capacity for pretty much the entire day, filling up within 20 minutes of opening.

Steven Wells, owner of Shamrock, said: "We thank our customers, our bar team and Ipswich Town for making the day unforgettable.

"Ipswich hospitality, thanks to Town was given a platform this weekend to show what we can deliver, and it is alive and kicking.

Frank McFadden, Steven Wells and Gus Chrysomalis (Image: Tom Cann)

"In one day, we took 24% more than what we do in our standard week."

Nathaniel Coughlan of Isaacs on the Quay, said: "This was a long weekend which will live long in the memory for our customers and our staff.

"A unique set of circumstances in the shape of the good weather, a bank holiday weekend, and most importantly, a long-awaited return to the Premier League.

Town supporters watching the game from Isaacs (Image: Isaacs on the Quay)

Harry Clarke in the pub the day after Town's promotion (Image: Isaacs on the Quay)

"This promotion is great news for the town, and we were honoured that the Ipswich players and staff were able to celebrate with our customers after their incredible achievement. 

"Luckily we did not run out of beer altogether, but keeping up with the demand was an interesting challenge.

"As a listed building, we have comparatively small cellars for a venue of our size, but our staff worked tirelessly to continue restocking our key lines.

Queues outside Isaacs (Image: Isaacs on the Quay)

Isaacs on the Quay was packed (Image: Isaacs on the Quay)

"Indeed, our staff put in star performances, many of whom worked from early Saturday morning until the early hours of Sunday, only to come back and do it all again.

Vanessa Clarke from The Greyhound Pub, said: "Friday was busier than expected, a lot of very excited fans.

"Saturday was just amazing, people were waiting to get in two hours before we opened, and once we did, the crowds didn't stop coming.

The scene from in The Greyhound on Saturday (Image: The Greyhound Pub)

The scene from in The Greyhound on Saturday (Image: The Greyhound Pub)

"The atmosphere was incredible, people buzzing with excitement and anticipation.

"Once the game had finished the pub went crazy, both inside and outside was packed."

The pub had 38 staff working a total of 223 hours between them, all of which praised by customers on how well they coped.

The pub sold around 4,000 pints throughout the day, and due to planning, didn't run out of anything. They continued to have busy days on Sunday and Monday.

Vanessa Clarke and Daniel Lightfoot from The Greyhound Pub (Image: Tom Cann)

The scene in The Greyhound prior to kick-off (Image: The Greyhound Pub)