Town’s average home league attendance during 2023/24 was the highest in the club’s history, breaking a 47-year-old record.

The Blues’ average crowd at Portman Road as they won promotion back to the Premier League after 22 years away was 28,845.

The previous best was 26,674 during the 1976/77 First Division (top flight) campaign in which Town finished third in the table and qualified for the UEFA Cup.

This is among the facts in the new edition of Dan Botten’s Ipswich Town Miscellany: Blues Trivia, History, Facts and Stats, which is due to be published on August 24th.

Dan will also have a new edition of his other book, Ipswich Town: On This Day, which is quoted each week by Blues legend Russell Osman on Life’s a Pitch TV, published the same day.

Ipswich Town Miscellany, which features a foreword written by Osman’s long-time central defensive partner Terry Butcher, is full of intriguing anecdotes and incredible stats and facts, like the tale of the striker whose shot cleared the stand and hit a horse ploughing a field and the local Cub Scout pack who made tea in the Portman Road centre circle.

Ipswich Town: On This Day, which has a foreword written by Osman, has an entry for every day of the year, from Town's Victorian formation through to the current era under Kieran McKenna and the promotions and relegations, league and cup triumphs, hard-fought derbies and unforgettable European nights along the way.

Both books are now available for pre-order via Amazon, Ipswich Town Miscellany here and Ipswich Town: On This Day here.

Photo: Matchday Images

MaySixth added 11:33 - May 8 Can't wait to get these books.
2

runningout added 11:46 - May 8 Fan blooming tastic!!
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Gilesy added 11:50 - May 8 When you factor in that football in the 70s was a spontaneous thing; you didn't need to plan ahead, and the ground held close to 40000, this is remarkable!
2

monkeymagic added 12:06 - May 8 I believe we averaged nearly 2.5k away, would that be a record too?
2

BlueySwede added 12:07 - May 8 Credit to the fans as well this season, right behind the team from start to finish. These numbers are also so important in regard to what we can do in the transfer market this summer. COYB!
3

OldFart71 added 12:25 - May 8 I have little doubt providing a regular Premier League status can be achieved and the ground expanded to 35,000-40,000 that the 28,845 average will be smashed. If the ground held more for next season that record would go as the queue for tickets far exceeds the current capacity. I would assume that given the previous development that it may be a couple of seasons before we see further development, but as I have stressed before many aspects of what happened when we went into administration now don't exist. Parachute payments much, much better, a huge backing by Gamechanger and I cannot see us buying players like Serini and George that have no sell on value and cost 2.5 million to get shot of.

4

PhilTWTD added 13:01 - May 8 monkeymagic Probably, although the 8,000 or whatever it was we took to the MK Dons might skew the figures for the previous few seasons!
0

JewellintheTown added 13:08 - May 8 Bet we could have hit 40k+ next season if the ground had been expanded under the Evans era. Even if we go back down, depending on if KM is still with us and what players we still have, we could still max out the ground at 29k. So important to get the stands capacity updated asap, both financially and from a fanbase point of view. Imagine the atmosphere of a 40k+ crowd this past season after Sarmientos last gasp winner.

3

grow_our_own added 13:46 - May 8 We're gonna need a bigger boat. Bear in mind that of the current ~28k town fans who attend every week, ~4k are sitting in restricted view seats, which dampens demand. Rebuilding Cobbold will massively reduce these. I hope the club's projections of demand factor this in. Furthermore, removing the executive boxes to bring 2-3 thousand fans closer to the action will lead to a more immersive matchday experience, further increasing demand. Population of town and region has increased significantly since our record attendance of 38k in 1975.

2

cooper4england added 15:01 - May 8 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ love the Jaws reference!!
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SpiritOfJohn added 15:13 - May 8 This is interesting, but our average attendance in League One last season was also higher than any of our seasons in the Championship and the aggregate (more games in League One than the old First Division) was also well above that recorded in 1976/77.
2

SpiritOfJohn added 15:35 - May 8 Here is an article that reminds us of how things stood at the time of Mick McCarthy's departure: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/04/19/ipswich-towns-attendances-could- Whatever happened to the 'careful what you wish for' brigade?
2

blues1 added 16:01 - May 8 Jewellery in the Town Apparently the stand is being started at end of next season. Will add 10,000 seats. Guessing it will mean a restricted attendance tve following season mind you.
1

Westy added 16:10 - May 8 I am missing something here. How can it be a record if it is the best for 47 years?. If it's a record surely that means the best in the Club's history. Tremendous support none the less.
0

KMcBlue added 17:34 - May 8 Spirit of John- they seem to have gone very quiet! There were a lot of em!!!
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ChrisFelix added 17:50 - May 8 For someone who remembers the 70s well, This was the season we signed Mariner & if we hadn't lost Beattie at Easter to the fire incident we would have won the league. Surprisingly the attendances in 80 81 was less. Also it was standing only in front of both the west stand & then Portman stand
1

positivity added 18:13 - May 8 westy, it's the best ever. it *beat* a 47 year old record
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Karlosfandangal added 18:25 - May 8 Chrisfelix…. They played the best football I have ever seen in 80-81 season Till now so very surprising that second teir football gates were higher seeing as there is so much more access to games on TV. We have some astonishing fans and more who would attend if they could get tickets
1

Gforce added 19:32 - May 8 @blues1 hope you are correct, it would be fantastic to have a ground capacity of around 40000,it would certainly put little old Norwich to shame,with their tiny 26000 capacity!
1

Dissboyitfc added 19:49 - May 8 The Sky's the limit! Amazing time to be a town supporter. It surpassed a record that had stood for 47 years! so taken over a period of some of the clubs most successful times.
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