Ipswich Town Women will play their first ever game at Portman Road when they take on Chatham Town in the FAWNL Southern Premier Division on Saturday 23rd March (KO 3pm), the men’s side’s free weekend due to the international break.

The Tractor Girls play their home games at Felixstowe & Walton’s AGL Arena but have played matches at other clubs’ main stadia in the past, including Home Park, Plymouth and the MK Dons’ Stadium MK, with a Portman Road match having been pencilled in for some point in this campaign since the summer.

“We are delighted to confirm that our women’s team will play a fixture at Portman Road,” CEO Mark Ashton told the club site.
  
“There has been a clear passion and interest in a game being held at the stadium and it is fantastic that we now have one confirmed. 

“We consistently see great attendances at Portman Road and we urge all supporters to get behind Joe and the team for this game as well. This will be an historic day for the club and we want a strong atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.” 

Women’s manager Joe Sheehan added: “We’re excited to be playing a league game at Portman Road for the first time.
 
“It promises to be memorable occasion, one that we hope will be a catalyst for more positive change, inspiring and providing further opportunities for young players in the future.” 

Rachel Harris, the recently-appointed general manager of the women’s side of the club, said: "This is a significant milestone and an important step forward for our Women's team.  

“Our supporters have been eagerly awaiting a women's fixture to be held at Portman Road, and we are excited to give them the chance to be part of an historic occasion and express their support for us on what will undoubtedly be an unforgettable day.” 

All four stands will be open for the match and the club say full details including ticket information and prices will be published in due course.

The Blues are currently fifth in FAWNL Southern Premier Division with promotion now looking highly unlikely, while Chatham are 11th and second bottom having taken only five points from their 15 games.

Photo: Ross Halls

BlueRuin69 added 17:08 - Feb 19 Good stuff. Coyb!
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Mark added 18:08 - Feb 19 That's good news. It is very sensible to choose a game we should win comfortably so fans go away with happy memories, hopefully feeling inspired.
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Edmundo added 18:28 - Feb 19 Great news! The appetite for football in Ipswich has grown, the appetite for Women's football nationally has grown. Hopefully this is the first of many Town Women's fixtures and, dare I say it, maybe a Lionesses fixture in the not too distant future?
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Westy added 19:23 - Feb 19 Glad this is happening. A shame that purely coincidentally it will coincide with train disruption, but if ticket pricing is sensible no reason why a good crowd could not attend.
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SoCalTownFan added 19:46 - Feb 19 Exciting news, I'll be interested to see the attendance.
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