Town chief executive Simon Clegg says that Town would welcome sponsorship of the South Stand and also of Portman Road as a whole. Brewers Greene King ended their long association with the stand formerly known as Churchman’s in the summer.

Clegg says replacing Greene King would bring in useful additional cash: “It would be an excellent way of driving new revenue into the club if we could find someone. But we need to recognise we are in recession at the moment and things are tight.

“It is one of the still uptapped areas of sponsorship that the club has available and I would be delighted to see a main sponsor come on board and pick up the title rights to that stand. But there are no talks ongoing with anyone at this moment in time.”

The chief executive says that sponsorship of the ground could also happen: “Everything will be considered in the context of trying to drive more revenue into the club. This club is costing Marcus Evans a significant amount of money on a year-in, year-out basis out of his own pocket.

“He has made it clear that he is committed to this club for the long-term, but everything that we can do to help reduce that offset is helpful to him and perhaps allows him to invest in other areas of the club which without that he wouldn’t be able to.”

Clegg says Evans would like to continue the ground improvements made earlier in the decade but admits that a new Cobbold Stand is unlikely until such time as the Blues have spent a period in the Premier League.

Town’s ticket prices have faced criticism from away fans this season with the lowest cheapest ticket for adult travelling fans above £30 other than in the family area. Clegg says matchday pricing is something which is regularly assessed: “It’s something we’re constantly looking at but it goes back to making sure we’re running this company on a sound financial footing.

“I am highly conscious that we’re living through the worst recession in living memory and we have to be conscious of that. But conversely people would expect me to run this on a sound financial footing and to do that and offset the significant costs that we incur as a football club, we’ve got to ensure we’re charging the right level for gate entry.”

Clegg explained the reasoning behind the switch to grading matches made in the summer: “We’re trying to simplify the basis on which we were charging people. It’s quite straightforward, it’s A, B and C games. We’ve simplified all the different ticket pricing levels within the stadium as well, so it was an issue of simplification really.”

The chief executive says dialogue is continuing with Section 6 regarding improving the Portman Road atmosphere, while he has also spoken to the Ipswich Hospital Band about the possibility of some involvement on matchdays.

Photo: Action Images

brockleyblueboy added 10:51 - Dec 22 I always get mixed feelings about stuff like this. My heart says no but my head sees that it would bring in extra revenue to improve things on the pitch and attract players. At the end of the day it will always be portman road to ye olde faithful and you can't erase history but on the other side do you want your kids, grandkids etc to visit the mighty portman road in league 2 struggling or visit the Puma bowl (first thing that cam to mind) in the premiership?

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GreatBoo added 10:57 - Dec 22 Sponsor the stands sire, but the ground itself, then part of the club dies along with the name.
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beerhelps added 11:02 - Dec 22 Its not just because I'm an old fart, but.... After 30 odd years I am just getting used to stand sponsorship, but I cant believe I'm the only one who stuggles with ground sponsership. Somehow it just seems a step too far, still what price the ME stadium @ portman road? Good on section 6 for their efforts but the atmosphere/volume has never been the same since the old North was replaced, how often have we used the extra 5000 seats I wonder? probably not the best investment then, Sheepy. Could a 'false' roof be installed covering the existing SBR lower roof to reproduce the acoustics of the old stand. The existing stepped roof line seems to kill the sound rather than amplify it. Remember Furgies comments after that happy night? Any acoustic experts out there?

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forensic_bloo added 11:08 - Dec 22 GreatBoo - the club has been dying for the past few years, but that process has accelerated since ME took over. There are those that insist we MUST move with times and to be successful you must be ruthless etc etc. Then are those of us who prefer certain standards to be maintained, and if that means others overtake us and grab the glory, then so be it. At least we can hold our heads high. And why, when the sponsorship with Greene King ended, wasn't the South stand re-named the Churchmans stand?? Look forward by all means, but don't foget your history either.

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Franzgumm added 11:11 - Dec 22 It depends how this works. Sponsoring stands is nothing new, we were one of the first to do it I would imagine, when Pioneer paid for the west stand in the Eighties. And, given that our stadium doesn't have a name (Portman Road is, strictly speaking, our address), naming it the Greene King Stadium wouldn't change our address, which would continue to be Portman Road...

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dobbie73 added 11:12 - Dec 22 I'd like to see the South Stand maybe named after Sir Alf Ramsey ...? Wouldn't bring in any revenue admittedly, unless it was something like the "Sir Alf Ramsey <insert company name here> Stand". Would it sully his name to have it associated with a company? Should it be kept separate, i.e. either named after a person OR sponsored by a company? I assume the Sir Bobby Robson Stand won't have a company name associated with it. I understand the need to have additional revenue, but I am a bit of a traditionalist and prefer non-sponsored stand/stadium names. Football in general has had enough of its sporting soul torn out in the name of financial progress and profiteering, but I guess we have to move with the times ....

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itfc1981 added 11:33 - Dec 22 Lets get up to Prem, get the bums on seats, not through chavs for a quid like at Norwich! and build FPR into a 35,000 plus ground, we are still very much on the up! ME is not Brian he IS the savior.
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nthstd added 11:33 - Dec 22 I would consider sponsoring the dressing room with our company name, but it might not go down well! Megacon
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tractorboy1995 added 11:53 - Dec 22 The sponsorship of the stand is one thing, it wouldn't be a change as the south stand has been sponsored previously. However the ground is Portman Road, and should remain Portman Road. Stadium names are a part of the club, we dont want to sell our souls like Arsenal or Newcaslte, at the Emirates and sportsdirect.com@St James'Park.
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peakyboy added 12:40 - Dec 22 im already in talks to sponsor the club - bigautographs.com @ portman rd.
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CheersThanksTa added 13:07 - Dec 22 Hmm unsure of sponsoring the ground....dont like the idea of being the kentucky fried chicken portman road. Dont mind a stand being sponsored though
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matt_the_blue added 13:41 - Dec 22 I would prefer that the stadium not be sponsored, but if it was done tastefully and brought revenue to the club then so be it. And forensic_bloo, it's all well and good talking about standards and holding heads high but times have changed, this is no longer the era of Sir Alf and Sir Bobby. I want to see us win, I want to see us in the Premier League - not holding my head high watching us play teams like Accrington Stanley in a League Two matchup.

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sirbenofmorlingshire added 14:02 - Dec 22 Snickers, Starburst, Premiership... it's still Marathon, Opal Fruits and the Premier Leauge as far as I'm concerned. Would still be PR no matter what they called/sponsored it.
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brockleyblueboy added 14:06 - Dec 22 What about these - The Suffolk Punch Bowl The Sheepshanks Arena The Jim Magilton MegaBowl The Stead stadium The Tractor Theartre of dreams The Norwich Union MegaPlex The Gio Dos Santos Stadium All ridiculous, all stoopid. I now know where my head and heart lie and that is portman Road sitting in the Mercedes south stand ;-)
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peakyboy added 14:12 - Dec 22 why dont one of the ex itfc players sponsor a stand... hmm maybe 1 who has made alot of money without hardly ever playing.. the kieron dyer stand?
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Lightningboy added 14:16 - Dec 22 They can call it what they want - I will always call it Portman Road.
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ElvisMariner added 14:30 - Dec 22 I think it would be fitting if the South/Churchmans/Greene King Stand should be re-named the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand.As for calling the ground something else....NO,NO,NO.
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thorpedo added 14:41 - Dec 22 Yes grading matches A, B or C really does 'simplify' things. Now instead of knowing where you stood by having the one matchday ticket price you have 3 different possibilites - very 'simple'.
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NorwichBlue138 added 15:38 - Dec 22 I understand the need to get more revenue for the club, and re-naming the South Stand is fine, but re-naming Portman Road would be like taking away part of the club's heritage. No longer do we have the Churchman's Stand, or Punch making our kit - I just can't see Ipswich playing their home games at the Mitre Stadium somehow and would be very disappointed if the club chose this route.

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shropshiretractor added 16:03 - Dec 22 So sportdirect.com @ Portman Road.......?
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matt_the_blue added 16:46 - Dec 22 shropshiretractor - Only if Mike Ashley buys out ME!
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shropshiretractor added 16:50 - Dec 22 haha, unless it's the start of a conspiracy....all stadiums called that..... Stadium sponsorship actually brings in a lot less revenue than one might expect. The New Meadow (Home of Shrewsbury Town) sold it's name to Prostar for only £30,000. I know they're a League 2 team, however I can't see PR selling for more than £300,000??
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ITFC_DOM added 16:59 - Dec 22 come on! ground sponsorship is a good idea. It will always be St James Park to the newcastle fans. none of that sport direct crap. My old man still calls the south stand the churchmans stand after i don't know how many years.... whatever its officially named to us it will always be Portman Road!
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TractorRoyNo1 added 17:20 - Dec 22 Hear, hear!!! Lightningboy added 14:16 - Dec 22 They can call it what they want - I will always call it Portman Road.
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PeekFreans added 18:54 - Dec 22 Bad idea
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