Punch Drunk, the Ipswich Town representatives in the Internet Football League, are looking for new players. Dave Pilgrim tells us what it’s all about.
Punch Drunk, if you haven't heard of us already, are the Ipswich Town representatives in the Internet Football League - a fans’ league formed almost 20 years ago with the aim of bringing fans closer together and enriching the matchday experience.
We travel home and away on matchdays to take in the match, wherever Ipswich are playing, but also to have a laugh and a kick-about before the big game as well.
We generally play 11-a-side on grass pitches - playing against other teams in the Football League, with kick-offs usually scheduled for 10 or 11am - allowing plenty of time to get down to the main event afterwards.
The standard is a very mixed bag - Punch Drunk have been known to beat teams by six or seven goals, and then lose by 10 the following week. The scorelines are not important however, and no one has a monopoly on mis-placed passes (I know - I've tried to claim this particular award countless times without ever really making it my own).
The onus is always about meeting up with other fans, enjoying a game of football, and usually having a quick pint afterwards ahead of the main game. Put another way, if you can walk and kick a football, you're in the club. We aren't semi-professionals. We don't hold trials. The only trial is whether or not you want to have a good time.
Over the years, I've made a lot of great friends through Punch Drunk, I've shared a lot of miles which I might otherwise have had to drive alone, and I've enjoyed a lot of great banter.
We've made some great memories too - both highs and lows. We've endured being eliminated in the group stages of the annual end of season festival of football (known as World Net) for 11 consecutive years before actually reaching the final for the first time this year.
We’ve been humbled by scorelines that would have made the ’95 trip to Old Trafford look like a walk in the park, and we've had some terrific battles with the Norwich fans over the years.
Over recent seasons, we've seen our numbers steadily declining, with the initial crop of players increasingly likely to be elbow deep in nappies and youngsters, and we are looking for new recruits.
If you love watching Town, enjoy chasing a ball around a muddy pitch, and want to make some new mates, this could very well be the opportunity you have been waiting for.
You need not play every week - just whenever you can make a home or a away game, the more players we have, the more chance we have to get a fans game on
So if you are interested in joining or would like further information please contact Shaun at punchdrunkifc@gmail.com.