Town have been paired with Melbourne Victory in the Ultimate Quaran-Team Cup, an international FIFA 20 tournament organised on social media over the last few days as clubs and fans try to find something to fill the football-shaped hole in their lives.
The competition was instigated by Leyton Orient, who requested 63 other clubs to join them in the knockout tournament via Twitter on Monday, each nominating a player or a fan to represent them.
The number of teams involved quickly rose to 128 with the draw for the first round taking place this evening when the Blues were paired with the Victory in what’s been labelled the Jim Magilton derby, the Town legend having managed the A-League side in 2012.
The Blues are being represented by supporter Josh Blunden - @_Joshhhh9_ - a competitive FIFA player currently ranked 257th in the world. Town hope to live stream and live tweet all their games.
Orient have also set up a JustGiving page which aims to raise £50,000 with 75 per cent going to EFL clubs struggling financially due to the season’s suspension and 25 per cent split between Mind and the fight against Covid-19.
Firstly thank you so much for your support @IpswichTown fans you have been amazing! I absolutely love this club 💙 and to have the chance to represent them means so much to me. I really hope I can go far in this competition and make all you town fans proud. COME ON YOU BLUES 🔵 https://t.co/ck33ngvKM2
— Josh (@_Joshhhh9_) March 17, 2020
We'll host @IpswichTown in Round 1 of the #UltimateQuaranTeam Cup. Here's a handy guide to Melbourne for the travelling fans... #MVFC pic.twitter.com/WkBdEZ8sUy– Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) March 17, 2020