The popularity of women’s football, not only in this country but globally, appears to know no bounds and supporters have responded in predictable fashion to Town’s decision to stage the women's team's first-ever Portman Road fixture this weekend.
Blues’ fans have already purchased more than 7,000 tickets for Saturday’s clash against Chatham Town, with many eager to catch their first glimpse of the team who normally play their home league games at the AGL Arena in Felixstowe.
Inspired by the success of the England team – nicknamed the Lionesses – in winning the UEFA Women’s Championship in 2022, by beating Germany 2-1 after extra time in the Wembley final, thousands of young girls have taken up the sport at grassroots level with dreams of one day becoming full-time professionals.
A rapid rise in attendances and live TV coverage, with sell-out crowds at venues like the Emirates and Stamford Bridge for Arsenal and Chelsea home games, has underlined the huge level of interest in the women’s game and it will be hoped that Saturday’s fixture will be the first of many occasions when the Town women take centre stage at Portman Road.
Ipswich skipper Maria Boswell and her teammates are now role models for a brand new generation of young hopefuls and the defender said: "I think it was slightly different for us when we were younger because women’s football was still in quite a growth stage and we didn’t really have as many female footballers to look up to as there are today.
"I started out at a really young age at Arsenal, moving there from a boys’ team, and I remember there were players like Alex Scott and Jordan Nobbs still there. They were probably the ones that I was looking up to, but I think even at that time – it was about 10 years ago now - they might not have been full-timers.
"For us, I think it was difficult to find role models and I’ve heard a lot of the girls in the team say that.
"We were looking up to the male footballers and thinking we wanted to be like that one day, but obviously now it’s great that girls in Suffolk can hopefully look up to us and see a pathway that they could emulate and can go on to play at Portman Road for a club they hopefully love and support. I think it’s great that we have the opportunity to be role models for them.”
Boswell, who made the journey across the Essex border from Romford, was asked if it felt like an extra pressure knowing the impact she and her colleagues could have on future generations, and she replied: "I wouldn’t say a pressure. I think it’s just that we all understand the responsibility that we have and always look to conduct ourselves professionally.
"For example, we always make sure we are there after our games to engage with our supporters for things like photos and autographs. We see that as more of an honour than a pressure, the fact that we get to be that for them.
"We enjoy it and hope that as many young girls as possible, who are interested in football, will come along on Saturday to support us, watch us and hopefully see a style of football that they will perhaps be able to play themselves one day.”
The news that Town had decided the time was right for the women’s team to play at Portman Road for the first time was, unsurprisingly, greeted enthusiastically by the players.
Boswell recalled: "There were a few rumours before it was officially announced, se we had a slight idea it might be happening, but we all came together as a group and we were shown a little video featuring a montage of some of our clips and also the stadium.
"It sent a few chills down the spine and it was really exciting to think that we would be walking out at Portman Road for a game in front of so many people. We were all just really excited.”
Did the players feel ready for it or did they feel overwhelmed at the prospect? "I don’t think any of us have experienced anything like it before and it’s hard to know exactly how we are going to react to it,” Boswell admitted.
"But I was speaking to some of the girls the other day and the thing is, playing football is our comfort zone. We go out every Sunday and play the way we play, and we train to prepare for games, so I don’t think it’s any different.
"I think once we kind of settle ourselves and the whistle goes, I think we’ll be in our comfort zone and we’ll know what we need to do. I think you end up, hopefully, just blocking it all out. It’s going to be a great occasion and we’re really looking forward to it.”
The men’s team have provided plenty of exciting, entertaining football at Portman Road this season in pursuit of promotion to the Premier League and Boswell was asked what type of football spectators could expect from their female counterparts on Saturday.
She responded: "There is definitely an identity that runs through the men’s team into the women’s team. We have our own way of playing, but a lot of the principles and processes that we have are very similar to how the men play.
"We like to be brave in possession, play out from the back, dominate possession, move through the pitch really cleanly and create really clear-cut opportunities for ourselves that hopefully we are clinical enough to finish off.
"Just, hopefully, a good style of football that’s exciting to watch. I’m sure people who turn up on Saturday will hopefully see a lot of goals and a lot of exciting football.
"I’ve said in the last couple of weeks that when I really think about it and think about the details of it, like standing in the tunnel beforehand knowing that in a couple of minutes we’re going to be walking out to such a big crowd, I can get butterflies and get a bit nervous. I just can’t wait for it and I think it’s going to be an amazing day. We’re all just really excited for it.
"Like I’ve said, it’s something that we have never experienced before and we’re not too sure about how we’re going to react. But hopefully one day it becomes the norm, which is what I think we’re all hoping for and I think Saturday is a great start.
"Hopefully, we will come out and perform the way we always do on a Sunday. I think it’s going to be a great day for the women’s set-up and the club as a whole.”
Full ticketing details for Saturday’s game can be found on the club website.