Town chief executive Simon Clegg and East of England Co-operative Society executive officer Roger Grosvenor both stressed that the companies’ newly-formed relationship was a partnership of two organisations which play important roles in the local community at a Portman Road press conference this afternoon. The six-figure deal, which will see the West Stand renamed the East of England Co-operative Stand, will last an initial three years.

Clegg says he is delighted with the link-up: “This is a very exciting development for the football club, it’s an initial three-year deal which extends potentially to five years and involves a six-figure sum, although we won’t be more specific than that, but it’s a greater annual amount that we were receiving previously.

“Within that deal will be the renaming of the West Stand as the East of England Co-operative Stand. I think in challenging economic times like we are at the moment, it’s very easy for companies to whittle away at their sponsorship budgets and marketing budgets, but it’s a huge pleasure for me to be announcing this partnership with such a strong brand locally.”

He feels Town and the East of England Co-op are ideal partners: “This is a natural coming together of two major brands in Ipswich, in Suffolk and the east of England and I’m very excited in terms of where we can take this partnership going forward.

“I know a lot of people will talk about sponsorship but to me this is about partnership, it’s about two great brands coming together and working together to serve our joint customers.

“Their chief executive Roger Grosvenor’s customers are our customers and it’s important that over the coming years we develop ways in which this partnership can filter out and touch our joint customer base in different ways, over and above the naming of this great stand here at Portman Road.

“I’m very excited about the future, very excited, particularly in the context of Financial Fair Play, which is a challenge for all clubs in the Championship.

“Being able to announce a partnership like this today is very exciting in itself, but particularly in the context of the club having to commit to the Football League’s Financial Fair Play regulations.”

Grosvenor added on behalf of his organisation: “We’re absolutely delighted. It’s two brands coming together, two large brands in East Anglia.

“What is most important in all this though, after speaking to Simon and his colleagues, we’ve both learnt that Ipswich Town Football Club is more than just a football club and the East of England Co-op is more than just a retailer.

“We are all committed to the communities we serve and our membership. We’re both membership organisations and I’m sure Ipswich Town would aspire to our half a million membership.

“We’re quite happy to be here today and for the future and we look forward to a successful season and look forward to forging many links and ways that we can work our relationship for the benefit of the East of England Co-op’s members, customers and Ipswich Town’s fans.”

How the stand’s seats will look

Grosvenor, a big football fan but not a supporter of the Blues, says the Co-op have previously sponsored the club on a smaller scale but sees this as something bigger than just a commercial opportunity.

“We believe we want to take that to another level,” he said. “The community relationship, which is where we see our business growing. Like the Co-op, Ipswich Town covers all ages and all genders and therefore the fit is perfect.

“When they gave us the opportunity to take up the sponsorship of the stand but we also looked at the ‘underskin’ of Ipswich Town Football Club, they’re more than just a football club. They’ve got the academy, they’ve got the Charitable Trust.

“They are like us, we are very much focused on supporting our members in the community and I believe the fit was perfect for us.

“The stand sponsorship is just the tip of the iceberg at this point in time. It’s part of a whole package of ideas that Simon and the marketing department want to embrace and move on with. We can share lots of opportunities for the future with this.”

He says Blues’ performances already have an effect on the company: “Ipswich Town has an impact on our staff — when they win, our productivity tends to go up, and when the lose it tends to go down!”

Clegg says the new sponsors will get match tickets as part of the deal with further promotional ideas under discussion: “There are tickets in there and we will look at additional ways to creatively provide support for the East of England Co-operative Society.

“This is an entrance way for Roger and his colleagues into all sorts of aspects of the club, be that the academy, the Charitable Trust or some other areas that we’re yet to announce but that I’m hoping we’re going to announce over the next week or so.”

He says that former stand sponsors the Britannia Building Society will remain involved with the club: “They will continue to be involved. The Save and Support scheme will continue and they will do some additional work in a grassroots programme that we are developing, so we will be retaining some of that money. So, in some respects you could say this is a double win for the club.”

Photo: Action Images

AlanMahon2011 added 15:55 - Jul 10 Love ♥ Co-op !?!?!?! We may as well change our club colours to pink! what a laughing stock!
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BiGDonnie added 15:57 - Jul 10 So Clegg finally takes time out of the Olympics and what does he do? Tear away a part of our History. Well played ITFC NOT
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simoitfc added 15:58 - Jul 10 Lol love co-op wait till the Brighton fans see that lol
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alztar added 16:00 - Jul 10 Sometimes reading the comments on pages depresses me. Move on,stop moaning and become real fans.
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Fatcatevans added 16:03 - Jul 10 How utterly appalling! East of England Cooperative Stand - that really roles off the tongue! We must be sadly underfunded. It wouldnt surprise me if they renamed th Ramsey or Robson stands if the cheque was large enough
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tortoise added 16:06 - Jul 10 Very pleased with this. Co-op one of the few really decent companies about. Perhaps people would rather some dubious internet poker company gave us a bit more money to rename the stand. The future is community clubs and co-op stands for this. Well done ITFC.
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cartman1972 added 16:07 - Jul 10 alztar well said !!!! i'm with you bud , too many people bemoaning what is in these economic times a sound judgement call . Did you hear the Man City fans moan and wail when they renamed their stadium , no , they got behind their team . It appears on these pages we have far too many infantile people who are either better managers than PJ or better Operating Directors than Clegg , if so stop stacking those shelves , get off your backsides and do something more constructive . This is only good for the club to create further streams of revenue which enable us a fund for better players.

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urbanpenguin added 16:08 - Jul 10 Let's hope that as part of this the club also move their bank account to the Co-op - there's heaps of dirty money in football, so to have some of it in an ethical savings account wouldn't at all be a bad thing. I think it's a good thing, really. More sponsorship and not with a corporate unfriendly entity but a members owned business which has its heart in a good place. I can't say I care much for the writing in the seat layout, but all going well the team will be playing well enough to get high enough attendances so the heart can't be seen!

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sixtouchfootball added 16:11 - Jul 10 What are Mike Gatting & Theo Paphitis doing there!!!!!!?????? (The 1st picture)
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slowerball added 16:11 - Jul 10 Co-op... good with fud(ball). This is a new sponsorship deal - in the current climate, very well done to Clegg and those associated with this deal. The name... not really a problem is it? Folks will just call it the Co-op stand. With FIFA Fair Play, any income helps our cause. I look forward to the renaming of the Cobbold after a popular condom brand - welcome to the Durex stand, come on in...

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nthstd added 16:14 - Jul 10 They bought the Britannia Building Society last year so it's only natural that the larger brand-CO-OP- is the public face. As far as it not rolling of the tongue, does it really matter. The Bratannia was a building society and the same deal that Town had with them will surley be continued into this deal. I have my business banking with the CO-OP and all my insurances. Each year they give me money back in the form of a divident. They are ethical. Only a few months back when the department stores they had sold of went bust. They stepped in and paid the redundancy money of the defunked company. Fantastic organisation.

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Garv added 16:17 - Jul 10 Oh God. 'Love Co-Op'? We're going to have the word 'love' on our seats?
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AbujaBlue added 16:23 - Jul 10 I don't mind the stadium being renamed, that is just part and parcel of football business, but 'Love ♥ Co-op'? Let's hope the seats are always full whenever a visiting photographer is in attendance!
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AbujaBlue added 16:24 - Jul 10 *stand being renamed even
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Dissboyitfc added 16:25 - Jul 10 Default_user....what are you on about???? More good news, well done itfc....COYB
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callmeted added 16:33 - Jul 10 default user - Sorry to be a bit thick here but what part of our history has been blown away? As for Alanmahon - interested to hear what company you would like to see put money into the club that would not mean ITFC "wear pink" - Maybe you could explain that comment?
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RonFearonsHair added 16:35 - Jul 10 Did well not to mention who Roger Grosvenor actually supports!!
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Urchin added 16:36 - Jul 10 On earlier post I made a joke about this but on reflection probably a bit out of order. Not keen on the 'love' bit but agree that any addiitional funding is very useful and the 2 organisation do represent this area well. Clegg has done a good deal here and may yet confound his critics (except for the likes of AlanMahon2011 whose never said anything uselful). I certainly know that gettring sponsorship of anything is difficult these days, so well done all

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Stadiumofdark added 16:38 - Jul 10 Could have been Poundstretcher I guess..... or Norwich fish market
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WarkOn added 16:46 - Jul 10 Sponsorship by a respected, ethical community business? Yes. Good. Hopelessly long name (which no-one will use - it'll be Co-op at best) ? No Change the sits to a a childish ''Love heart Coo-op' ?! No no no - make them ITFC. Oh I long for the Pioneer stand with its sign back again... So - one out of three from me...
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im_marcacus added 16:56 - Jul 10 More money than before and from an ethically sound local company... all you moaners are complete idiots. Good job Clegg & the crew!
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brockleyblueboy added 16:58 - Jul 10 All those people complaining, you do realise that the Britania Group has been bought by the Co-Op? This brings in good revenue for the club. Seriously you guys and gals have nothing positive to say. I don't care about "Oh people are entitled to their opinion blah blah blah" you are ruining this site with your constant negative posts. If you don't have anything positive to say, why say it at all. Bore off else where, this is financial progress for the club you bunch of douche bags.

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nitroblue1970 added 16:59 - Jul 10 Is this why Chambers signed? " he said he was impressed with the hunger of the current squad, as the advertisement says the co-op are" gud with fud" Also hopefully this will bring and end to the flat pies and burgers in a foil bags, and bendy chips currently sold from the kiosks under the stands...only made that mistake once eurgh!!! How about some ethically sourced pasties instead? Probably be prohibitively expensive.....

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Mark added 17:46 - Jul 10 I am very pleased about the link with the EoE Co-op, a good, local, ethical membership organisation. I hope that fans will be encouraged to shop in the Co-op and that promotions can take place in the stores to promote ITFC match tickets. In store competitions, discounts for Co-op EoE card holders, dividend when buying match tickets...there are loads of possibilities. I am not fond of the heart design on the seats however.

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MintyHalfWit added 18:40 - Jul 10 Don't forget your divi number when you go to the match. After three years, you'll have enough to buy a can of beans. Make the North Stand jealous! Very brave of the socially and environmentally responsible Co-op to get into bed with the Invisible man. Didn't they spot the vanload of lawyers chasing him when he left the meeting?
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