CEO Mark Ashton spoke about the club’s long-term plan to rebuild the Cobbold Stand at last night’s PLC AGM in the Sir Bobby Robson Suite.

The Cobbold Stand is now more than 50 years old with the club previously having plans to upgrade it in the early 2000s in the wake of the redevelopments of what are now the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand and Sir Bobby Robson Stand. However, those ambitions were shelved following relegation in the summer of 2002.

The summer saw Portman Road's pitch renovated at a cost Ashton revealed to be £2.7 million, while other work, including new scoreboards and an improved PA, has also taken place in the just over two years since the takeover.

“The general upkeep of the stadium moves forward,” Ashton said. “The digiboards, the big screen, the land that we purchased behind the stand, the whole stadium starts to look tidier and starts to look smarter.

“But, is it big enough? A good question. Averaging 29,000 per home game is incredible and we need to look at a long-term plans on how we increase capacity in the stadium. And I say long-term, because that is not a short or medium-term plan, let’s be very clear.

“We are working with the local authority to look at plans and land allocation around the stadium on how we assemble an overall masterplan.

“That masterplan obviously includes, at some point, a replacement for the Cobbold Stand, but that will not happen overnight.

“We will move through planning, we will move through design, we will look to build a stand which operates 365 days a year and drives revenue alongside that.

“But we won’t execute that plan until we believe the time is right. I think that is absolutely key because I think it’s important that you don’t simply take a stand down at the wrong time and you’ve got no atmosphere in the stadium, you lose your revenue in that period. So the timing of that will be key, but we are working on those plans right now.

“The infrastructure plans at Playford Road are also moving forward. Architects have been appointed and the design of an elite, professional, Premier League training ground facility is under way.

“Again, we will move forward with design and planning and then into the construction phase. The delivery of the training ground project before the Portman Road project.”

Ashton says it’s vital that the new stand pays its way day in, day out rather than just on a matchday.

“We’re in constant dialogue with the local authority and we’re at the point now where it’s been a masterplanning exercise because we have the land on which we want and need to expand,” he added.

“But what we don’t want to do is build a white elephant for the town because when you build a major stand, the revenue that you get from 23 home games is never going to give you payback, the numbers just simply don’t stack up. The stand has to operate seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.

“You then have to look at the town, look at the county and look at the facilities that it lacks and put those type of facilities into the stadium because ultimately there’s an argument to say that if the Cobbold is rebuild in a specific way, it turns the stadium around because at the moment we’ve almost got our back to the town.

“What we’re doing is discussing that with the local authorities to look at how we best link to the railway station, how we link for access and egress and facilities that would not only best service and give revenue to the football club but would also service the town. [chief financial officer] Tom [Ball] has been in those meetings with me and we are working through them.

“Architects have been appointed, they’re top, top international architects, who will put a scheme together for us to take forward.”

Ashton was asked about safe standing and says that will be part of the wider thinking on the ground’s development, which also includes the placement of away fans.

“What we’re working on is a stadium plan,” he said. “It links to the Cobbold plans because part of that is to discuss where Premier League away fans could go, where long-term fans would go if we replace the Cobbold and also what our safe standing policy would be around the stadium.

“We’re talking about that now and I think what we would look at is once we’ve agreed that internally is communicate with supporters what our policy is going to be because it has to start in certain parts of the stadium.

“Coventry was a challenge on Saturday. In fairness, I thought their fans were great, they never stopped singing, but they were standing up. Do we start a seating plan with the away fans? That doesn’t quite feel right.

“We’re probably going to start in home areas, but we need to put a plan in place and communicate it. But I promise you, it was something which was discussed again this morning and something we’re working on because we’re going to have to move to it.”

Photo: Matchday Images

ElderGrizzly added 13:17 - Dec 5 The time to do it is when/if you are in the Premier League and TV income dwarfs match-day income. Championship TV cash is £8m and every penny through the turnstiles count. PL being £100m+ guaranteed means you can 'afford' to lose the stand for a season.
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Lightningboy added 15:38 - Dec 5 Just make sure you put that classic "IPSWICH TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB" lettering with "that" font back up when you've finished.
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Edmundo added 15:43 - Dec 5 Rebuilding a stand before we get consolidated hopefilly mid-low Prem would be a mistake. Glad Ashton is learning from before.
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Bazza8564 added 16:20 - Dec 5 When Mark talks about 365 days a year driving revenue, it's fairly obvious a hotel facility will be central to his thinking, and something big enough to have big revenue impact will have to be a decent size and quality, and a big footprint across the old car park. Im pretty convinced he would prefer to rip off the roof of Cobbold and extend, as I just can't see demolition of the stand and erection of a lower tier to replace capacity being done in a 3 month window, so doing something similar to Liverpool's Anfield Road stand, (accepting the limitations of Cobbold even renovated) and building behind for a year then joining the two up would seem more likely. But WTF do I know? Im guessing like everybody else, but I do know MA will get it right, hes not failed us yet has he!!!

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churchmans added 16:22 - Dec 5 If we get in the prem this season (still a big if) then of course we should do it! We would have a decent ground forever and could host a world cup game when they come here! I was looking at the parachute payments alone and used leeds as a relegated club as an example! This is what they get This season £44mill Next season if they fail to get promoted £36mill 3rd season £16m That is colossal money! Mind you if they go straight back up and any other team that goes up it is a guaranteed (£130mill+) for the first season in the prem then tbe parachute payments I mentioned!

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churchmans added 16:27 - Dec 5 BAZZA demolition is quick! You could part build the cobbled stand and still seat 1000's during the building work! Someone said it before on here the prem tv money absolutely dwarfs the gate money! So being in the prem preferably the 2nd season after we hopefully consolidate would be tbe perfect time, besides I want to move seats as the seats in sir alf upper are far to small its a joke

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NorthLondonBlue2 added 16:43 - Dec 5 There are big lessons to be learned about handling stadium expansion, given the financial consequences of building the Pioneer stand and expanding Churchman’s and the North. Would love to see it happen as it would look awesome but, as above, there’s little financial need when the TV money is so huge in the PL.
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Che added 16:51 - Dec 5 We need to get Tommy in, we need to get the steels up first
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Suffolkboy added 16:55 - Dec 5 It’s very obvious we’ve a first class team of thinkers and strategists who are endeavouring to put in place plans structured and flexible enough,but primarily targeted at the long term health and profile of both ITFC ,and Ipswich . There’s nothing to impede their thought process ,but patience and purpose remain high on the priority list . Such promise to develop the Town potential is superb ! Great stuff at ITFC ! COYB

2

ArnieM added 17:11 - Dec 5 I would hotel, sports centre (including perhaps ice rink or vela drone , spl?) and cinema all these things would potentially generate income for the club / IBC …. But as had been pointed out we’d need to be in the PL first . Exciting times eh!
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cooper4england added 17:16 - Dec 5 One of the best things I've heard Ashton say. He's bang on about how we actually look at the back of the stadium. Glass fronted business centres area great idea. Churchmans- do you think overheads might go up? Premier football, premier wages
1

RobsonWark added 18:27 - Dec 5 Elder if we got to the Premier League this season and we did it in the summer I don't think Kieran would be happy as we would lose a lot of atmosphere against PL opposition. I can see this happening when Kieran eventually leaves and a new manager comes in. As MA says. it's a long term goal.
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tractorshark added 19:15 - Dec 5 i suspect it might not be named the Cobbold Stand in the future.
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Steelmonkey added 20:00 - Dec 5 Anyone think that we will eventually go the way of other clubs and see a new name for PR materialise i.e. the something or other Stadium?
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tractorshark added 20:17 - Dec 5 yes. probably inevitable. very few clubs have resisted that urge, particularly as it's a convenient way of offsetting against FFP.
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Bert added 22:13 - Dec 5 Councils don’t have the capital or the revenue to be the sole investor in large scale projects but I can see a joint venture being funded by the club, IBC and the private sector if all parties can agree on a scheme that ticks all their respective requirements. The land is there. A cultural and sporting quarter ?
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Beattiesballbag added 22:14 - Dec 5 Steelmonkey, I maybe wrong ? but I'm sure MA has mentioned in the past they wouldn't change the name of the stadium from Portman rd.?
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Len_Brennan added 22:25 - Dec 5 £2.7m is a huge amount to spend on the pitch - that's a George Hirst & a Leif Davis; and yet, it may prove to be the best money spent by the club since Marcus Stewart was signed.
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blues1 added 22:41 - Dec 5 Bazza8564. It will definitely be a total demolition and rebuild of the cobbold stand when it happens. Ashton has,said a few times that the cobbold stand is towards the end of its lifespan. So really cannot see any of it being kept.
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Eeyore added 22:56 - Dec 5 People talk about all the money that prem clubs get but it doesn’t seem to do them much good. The relegated prem clubs like Norwich seem to be struggling. No one expected our players would be better than their’s. I suspect owners/investors are creaming loads of the cash into their pockets otherwise we would have no chance against Leicester, Leeds, Norwich etc.
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Grigzee added 23:18 - Dec 5 If you are going to build away from the pitch, Portman Road needs to be re-routed otherwise there will not be a road called "Portman Road" part of the Carpark needs to be obtained for the "new" Portman Road. There is always the option to give the Away Fans another area of the stadium, maybe a part of SAR stand. Why should we give the nice new stand and facilities to the Away Fans?

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bobble added 00:43 - Dec 6 building always cost more if you are reckless and foolish enough to employ an architect..an engineer can design what you need a lot cheaper with your own valuable input, rather than an architect who has an interest in the project being as expensive as possible....keep the cobbold name though
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Europablue added 09:34 - Dec 6 Eeyore Owners are not making any money out of owning football clubs. Wages are a ridiculous proportion of income often up to 100 of income. Relegation as well as promotion are very destabilizing so it is very difficult for relegated clubs to get back at it. We don't know how the rest of the season is going to play out, but we built up our advantage over Leeds and Southampton when they were unsettled. Leicester were remarkably solid from the start.

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BluJu added 09:53 - Dec 6 @Steelmonkey We should simply add a sponsorship clause stating that any company wishing to sponsor the stand has to rename their business to "Portman Road Ltd", PLC or whatever. So it's kind of just done the other way around, simple. :)
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planetblue_2011 added 09:58 - Dec 6 Discuss where premier league away fans where to go!! I like that theory mr Ashton, looks like he is set on the premier league. COYB keep it up
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