Town have written to season ticket holders in Block D of the Cobbold Stand informing them that their seats will be incorporated into the increased away fans section from the start of the new season.

The 220 tickets in Block D have been the most expensive at Portman Road - renewal this year was £903 - and a decade ago were cited in surveys as the dearest in the Football League as a whole.

The premium halfway-line tickets came with padded seats, a complimentary matchday programme and access to bar facilities.

Premier League rules dictate that the club has to increase the visitors’ allocation by 1,000 to around 3,000 and therefore the away end will now stretch across into the centre of the Cobbold Stand.

CEO Mark Ashton revealed last month that the various changes needed to bring the stadium up to Premier League standard would require 750 season ticket holders to move seats with the club having no choice in the matter.

“The one thing I’m going to ask the fans to be understanding of why we’re making some of the changes,” he told TownTV soon after promotion was confirmed.

“That may mean that you have sat in a specific seat in this stadium for a long time, but you may not sit in it next season because we are going to have to move some people. There is no choice.

“So please don’t complain to the staff that you’re having to move seat, that decision has been made and it’s been made for a reason.

“Again, I would ask the fantastic way the fanbase has approached change in the past to do the same again because these are changes we have no choice other than to make.”

Photos on social media over the weekend showed the seats in Block D having been removed and yesterday holders of season tickets in that section received an email confirming their switch.

“Everyone at Ipswich Town Football Club would like to thank you for your fantastic support last season and trust you are looking forward to the new season in the Premier League,” the email reads.

“You may have seen in the media that, due to Premier League requirements, the club must undertake some significant changes to Portman Road over the summer months.

“Some of these changes directly impact the stadium seating plan, and as such the club is making contact with those affected supporters over the next few weeks to highlight these changes.

“One of the largest changes to Portman Road will see the capacity of away supporters increasing from 2,000 to 3,000 to meet Premier League requirements.

“Following an extensive process thoroughly reviewing the best way to accommodate this increase, we are writing to confirm that Block D will sadly no longer exist as an area of home seating, as this will be reconfigured for use by away supporters.

“We therefore now need to work with you to find alternative seating within Portman Road. With this in mind our premium options giving you the same benefits such as padded seating and preferable views are within Block X in the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand Upper Tier or Block Y in the West Stand Upper Tier.

“In addition, all other areas of the stadium are also available to relocate to should you wish.

“Once again thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you at Portman Road next season for Premier League football.”

Long-term, Town have plans to replace the current Cobbold Stand, which is now more than 50 years old.

Photo: Matchday Images

statto72 added 18:15 - Jun 4 Blues1 - get what you’re saying regarding making sense to just extend current area. But your suggestion about home and away fans entering and leaving from same exits isn’t correct. separate entrances and exit areas can easily be implemented.
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Baino added 18:21 - Jun 4 Why are they not getting the ST at the price of the place they're being moved to? Seems odd. Give em a bloomin programme too for the "inconvenience" surely a wee gesture like that makes it more palatable? Anyway, at least it's a "problem" because of a positive thing and not just the board wanting to move people. Wherever you end up, I hope you enjoy the season. For what it's worth, I'm not sure there is any alternative.

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statto72 added 18:48 - Jun 4 Another point to make. Once the Cobbold gets demolished, everyone in that stand will obviously have to move temporarily, including away fans. The whole project surely won’t be started and completed within the summer months. There will be a time where PR will have a reduced capacity. Away fans during that period will be placed in the Sir Alf on police advice (railway station proximity etc). Once the project is completed, whether they get moved back into the corner of the new Cobbold or remain in Sir Alf, who knows? We shall find out when it happens.

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atty added 18:59 - Jun 4 Just to say there’s more to being a long term season ticket than “just” watching the footy. It can be very personal. You make friends, in some cases you get to know their families, socialise with them. Sadly some pass away. One guy who became a very good friend, sat next to me for 25 years. He passed away 4 years ago. I’ve had my very good seat for 39 years. I doubt I’ll get a better one. I know it’s something that has to be done, l get that, and lm not going to give anyone a hard time, least of all the staff. They’re just carrying out instructions. It’s just sad after all these years. 40 years in the same seat would have been nice. Time to get the Champers out! Trouble l hsve no idea where my friend# will be.

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atty added 20:10 - Jun 4 Justlooking - blimey, didn’t Ashton say Block Y was a good alternative for those being moved from Block D? Confused.
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blues1 added 21:34 - Jun 4 Linkboy13. Really? Compensated for getting to watch every home game. But just from another seat? Typical modern day attirude of some people. Want compensation for every little thing .
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blues1 added 21:36 - Jun 4 Bazza8564. The new stand won't be wrapping round at the SAR stand end. From what ive been told tho, it will at the SBR end. And it will be started at the end of next season.
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blues1 added 21:40 - Jun 4 Carberry.No. The minimum away allocation in tgd pl is 3000. Btw, our,ground doesnt hold 28.000 anyway. We've had several crowds well over 29,000 this last season.
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blues1 added 21:43 - Jun 4 Statto72. No, there is no way of having separate entrances and exits in the SAR stand. Just not possible without a massive amount of building work being done.
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Carberry added 22:49 - Jun 4 No, you're wrong blues1, read the Premier League's own rules, 3000 is not the minimum. If the ground holds less than 30,000 it is 10%. And read through your work before you hand it in, will you?
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Marcus added 01:51 - Jun 5 I think moving the press box to the area in the middle of the Cobbold would be a means to separate home and away fans, however, the option of moving it forward into the current Y block is simpler with all the facilities in place and making it easier for the press to be nearer to where the players are after the game. It's a bit of a poor design legacy with the cameras always facing the oldest stand, but that will change once the green light for the new stand is given (although the logistics of having limited seating for even part of a season could really complicate things). Fascinated by grow_our_own's image of the Portman Stand before the boxes. I wonder if it could be retro-designed with receded boxes as in the West Stand. If that could be done then the 'new' stand could reuse large parts of the current one rather than a total rebuild, as happened with Churchmans and the West Stand.

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Michael101 added 09:49 - Jun 5 Maybe we should change the clubs name to ryanair FC, take your money then screw you over
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grow_our_own added 11:16 - Jun 5 "wonder if it could be retro-designed with receded boxes as in the West Stand" - yes was wondering that too. Old photo: https://pixels.com/featured/ipswich-town-portman-road-east-stand-03-bw-1971-lege shows there's some vertical space between the two tiers. Could refactor the rake of lower tier to further accommodate, but I've no clue whether there's space behind for recessed boxes under the top tier. Probably too much work to justify if stand is going to be rebuilt. "'new' stand could reuse large parts of the current one" - definitely worth exploring. FIFA have a stupid regulation that forces new stands to leave at least four metres of dead-space from the pitch. This distance is an atmosphere and experience killer whose only purpose is to allow more advertising hoardings. Can skirt around by retaining the existing front tier, then it's not a new stand (honest guv!) and can retain Cobbold's excellent pitch proximity and fan-intimacy.

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grow_our_own added 11:17 - Jun 5 Bad link, here's the old photo again: https://pixels.com/featured/ipswich-town-portman-road-east-stand-03-bw-1971-lege
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flykickingbybgunn added 14:43 - Jun 5 We are Cobbold stand seat holders. For the Maidstone game we moved to the West stand and were unpleasantly surprised at the lack of leg room in even the premium seats.
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Boncho95 added 21:28 - Jun 5 We've been in row G of Y block for years, have managed to get seats together still in Y block, but are now in row R, 4 rows from back of stand with restricted views. After 57 years of supporting club, just what you need with failing eyesight! Don't see where those in Cobbold will fit into block Y. Hope they are increasing the number of toilets in west stand as pretty hopeless at half time. Fantastic to see us back in the big time though and very grateful to be able to still have a season ticket.

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playthewayyourfacing added 21:42 - Jun 5 Not just season ticket holders being moved, seems that box holders are being subjected to huge increases to renew. Certainly making hay and all that.
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tpsontour added 08:17 - Jun 6 Cobbold D refugees had first dibs on West Stand Y block, where rows A-G are becoming a new expanded Press box. So, they had the choice from rows H and I back. We've been relocated from B two rows from the front to S towards the back with restricted views. Seems unfortunate that Portman Road's best halfway line views are going to away fans and Press. There might be nowhere else feasible to put away fans but struggling to see why the Press box has to be moved lower down. Layout changes have been forced on the club and I'm sure we'd all rather watch top flight football from an inferior seat than still be in League One. But it hasn't been handled especially well imo, an email dropping with next to no warning, prompting a scramble for seats if you've seen the email, and the comms could have been a bit more conciliatory

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londontractorboy57 added 11:26 - Jun 6 I feel sorry for those fans having to move I had to give up my season ticket during covid after 45 years now can't even get a ticket for a single game because of the glory hunters who only return for the good times.Had to pay 130 last season for one game in the hospitality. Thank goodness for sky at least we got.plenty of games on TV.
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atty added 09:15 - Jun 9 I do hope that those Cobbold D block season ticket holders who have already paid £903 and been moved to lesser quality/ priced seats have got a refund on the difference in the pricing. They have a contract with the Ckub for that Block D seat. After having their catering etc, half time in the West Stand will come as a bit of shock. The queues for the toilets together with those in the cafe/bar area, and people moving through the area make it a very uncomfortable experence.

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