Away Fans' Guide | Ipswich Town (A)

Address

Ipswich Town Football Club
Portman Road
Ipswich
IP1 2DA

By Car

Note 1: There are two sets of long-term roadworks on the A12 between the M25 and Ipswich. Road closures can occur both during the day and overnight with diversions in place. Long delays can occur so do allow plenty of time.

Note 2: For any fans travelling via Birmingham and the A14, there are long-term roadworks between Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket which can cause significant delays. Overnight closures are not uncommon with diversions in place.

From Plymouth take the A386 / A38 (Devon Express Way) / M5 / A30 (join at junction 29 of the M5) / A303 /M3 (join at junction 8) to the M25. Join the M25 clockwise at junction 2 (via Heathrow). At junction 28 of the M25 use the left lane to join the A12 towards Chelmsford. Follow the A12 to outskirts of Ipswich and pick up the last few miles route below.

Note, there is an alternative route via Bristol, taking the A38 / M5 / M4 / M25 / A12. This is a fair bit further, and usually takes about half an hour longer, but some people do prefer to be on dual carriageways the whole of the journey.
Whichever way you go, it is likely to take at least five to six hours depending on travel conditions. Unless you live very close to Suffolk, Ipswich Town generally recommend allowing at least an hour, and ideally 90 minutes, beyond the AA / Google / Sat Nav suggested journey time.

Sat Navs vary in their recommended route into town, but whichever way you go, it shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes from the A14 / A12 junction.
For those not using a Sat Nav, once you reach the junction of the A14 and A12, just south of Ipswich, take the A1214 (London Road) for a couple of miles into town. As you approach the town centre area, there’s a Sainsbury’s supermarket on the left – at this point, go straight on past Sainsbury’s and then almost immediately right onto West End Road. Take the first left (after about half a mile) onto Sir Alf Ramsey Way and continue to the stadium.

Note that the road immediately behind the Cobbold Stand is blocked permanently at both ends behind the stand, and the road behind the Sir Bobby Robson Stand is closed about 90 minutes before the game, so to access the NCP car park on Portman Road you will need to continue on London Road, straight on to Handford Road and then turn right at a set of traffic lights onto Portman Road (if you miss the turning, just do a U-turn at the roundabout with Civic Drive, turning back onto Handford Road, then taking the first left into Portman Road).

By Coach

Away coaches usually park in the West End Road car park, 5 - 10 minutes’ walk from the ground.
The Station Hotel (away fans pub – see below) is just a couple of minutes away – go towards the bridge over the river, at the east end of the car park, turn right and you’ll find the pub the other side of the river, right opposite the railway station.

It is possible to arrange a drop-off nearer to the stadium for fans with mobility issues – please contact Ipswich Town's Disability Liaison Officer, Lee Smith, on 01473 400556 in advance of the game to arrange this.

By Train

Ipswich station is only 5 to 10 minutes’ walk from the ground.

Note 1: Engineering work is taking place on the London Liverpool Street to Ipswich line with the line closed between Shenfield and Witham. www,greateranglia.co.uk advises that a diverted route will be in place. Online train operator websites show that the diversion is via train from London Liverpool Street to Billericay, bus to Witham and train from Witham to Ipswich, which adds a significant time to the journey.

With an early start from Plymouth, you should be able to get to Ipswich in time for the match. For example, the 05:27, 05:58 and 06:55 trains from Plymouth are scheduled to get to Ipswich at 12:06, 12:26 and 13:05 respectively. The route is Plymouth to London Paddington (the 05:27 also requires a change at Bristol Parkway), the Elizabeth Line to London Liverpool Street, Liverpool Street to Billericay, bus to Witham and train from Witham to Ipswich. The 07:25 out of Plymouth, via the above route is scheduled to get to Ipswich at 14:05 – however, this does not allow for any potential delays en route or queues for replacement buses.

On the return journey, the last train from London Paddington to Plymouth leaves Paddington at 20:03. www.greateranglia.co.uk shows the 17:09 train from Ipswich to Witham connecting through to this train.

Note, that if you are planning on catching this train, you will need to leave the game early – this could be very early depending on the amount of additional time. In addition, there are some very tight connection times so no allowance for delays en route.

If you are planning on staying in Ipswich overnight on Saturday, note that the diverted route is also in place on Sunday.

For those fans travelling from London only, the route will be as mentioned above. After the game there are trains from Ipswich to Witham at 17:09 (you may need to leave the game early for this), 17:19 (additional change at Colchester), 17:44, 17:52 and 18:11 with later options also available. The journey time is around 2 hours 10 minutes.

As mentioned above, whatever your travel plans, you should check www.greateranglia.co.uk or your usual train operator website for updated information prior to travel. There are ticket checks on all mainline trains and ticket barriers at Ipswich.

There is no official stadium car park, but there is parking all around the ground. The closest is a large car park on Portman Road (right by the away end, post code IP1 2BP) which is likely to have space for this game up to maybe 90 minutes before kick-off.

Note that the Portman Road entry/exit for this car park will be closed from 15 minutes before the end of the game until 15 minutes after the game. Vehicle access via Friars Bridge Road remains open at all times.

There are also large car parks on West End Road (5 minutes’ walk away, post code IP1 2DZ) and at the railway station (less than 10 minutes, postcode IP2 8AL). The town centre is less than 10 minutes’ walk, and has numerous car parks, as you’d expect.

Being a town centre ground, most streets are controlled (residents only) parking, so free on-road parking tends to be at least a 20-minute walk away. As usual, the car parks nearest the ground are a bit slow to clear after the game – the further you park from the ground, the less likely you are to face lengthy traffic delays post-match.

One good option is the railway station car park (it’s controlled by cameras, and the pay stations
are by the entrance to the station – it costs £6 at weekends) - exit left onto Burrell Road / Ranelagh Road (B1075), then (after about a mile) left onto the A1214 to get out to the A14.

Four car parking spaces are available for visiting disabled supporters. Spaces can be booked by contacting Ipswich Town's Disability Liaison Officer, Lee Smith, on 01473 400556. There is no charge for this parking but note that the spaces are on the opposite side of the stadium to the away turnstiles.

The Station Hotel is opposite the station, and is the official away pub. It has a garden and TV screens, with beers mostly from the Greene King stable.

Most pubs immediately around the ground are for home fans only, and few pubs around the town, if any, will welcome groups of away fans, especially wearing away team colours. As always, couples, families and older people will find it a bit easier to slip into a town centre pub for a quiet beer or two. Note that, on a match-by-match basis, police may designate other pubs in the town centre as home fans only.

This is more likely nowadays as there have been a number of pub closures in the immediate area around the stadium.

There is a FanZone marquee and entertainment zone at the stadium, but this is strictly open to home fans only. There are ticket checks at the turnstiles.

The nearest cash machines to the stadium are a 5-10 minute walk away, (a) at the railway station, (b) at the Cardinal Park leisure facility (which has a number of chain restaurants, plus a KFC and a McDonalds), and (c) throughout the town centre.

Note that the stadium itself is now entirely cashless.

Portman Road is now a cashless stadium. This includes Planet Blue (the Club shop), the programme kiosks positioned around the stadium, and all concourse bars.

The 76-page matchday programme costs £3.50. This can be purchased from the Club shop Planet Blue and outside the stadium. Programmes are not available to purchase once inside the ground.

Note that cash payments will not be accepted for programmes at any vendor.

Argyle supporters might be searched prior to entering Portman Road. The Club also uses a trained K9 unit and some stewards, as well as police officers, wear body cameras on matchdays.

Large bags will not be permitted to be taken into the stadium.

By way of guidance, nothing larger than a standard carrier bag or handbag will be allowed.

There are no facilities to leave bags.

Accessible toilets are on the concourse of the lower tier of the Cobbold Stand.

A baby changing facility can be found in the ladies toilets in the lower tier of E block.

Note that all food and drink kiosks are cashless. Card and contactless will be accepted.

Food and drink facilities are what you’d expect with pies, sausage rolls, crisps and chocolate bars available. Vegetarian options are also stocked.

Alcohol availability in the away end is determined on a match-by-match basis.

Portman Road is a no smoking stadium. This includes e-cigarettes. Anyone found smoking will be ejected from the ground.

For anyone considering leaving the stadium, note that no re-admission to the ground is permitted. 

Subject to space, flags and banners are allowed in the away end. These will need to be fire certificated.

For questions relating to this contact Neil McCluskey on neil.mccluskey@itfc.co.uk.

As with all grounds and to comply with legislation, the use of pyrotechnics or even trying to get them into the stadium is a criminal offence and will not be tolerated.

Ipswich has radio headsets available to supporters with visual impairments ran through Soccer Sight, who provide dedicated descriptive commentary allowing the supporter to sit anywhere in the stadium.

If you would like to reserve headsets or you have any special requirements please contact Ipswich’s Disability Liaison Officer Lee Smith on lee.smith@itfc.co.uk or 01473 400556.

Racism or discrimination of any form is not OK, ‘Not Today or Any Day’ and supporters are reminded that instances of discriminatory or anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated at any EFL game.

Ipswich Town Football Club and Plymouth Argyle are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for all supporters and staff.

Our hosts and Argyle take a zero-tolerance stance on any form of discrimination or anti-social behaviour.

Supporters can report any incident instantly that they feel needs attention by texting ITFC and your message to the anonymous number 60650 (standard text rate applies). All reports will be handled in the strictest confidence. Please include Stand, Row, Seat Number and names if known.

You can also report any discrimination or anti-social behaviour to Kick it Out using the Kick It Out app which is available to download from the App Store or Google Play.

Local attractions include:

• Harbourside and marina, with numerous restaurants, cafes and bars
• Town centre, with many independent stores dotted around a fairly compact area
• New Wolsey Theatre, one of the UK’s leading regional theatres, with a year-round programme of great plays and shows, including their own productions and national tours.
• Christchurch Park, Mansion and Gallery – a huge, 70-acre park just north of the town centre,
including a Tudor mansion which houses a renowned (and free) art gallery (with a permanent display of local artist John Constable)
• Pubs selling a wide range of locally-brewed real ales, including the Fat Cat, Dove Street Inn, Woolpack, Greyhound, St Judes Tavern, Arcade Street Tavern, Three Wise Monkeys, Thomas Wolsey (strictly home fans on a matchday), Spread Eagle, Lord Nelson and Briarbank Brewery. Of these, the Dove and St Judes often have their own-brewed beers amongst a wider range, whilst the Briarbank is a microbrewery with a wide range of its own ales. The closest Ipswich has to a micropub is Hopsters on St Nicholas Street, which is primarily a craft beer shop, but has space for a few onsite drinkers. A number of fans have suggested we recommend the Dove Street Inn, Briarbank and Arcade Street Tavern for craft beers.
• Felixstowe is just 15 miles (15 minutes, via the A14) away to the east, and is both a traditional seaside resort (there’s a pier and the promenade stretches for a couple of miles) and major container port, which includes a fantastic viewing point, where you can see shipping movements and the loading/unloading of the world’s largest container ships.
• The Orwell Bridge carries the A14 over the river to Felixstowe, and is an impressive sight from below. You get to it off the A137, which is a mile or so east of the A12/A14 junction (turn towards Ipswich, down the hill, and then turn right at the first roundabout towards Shotley). The road under the Orwell Bridge then meanders for a few miles past Pin Mill (the Butt & Oyster is a lovely old waterside inn) and onto Shotley, which has loads of yachts and great views of the ports of Felixstowe and Harwich.
• The historic little town of Woodbridge is just a few miles from Ipswich, with a tide mill, lots of little
boutiques, some fine pubs, and an Adnams Wine and Beer store (next to the station).
• Just a bit further up the coast you’ll find the beautiful seaside town of Aldeburgh with its famous fish & chip shop (it’s the one at the south end of the High Street, with the big queue outside), as well as some wonderful little shops and pubs. You’ll pass the concert hall, antique, home furnishings and fine foods shops of Snape Maltings en route to Aldeburgh, and it’s well worth the short detour – no national chains here!
• If you’ve managed to get as far as Aldeburgh, you may well be tempted to continue a bit further up the coast, past the impressive power station at Sizewell, to the beautiful seaside town of Southwold, home of Adnams beers, a pier, and lots of little shops and galleries.
• The delightful market town of Framlingham is about 20 miles north-east of Ipswich, home turf of the club’s main sponsor Ed Sheeran, who put the town on the world stage with his ‘Castle on the Hill’ track.
• 10 miles south of Ipswich, on the Essex border, is Constable country, where you can visit the artist’s famous locations along the Stour valley, including Willy Lott’s cottage and the Haywain at Flatford Mill.