Town take on OGC Nice at Portman Road on Saturday, with around 10,000 fans expected to be in attendance for the 12.30pm kick-off at Portman Road.
This weekend’s clash is the Blues’ final pre-season fixture ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, with Kieran McKenna’s side welcoming Liverpool to Suffolk next weekend.
For the OGC Nice fixture, supporters should note that the West Stand will be closed on matchday, however, the FanZone which sits adjacently will be in operation as usual.
The below guide provides all key information ahead of matchday.
Tickets
Around 10,000 supporters are expected to be in attendance on Saturday, with plenty of tickets remaining on sale via the Club ticketing website.
The ticket office telephone lines will be open from 10am to 11am on matchday to handle any enquiries.
The accessible ticket office will open at 10am to assist disabled supporters.
Supporters who opted for the ‘mobile PDF/print at home’ option can scan their mobile PDF tickets at all turnstiles at Portman Road.
FanZone
The FanZone will be open from 10am, with plenty for supporters to get involved with ahead of kick-off.
The Ipswich Town Foundation will be on site as usual with inflatable activities for younger fans, and a large selection of Club content from pre-season will be displayed on the outdoor LED screen.
Simon Milton will also be onstage in the FanZone ahead of kick-off, providing his insight and opinions into the game.
With fantastic entertainment, regular appearances from current and former players, and a variety of food and drink options, the FanZone is the ideal place for all supporters to experience the pre-match excitement.
Attending for the first time?
Supporters attending their first fixture should have a look at the First Time Fan guide below, which goes into great detail regarding all aspects of matchday. A guide aimed at younger fans can also be viewed below, alongside a video which explains the key details.
Planet Blue
Planet Blue will be open from 9am, available for all of your matchday essentials.
Planet Blue will then be open as usual until 5pm following the final whistle for post-match purchases.
The Planet Blue units in the FanZone will be open, with smaller items available.
Officials
Referee: James Bell
Assistants: Andrew Dallison, Matthew McGrath
Fourth Official: Carl Brook
Saturday’s man in the middle, James Bell is an experienced referee who took charge of Town’s away clashes against Stoke City and Coventry City last season.
The South-Yorkishire-born official distributed a total of 114 cards in the 2023/24 season, five of them red.
Programme
The programme, which is priced at £2.50, is available from Planet Blue as well as various programme stations around the ground. The Club runs a fully cashless operation across all programme kiosks and programme trolleys, both inside and outside the stadium. This includes the Club’s Planet Blue store, which is fully cashless.
The 32-page resource offers the exclusive pre-match thoughts of Kieran McKenna, alongside various other features to get you in the know ahead of kick-off.
Here2Help
As with all home fixtures, the Here2Help team will be present all around the stadium, available to assist supporters throughout the afternoon.
Here2Help staff can be identified by their pink hi-vis vests with ‘Here2Help’ printed on the back, and will also be engaging with younger supporters, handing out stickers and match guides throughout the build-up to kick-off.
Extra information
Supporters should note that flower beds remain in place at Princes Street at the end of Portman Road, meaning supporters parking in the NCP Portman Road car park will need to either turn right towards Handford Road or go straight over down Sir Alf Ramsey Way.
It is also important to note the newly implemented bus lane on West End Road, which could potentially cause delays for supporters leaving this way following the full-time whistle.
Following supporter safety assessments during last season, and whilst liaising with the local authority, the Club has introduced a traffic management plan for all home fixtures this season, which will include road closures on Sir Alf Ramsey Way and Portman Road. Access routes to the West Stand and Sir Bobby Robson Stand, sponsored by the KBB Centre, on each of these roads are often heavily congested and therefore, to ensure the safety of all supporters, road closures will be in place from 90 minutes before kick-off until 30 minutes after the final whistle.
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