Town Issue Statement On Farage Visit
Tuesday, 24th Mar 2026 17:12

Town have issued a statement regarding last night’s visit to Portman Road by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

As reported earlier, a private tour of the stadium was booked with the club understood not to have initially been aware who was taking part.

They opted to still allow it to go ahead and to admit social media staff, who shot videos and photographs inside the stadium, which were released by the political party this morning via their channels.

Fans reacted angrily to their club apparently associating with and endorsing Reform with the story subsequently picked up by the national media.

The statement reads: “Ipswich Town Football Club has, over several years, hosted representatives from a range of political parties.

“The club remains apolitical and does not support or endorse any individual or party. The club will continue to engage with representatives from across the political spectrum as part of its role within the community.

“Ipswich Town is proud to be an inclusive, diverse and welcoming organisation that supports all members of the local and wider community. This commitment remains unchanged.”

Photo: Matchday Images

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cressi added 19:00 - Mar 24 Could this man be next Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu followed by our orange friend.
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Ipswichbusiness added 19:08 - Mar 24

I am a member of the Conservative Party and life would be much easier if Reform were to suffer an existence failure and give us a free run at this rotten Labour Government. However, they are a legitimate political party and have a right to make their political views known just as Labour, Greens, Lib Dems, etc. They are not a fascist party just because they hold views on immigration that you may disagree with. (In fact they have some rather left-wing views such as subsidising uneconomic Welsh steel making.j. Some people should grow up and realise that not everyone agrees with you.

Bazza8564 added 19:19 - Mar 24

To be honest, before we all get out "Alans" in a mega twist over this, any fan doing a stadium tour can go to the club shop and buy a shirt with their name on it. The tour includes a visit to the changing rooms, yes? So a fan with his new shirt is allowed to have his pic taken there?
Now i know Reform have played this out very much differently, and we have possibly been manipulated, but WTF is going on with the vitriol? I hate the guy but it's not Trump, he wasnt invited and i'm sure we can come up with something abusive to serenade him with by Easter Monday!

Sensiblue added 19:23 - Mar 24

robfriday - Yep. Exactly that. If this thread shows anything, and it's so disappointing really is how a group chat full of supporters of one club can turn on one another with such vitriol around modern politics. We live in dark and dangerous times because of this very situation.
All the talk of left v right is no good for us. No one in main stream media ever mentions centrist political ideas because they don't divide the population or make headlines.
I suspect it is those of you who turn on each other so readily & gleefully that are quickest to turn on club staff including new young players that are still bedding in.

Texaco73 added 19:23 - Mar 24 The club has a brand to maintain and part of that is based on inclusivity, diversity and being non-political. They sh1t the bed with this and whomever let it go ahead need to fall on their sword. Totally unacceptable to allow the club to be used like that. Sport and politics should never mix, regardless of the colour of the rosette.
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Royal_Blue added 19:28 - Mar 24 Disgusting for ITFC to entertain a fascist, racist. Why didn't they find a black shirt for him?
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Rowski added 19:29 - Mar 24

Bazza8564 the problem is you would need uniformity to get a song going...best to stick to songs about the players and the team in that case. By the time Birmingham comes around this will have blown over. Maybe the Brummies will try and chant something about Farage, so best drown them out with the full Ipswich fan base on board...these 8x games mean more to the club than poxy squabbles. We have 3 years of arguing about the next general election...at least let football give us all a bit of respite and some common ground.

bluewarrior added 19:32 - Mar 24

I totally agree @RobFriday, it is incredibly frustrating to see the club we love dragged into a media storm and forced to issue a defensive statement when it has done absolutely nothing wrong. Ipswich Town is a unifying community hub, and the stadium itself should remain open to all without the club being subjected to unwarranted political crossfire or expected to police the legal, albeit divisive, opinions of every visitor. It is genuinely pathetic to witness the sheer entitlement of those who immediately resort to throwing accusatory names and labels at anyone who holds a differing view, mistaking their own subjective feelings for indisputable fact. A mature society relies on free discourse, meaning people are entirely entitled to their perspectives without being aggressively branded by those who cannot tolerate disagreement, and we would all do well to remember that engaging with individuals across the spectrum is a hallmark of true inclusivity, not a crime.

htb added 19:47 - Mar 24

So typical of the predominantly leftie TWTD posters trying to shut down someone from a mainstream political party. I would have no problem if Kier Starmer or Zach Polanski visited the football club even if I fundamentally disagree with them. The left continually show who the real fascists are with their intolerance of anyone who has different views to their own. What are you all going to do when Ipswich vote in a Reform MP and council? Rise up in revolution!!

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muccletonjoe added 19:48 - Mar 24 Ashton, I and a good many more wont forget this. Because it's quite clear now that you facilitated this . You have brought the club down to a level I never thought it would reach. Many of the clubs supporters and crucially other clubs supporters are viewing the club and the way it is run in a whole new light.
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E_I_E_I_E_I_O added 19:52 - Mar 24

Tonight I am embarrassed to be an Ipswich fan. Not because of what the club has done, but because of the unprecedented bed wetting of online fans. I have to keep telling myself it is only the online community though thankfully enough, luckily probably the ones that do not go to games. I implore you to go on all your whatsapp groups and the opinions will mostly be the opposite to nearly everyone on here. What a very very strange bunch TWTD has, I wonder if all football forums are like this or just ours. Luckily, also the powers that be at the club also do not agree with the sentiment on here and much more so with the wider public.

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runaround added 19:53 - Mar 24 If, as has been suggested, when the club found about Farage coming that someone senior at the club wanted to meet him, then it should have been done in their own time at a venue that isn’t your place of employment. That is what the vast bulk of the population would have to do if they wanted to be a fanboy of any political party
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jas0999 added 19:57 - Mar 24

To be clear, I’ve never voted for, nor will I ever vote for NF and reform.

BUT I can’t help thinking, if this had been, for example, Sir Keir Starmer - the reaction would have been very very different. And in that lies the problem. Politics divides opinion.

Ultimately, politics has absolutely no place in football. Despite my dislike of NF I’m not sure what the club could do. Excluding one political party, would also go against their inclusive policy. This is a terrible situation where they are damned if they do, damned if they don’t. This is clearly naive …. But the club can’t endorse or dismiss any political party.

Let’s get back to football. Political discussion on TWTD has been a big issue for years. Might be time to ban it.

DropCliffsNotBombs added 19:58 - Mar 24 Dunno what's the most depressing - the fact that racist scumbag has set foot in Portman Road, the pathetic weasely statement from the club, or the grimly predictable array of dickheads commenting here. Grim all round for ITFC.
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Broadbent23 added 19:58 - Mar 24 All this guff is building up to the local council elections in May. So Ipswich Town will be shown on some political broadcast. Why are so many supporters getting upset by this issue. It will put our name out there, so be it.
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BlueWax added 20:10 - Mar 24 Busby for one is glad this went ahead, deflects the anger away from him !
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barrystedmunds added 20:19 - Mar 24 You tread a thin line when you combine sport with politics! Best avoid at all costs whatever your supposed intentions were. You’re just going to court controversy as demonstrated on this and previous posts. Not the Towns finest hour.
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BlueandTruesince82 added 20:29 - Mar 24 Not good enough for me, questions to be answered
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JewellintheTown added 20:35 - Mar 24

I doubt the amount of money the club have made from this will justify the reputational damage to the club.
A simple "sorry, we don't get involved with endorsing any politicians so we'll refund your money" would have been acceptable to reject his visit & then actually not getting involved with any, would be the sensible course.
No need for it in football anymore than religion.
We support for the sport, so let's not over complicate it with politics.
Weak excuse from the club that does more damage than good.

jonnysuave added 20:59 - Mar 24 Another posh boy pretending he has an affinity with the working class game. (Sadly many lap it up). Football started to suck with the advent of Sky and the Premier League... this type of garbage is what it's lead too.
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FelixBlue4 added 21:01 - Mar 24 Football should remain about the game. The place to show an allegiance to a political party is in the voting booth. While the club may have been caught out with this visit it’s just my opinion that they did the right thing. It could however have been less damaging had the club come out this morning with a statement.
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Lukeybluey added 21:06 - Mar 24

I actively try and stay away from politics, I really couldn't care less about any of it, as it's so divisive, but it's literally infiltrating everywhere! Just cant get away from it. I don't have a TV or any social media or watch any news for that very reason.
So it's bloody annoying that politics is infiltrating the one of a handful of things I actually enjoy going to. I think I'm going to move to Asia and live on a beach somewhere!

Dozzells_Bobblehat added 21:09 - Mar 24 Blueboy and Darkhorse are lefties. Surprised??? Nope, me neither . Actually quite reassuring
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wokingblue added 21:09 - Mar 24 Come on you lot. Just suck it up and look at yourselves. And Arsenal gave free tickets and hospitality to Starmer multiple times. And I believe Sunak had free tickets at Southampton. So what?!! Claiming to be inclusive as long as you agree with their views. Move on.
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