Ed Sheeran buys stake in his hometown soccer team

Ed Sheeran buys stake in his hometown soccer team
Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty Images

For years Ed Sheeran‘s friend and mentor Elton John was the chairman of his hometown soccer team, Watford F.C., and helped turn its fortunes around. Now it looks like Ed is following Elton’s footsteps: He’s decided he wants to do something more than just sit in the stands and cheer for his hometown team, Ipswich Town F.C., based in Suffolk, England.

Ed writes on Instagram, “Really excited to announce that I have bought a small percentage of my hometown football club @ipswichtown. It’s any football fan’s dream to be an owner in the club they support, and I feel so grateful for the opportunity.”

“I’ve lived in Suffolk since I was 3, and although I have travelled the world and sometimes feel like an outsider in big cities, Suffolk and Ipswich have always made me feel part of a community and protected,” he continues. “It’s such a joy to be a fan of Ipswich town.”

But Ed notes that he’s not a board member or a voting shareholder. “This is just me putting some money into the club I love and them returning the gesture,” he says. “So please don’t get onto me with signing suggestions or tactics lol.”

Ed is also issuing a challenge to Ryan Reynolds, who co-owns the Wrexham A.F.C. football club. Ed posted a video on his Instagram Story that he made promoting Ipswich Town, and captioned it, “@vancityreynolds, come and get it bruv.” 

Ahead of buying into the team, Ed helped design uniforms for Ipswich Town.

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