The English Premier League kicked off its season over the weekend, which means soccer fans worldwide are familiarizing themselves with all the offseason transfers, wondering if this is finally the year that someone unseats Manchester City, and also getting to know the new teams that were promoted from the second division. One of those teams, Ipswich Town (known colloquially as the Tractor Boys), turned some heads on Saturday when they played their first Premier League game since 2002.
No, it wasnât for their performance on the pitchâthe Tractor Boys suffered a 2-0 defeat to Liverpoolâit was because of their delightfully quirky, unbelievably British jersey sponsor. Ipswich is rocking Umbro shirts that prominently advertise Ed Sheeranâs ongoing Mathematics Tour.
IPSWICH, ENGLAND – AUGUST 17: Massimo Luongo of Ipswich during the Premier League match between Ipswich Town FC and Liverpool FC at Portman Road on August 17, 2024 in Ipswich, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Ipswich is located in Suffolk, a county on Englandâs eastern shoreâand, not incidentally, where Sheeran grew up. A longtime fan, and now part owner of the club, Sheeran is now literally part of the fabric of the team, on both the menâs and womenâs side. His world tour, a nod to his five math-related album titles (âPlusâ, âMultiplyâ, âDivideâ, âEqualsâ, and âSubtractâ), is a 144-show ordeal that began in 2022 and concludes with a 2025 grand finale in Dusseldorf. The tour has actually been the teamâs front-of-shirt sponsor since 2021, but now that theyâre back on the big stage again, people are taking notice.
