During the autumn, when ticket promotions for the FA Women’s Cup final were circulated, the Ipswich Town squad made each other a promise. They would not be tempted into what any set of fourth-tier players would be forgiven for doing, and buy in bulk for a day out at Wembley. The message was clear, and deadly serious: they would go hell for leather towards competing there themselves.
Given that they travel to face Manchester City on Sunday, the odds are on that ambition stalling in the last 16. Ipswich are only the second team at their level to have reached this stage and their manager, Joe Sheehan, has a point when he says a win would be “the biggest upset ever”. But this is one of the most progressive clubs in women’s football and that is why, regardless of how they fare against the holders, his players’ confidence appears bulletproof.
“The day after the draw, people were saying to me: ‘What a great occasion, a great experience for the players, go and enjoy it,’” Sheehan says. “But I thought: ‘No, that’s not us; we’re not just about occasions. We’re going to try and win the game, because that’s what we do.’”
That is beyond dispute. Ipswich are top of the FA Women’s Nations League Division One East and have dropped five points in their 11 games; they have won six matches to reach the fifth round and, last time out, thrashed third‑tier Huddersfield 4-1 at the John Smith’s Stadium. Some of their technical, attacking football is of a standard unrecognisable among their peers and it is no surprise that the 31-year-old Sheehan has received offers from clubs higher up. Nor is it a shock that he has turned them down, because he knows he is sitting on a goldmine.
“I wouldn’t put a number on it but yes, 100%,” he says when asked whether some of his players will represent England. In fact, 10 have done so at age-group levels, including the 16-year-old forward Maddie Biggs, who scored a hat‑trick in that defeat of the Terriers. Ipswich have been able to attract the eastern region’s best talent since receiving a Women’s Super League academy licence two years ago, operating in partnership with the FA. Their youngsters regularly face those of City, Arsenal and Chelsea. It means a pathway has appeared in an area where budding female footballers previously had mountains to climb.
“There are going to be clubs in the WSL that aren’t doing what we’re doing,” says Sheehan, who began leading the seniors a year ago. “What our players have access to in terms of development is sensational.”
Six of the squad are enrolled in the sixth form at St Joseph’s college, a local independent school, as part of a dual-careers programme designed to balance players’ sporting and educational ambitions. “It’s such an amazing thing, playing football every day with your best mates,” says the winger Anna Grey, who turned 18 on Tuesday. “We’re just living the dream really, doing the things you’ve always wanted to do.”
Ipswich’s lineups against opponents such as Actonians, Kent United and Billericay Town in league fixtures on Sundays often bear close resemblance to the under-21 selections that have faced more illustrious foes in midweek. But they also field senior players who know the hardships historically faced by budding female footballers. Amanda Crump, the captain, has been involved for two decades, slogging through midfield battles during those years when the side’s fortunes were virtually ignored. Then there is Natasha Thomas, one of the best centre-forwards outside the WSL, who rejected an offer from second‑tier Lewes last month and has scored 88 times in 107 appearances since 2015.
Thomas works as a receptionist in her home town, Lowestoft, and it takes more than an hour to drive to the twice-weekly training sessions. She considered giving up football a couple of years ago but has felt re-energised since Sheehan’s arrival. “I’m from the middle of nowhere, really, and never thought I could get this far,” she says. “Things here have changed drastically. I’ve been in shops and people recognise you: ‘Don’t you play for Ipswich?’ It’s nice to know we are making people smile and I hope younger girls from my area will now think: ‘I can give it a go.’”
Nowadays the club is integrated with the men’s setup and the result is a rare level of cooperation. Paul Lambert frequently watches the under-21s’ games and is conversant with all the players’ names and attributes; he makes himself available to Sheehan and his staff for tactical meetings and run-throughs of the seniors’ video footage, and has conducted some training sessions. On Tuesday, Ipswich Women played against the men’s under-18s in an effort to familiarise themselves with the tempo City might produce. “It couldn’t be any better,” Sheehan says. “I’m not aware of many other clubs where you get this level of support.”
The town itself, previously asleep to its women’s team, is waking up, too. Around 400 supporters will travel to Manchester and crowds for home games are the highest in the fourth tier, with 761 attending the derby against Norwich. Something has stirred here although promotion, no certainty in an attritional division, is required soon to ensure Ipswich stay on schedule. The sense around the club is that hauling themselves up a division at last could be the hardest part of a journey to the WSL.
Their job at City might top that. Grey, who sees Georgia Stanway as an inspiration but would love to swap shirts with Steph Houghton, believes “anything is possible”. It is an attitude Sheehan, a glint in his eyes as he considers the prospect, detects throughout his ranks.
“It’s a monumental task but there’s something about this group,” he says. “They’re so brave, and have so much belief and confidence in each other, that they won’t be fazed. They’ll be licking their lips to get out there and have a go. It’s going to be an incredible weekend.”
