English singer-songwrite Ed Sheeran, left, watches the Autumn Nations series rugby union match between England and Australia, at Twickenham stadium, London Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Ed Sheeran was about to join Taylor Swift on stage at a concert over the summer when he got a call from his favorite soccer team.
It needed his help to sign a player.
Sheeran, the British pop star, is a minor shareholder at Ipswich Town, which returned to the English Premier League this season for the first time since 2002.
Turns out he is more than just an investor and lifelong fan. He’s now part of Ipswich’s recruitment team.
“In the summer, we were trying to persuade one particular player to join the football club and realized very quickly that he was an Ed Sheeran fan,” said Ipswich CEO Mark Ashton, speaking at a Soccerex industry event in Miami.
“Ed jumped on a Zoom call with him at the training ground, just before he stepped on stage with Taylor Swift. Hopefully that was a key part in getting the player across the line.”
Ashton didn’t disclose the player in question, saying only: “He’s certainly scoring a few goals.”
Sheeran and Swift were on stage together at a show at Wembley Stadium on Aug. 15, a day before Ipswich signed Sammie Szmodics from Blackburn.
Szmodics was the top scorer in the second-tier Championship last season, and after scoring from an overhead kick in Ipswich’s 2-1 win at Tottenham this month, he posted a photograph of himself with Sheeran on Instagram.
“Overhead kick, Win & a smudge with big ed. GET IN THERE,” Szmodics, an Ireland international, wrote.
Sheeran is Ipswich’s most famous supporter and has been the club’s shirt sponsor since 2021. His status as a minority owner grants him access to an executive box at Ipswich’s Portman Road stadium and he is regularly seen at matches.
Ipswich hosts Manchester United on Sunday in a match notable for being Ruben Amorim’s first in charge of United.
Ashton spoke highly of Sheeran at the Soccerex event, saying with a smile: “He’s a local man, a global superstar, sponsor of the football club, now a shareholder and now officially a part of our recruitment team.”