Premier League stability and European dreams: Ashton on his Ipswich plan

Mark Ashton, Ipswich Town's chairman and chief executive, has stated the club's ambition to stabilise in the Premier League and aim for Europe, among a range of topics discussed in an interview with BBC Radio Suffolk.

Since taking the role in 2021, Ashton has presided over a period of exceptional success on and off the pitch, including Town twice being promoted to the top flight.

In a feature interview, available on BBC Sounds, he discussed the club's transfer strategy, the desire of its investors and their shared vision for the future.

The Tractor Boys earned their third promotion in five seasons in May, sealing an immediate return to the top flight after relegation in 2024-25.

Their initial return to the Premier League came off the back of consecutive promotions from League One and the Championship, after years of stagnation since the early 2000s.

However, at the end of last season, Kieran McKenna - the manager who guided the club through its period of success - unexpectedly announced he would step down, and was replaced by Gary O'Neil.

The Suffolk club appear to have adapted well to the change, having already picked up three wins in the league - only one fewer than they managed in the entirety of their previous season at this level.

Ahead of Saturday's trip to fellow promoted side Hull City, they sit 12th in the table.

"It's been a little bit of a whirlwind," said Ashton.

"He [O'Neil] has come in really calmly, very focused, strong-minded on what he wants to do, and has showed real leadership by my side on how we've stepped through all those challenges.

"Without that calm leadership I don't think you get the points on the board."

Ashton said O'Neil and McKenna shared "similarities", adding that O'Neil was a "great communicator" and they talked every day.

Ashton has also got an office at the training ground "so we can work closely but make sure he has enough space to do his job".

Throughout a 22-minute conversation, Ashton hammered home one point more than any other - the intention to restore Ipswich's glory days.

The club became English champions for the first and only time in 1961-62, and famously won the Uefa Cup in 1981.

Changes to Ipswich's ownership were made last year, with several investors coming on board, and Ashton said they were proving a driving force behind the scenes.

"The investors are committed, they push hard, [and] no harder did they push on anything than they have done in the transfer window," said Ashton.

"They were brutal with me on how hard they wanted me to keep the foot on the gas, and I think that related into not just the quantum of players that we brought in for both men's and women's teams, but quality, and I think both teams are bearing the fruits of that."

When Ipswich's men last went up to the Premier League in 2024, 10 of their 12 summer signings were British or Irish players acquired from other English sides.

This time, the Blues have cast their net far wider, with Emersonn the first Brazilian to join the club, Sasa Lukic the first Serbian and Daizen Maeda their first Japanese player.

"I think supporters should be really excited," Ashton added.

"I still don't believe there are many, if any, clubs in the world that have had a growth period of success like we have had in the last five years, but we're not finished yet."

While many supporters will see success as securing Premier League status by means of a 17th place finish, Ashton did not shy away from sharing a vision for a return to European football for the first time since their 2002-03 Uefa Cup campaign.

There is growing precedent, with the likes of Bournemouth, Brighton and Sunderland enjoying European competition this season, while clubs like Chelsea and Tottenham go without.

He said: "I have one goal and that's to make this football club the best it can be.

"I want it sustainably in the Premier League, I want it knocking on European football, I want it playing European football."

Ashton said: "I want people to look at this football club and say actually, yeah, Sir Bobby [Robson] would have been proud of this, Sir Alf [Ramsey] would have been proud of this, because not only have they achieved success, but you know what - they've done it in a way that befits this club and its town, its county and its people."

Ashton confirmed there are plans to develop Portman Road and the area around it but said there is no set timeframe.

"There's a lot of work to do," said Ashton. "There will be plans coming out over coming months for facility development, land around the stadium, how we want to take the whole Portman Road estate forward for many years to come.

"There's a lot of work going on behind the scenes in regards to that and it's one to watch for the supporters."

For all of Town's successes, there have also been testing moments.

Earlier this year, Ashton was forced to "unreservedly apologise" for the handling of Nigel Farage's visit to the club's Portman Road stadium.

The Reform UK leader was photographed and filmed during a visit, posing with personalised shirts and pretending to sign a contract.

Ashton said: "We make mistakes every single day. We don't get up every morning thinking, how are we going to make mistakes?

"We get up every day trying to drive the football club forward.

"There are things we would have always done differently... but there's no time for regrets. We've got to keep going and we've got to keep going quickly to drive this football club back to where it needs to be."

The goals of the men's team are clear - but Ashton said so to were its plans for the future of the women's team.

He shared an unwavering belief that Ipswich Town Women, currently competing in the second tier, are on a certain path to the Women's Super League.

"I'm convinced of that," said Ashton.

"We're building infrastructure, we're building staff, we're building quality players, we're building recruitment, we're building investment into the women's team now.

"We have to build every area of this football club, both on and off the pitch, men's and women's - and I just think the future for this football club is extremely bright, but we have to build it as one.

"You can't just build part of it and ignore another part, we're not going to do that."