We hardly need to start with an introduction, but just in case you had a very long sleep over the bank holiday weekend and missed the sporting action – Ipswich Town FC secured promotion to the Premier League. 

The Blue Army were celebrating after achieving what seemed like the impossible – a return to top flight football for the first time in two decades.  

The promotion came following the team’s storming 2-0 victory over Huddersfield and the ‘Tractor Boys’ took to the town on Monday for a celebratory parade through crowds of thousands of overjoyed fans on Sunday.  

So, it really is big news – but the return to the Premier League is a victory that resonates far beyond the pitch – bringing a wave of optimism, unity, and economic opportunity – we definitely feel this at Satsuma HQ. 

And we know that many of our clients are riding high on the big win too. 

We heard from lots of the fabulous businesses we work with. 

Among them was Nick Marshall, Director of Ipswich based accountancy firm Beatons who said: “The turnaround in the club and on and off the pitch in the last two years is nothing short of miraculous.  

“With some of our staff participating in the celebrations over the weekend, it is clear how much the club has re-engaged with the town and surrounding areas.  

“In the 70s and 80s Ipswich were well known throughout Europe due to the exploits of the team under Bobby Robson.  

“The global appeal of the Premier league will again improve the profile of the town nationally and internationally and hopefully bring a welcome boost to the local economy, particularly for the hospitality sector which has seen challenging times in these past few years.  COYB!” 

Will Ridd, Digital Marketing Executive at website business Infotex, said: “It’s huge news for the community in general. With the Premier League being the best and most publicised league in the world of football, people who were otherwise unaware of Ipswich both as a football club and a town will certainly now be aware, which can only benefit Suffolk.”

Hear hear!  

This is all about the power of sport. The promotion of Ipswich Town is not only great for the club but for the county, the town and its people.  

Even before the game was won, the local economy received a huge boost as tens of thousands of people gathered in the town centre, visiting pubs and restaurants – with some bars selling out of booze, according to reports. 

In fact, Suffolk News reported that the local hospitality industry saw record breaking sales and footfall for the big game on Saturday and that in addition, an estimated 35,000 people turned out for the parade which made its way through the town centre – with a further 50,000 fans thought to have been on the route in various places. 

Businesses simply cannot buy that number of eyes on what they have to offer. 

Football has a unique ability to unite communities and that means that: 

Community spirit soars 

This weekend a whole host of businesses turned their logos blue in a bid to recognise the achievement and yes, let’s own it – a sense of pride and belonging has taken over. It means we want to help each other more, support local businesses and push for more Suffolk related success. That could and should be a golden opportunity for local businesses.  

Businesses are boosted 

The economic impact of a Premier League promotion is big. In time, we’ll see way more visitors to Ipswich, filling hotels, restaurants, and bars. So many local businesses will benefit from increased footfall, with shops experiencing higher sales and services, such as tourism transport thriving.  

Oh, and the world at large will know about us – because the global exposure that comes with Premier League status can attract investment and tourism to the town. That will only add to economic growth. 

Jobs and other opportunities 

All that economic activity should hopefully create work – and a town with a reputation for sporting greatness can attract talent too (erm, hello!) – not just in the sporting arena but within other industries too. Now that Ipswich has been being talked about this weekend – movers and shakers will want to check us out. Who knows, maybe our house prices will go up? (We’ll leave it to the estate agents to expand on that one). 

Ipswich Town’s promotion is a promotion for us all. It won’t be instant, but we will all hopefully feel the ripples in time.  

Satsuma’s tips for capitalising on the footie success 

• Plug into the local identity. This win will do wonders for giving locals a sense of identity and belonging. Show you’re part of that by sharing your Ipswich-based history – give us the facts and the figures, send out an email to your customers to say why this win means so much to your business. Share your Ipswich history across your socials and let customers old and new see that you’re part of the pride we’re all feeling. 
• Launch an offer and link it to the win. Maybe you’ll ask customers to bring their Ipswich shirt or scarf in for a discount or perhaps you’ll just give an offer code in celebration – whatever it is, the time is now. 
• A step up to the prem could mean all sorts of new businesses opportunities with the club itself– sponsorship of the first team might be out of your business’s grasp, but don’t over-look supporting the academy teams or placing ads in programmes and on banners at the ground. 
• If you’ve ever had any connections with the team – now is the time to let everyone know. If your business sponsored them back in the day – say so. If Brad from catering used to go with his grandad, get him to dig out a photo and let you share it.  
• Capitalise on the community feeling – maybe you’re a sporty brand and could offer something free to schools or groups in celebration of the win? Anything that helps foster the sense of a community coming together in pride, will help build your company’s reputation. 

 If you want help catapulting your Suffolk business into the limelight right now, give us a call. 

And just an aside, big shoutout to our fellow Suffolk business WHAT Associates for providing the fabulous image to accompany this blog!