Tractor Boys Coast to Coast!
- Ben Chaplin
- Aug 24
- 3 min read
The new season is on us, and what a start! A fantastic win over Sunderland was celebrated in households from coast to coast, and north to south, across North America. Two meet ups in particular stood out...
The Premier League put on 20 events over the weekend, one for each club, in their inaugural "Coast to Coast" event.
The official Ipswich Town event was held in Toronto, where completely coincidentally, Ed Sheeran was performing back-to back concerts. A small and very lucky group of fans, mainly from Toronto area but also from as far afield as New York, Buffalo and Kansas City, were invited by @PLinUSA to an event in a Toronto bar. To everyone's surprise, Ed Sheeran bowled in just before kick off, and the group enjoyed the game together, along with one unfortunate Sunderland fan. Ed was presented with an NASC merch pack, and he gave out signed Town shirts to all those in attendance. From the NASC Board, Deputy Chair Steve Green and Secretary Jeff Stalnaker were in attendance. Of the meeting, Steve said:
"These are exciting times for Ipswich Town, and for the NASC, as we continue to grow our presence in North America! Everyone in attendance absolutely loved it, the organization was superb, Ed was gracious with his time, and Towen won!"
Jeff nodded his head in enthusiastic agreement.
The NASC exists to connect fans in North America. As Toronto-Tractor Chris Dow commented, "It was great to make some connections from all across the region, and find out more about the NASC."
Be sure to register with the NASC to be on our mailing lists for future events.
Thanks to the Premier League and to Ipswich Town for organizing this, hopefully one of many more to come, including the annual Premier League Mornings Live, this year to be held in Denver. You can find out more information and register your interest here. Register early to avoid disappointment. Rumors of a Town AGM to coincide with Ed's shows in Mexico City are as yet unconfirmed!
Your socials have probably been full of content, but here are a few of our faves..
Win a signed NASC flag!
Our NASC members made sure to get Ed to sign an NASC flag. Keep an eye on this, which will be raffled later this year as part of our fundraising efforts.
Can't help falling in love....with Towen!
Meanwhile, over in Nashville, it was the official Sunderland watch party. Sunderland have an unlikely connection with Elvis Presley, with "Can't Help Falling in Love" their club anthem. Indeed, the pink and black shirt they wore today is fully inspired by this story.
Some of you might have seen the arrival on socials of the Nashville Tractor Boy, a.k.a. Marc Ardisson. A fan since a chance encounter with some Ipswich folks on a holiday in 2004, this year he decided he didn't want to keep watching the games alone!
You can read more on his back story here, from his recent interview with BBC Suffolk. Marc was looking for fellow Town fans to meet up with, and decided to "gatecrash" Sunderland's party! Nearly 20 fans answered the call, and they had a great time at Fogg Street Lawn Club.
The NASC has a few meet up groups already. If you don't have one in your area, then drop us a note or add a post on our Facebook page, and we will try to connect you with fellow fans.
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