Ipswich Town Women will call Colchester United’s JobServe Community Stadium their home for the next two seasons.
The two clubs have come to an agreement which will see Ipswich play their home games outside of Suffolk for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons.
It comes after Ipswich were promoted to the second-tier of women’s football for the first time in the club’s history.
They previously played their home games at Felixstowe & Walton United for more than a decade.
The deal will also see the men’s U21 side play a number of their home games at the venue in Colchester.
It will also see upgrades to the pitch at the JobServe Community Stadium ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
Why will Ipswich Town Women play home games in Colchester?
Ipswich Town’s promotion to the Women’s Super League 2 (WSL2) was the reason why the club have had to move homes.
The club will now play its football 16 miles across the Essex border for the next two seasons.
Rachel Harris, head of women’s football at Ipswich Town, said in a club statement: “With the additional requirements and challenges following promotion to the second tier for the first time, it sadly wasn’t possible to maintain the Martello as our home.
“We’re excited to be playing our WSL2 games at Colchester, and we can’t wait to welcome our fans to the stadium as we make the step up next season.”
The club’s chairman Mark Ashton added: “We’re excited for the possibilities available to us at Colchester and look forward to seeing as many of our fans there as possible supporting Joe Sheehan and his team.”
The Martello Stadium, where Ipswich used to play had a capacity of 2,160. Meanwhile, their new home at the JobServe Community Stadium in Colchester, can hold 10,105 fans.
Ipswich confirmed intentions for the women’s side to play at Portman Road at some stage during the 2025-26 season. They also confirmed they will work towards securing a permanent home within the Ipswich area during their time in Colchester.
📰 An agreement has been reached which will see @ITFCWomen play home games at the JobServe Community Stadium in Colchester.
The agreement, which covers the next two seasons, will also see Town's Under 21s play a number of games at the venue. ⤵️
— Ipswich Town (@IpswichTown) June 23, 2025
Current requirements on WSL2 clubs
The move of Ipswich Town Women to the home of Colchester United comes amid a number of requirements which are expected of WSL2 sides.
WSL2 requires clubs to have a stadium meeting at least a Grade B standard according to the FA.
Grade B stadiums have requirements in terms of minimum capacity, floodlights, pitch size, medical facilities and other ground facilities.
To compete in WSL2, clubs must also meet certain criteria when it comes to staffing and financial stability.
This led to Blackburn Rovers Women voluntarily withdrawing from the WSL2 and dropping two tiers.
The club were unwilling to meet the league’s criteria for next season. Burnley Women failed in their bid to take Blackburn’s place, with Sheffield United keeping their place in WSL2 despite finishing bottom of the table last season.
Who will Ipswich face during the 2025/26 season?
Ipswich Town were promoted to the WSL2 alongside Nottingham Forest – who won the Women’s National League Northern Premier Division.
Sheffield United keep their place in the WSL2 despite originally being relegated because of Blackburn’s withdrawal from the league.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace will likely be one of the favourites to get promoted following their relegation from the top-flight.
They will be joined by Birmingham City, Bristol City, Charlton Athletic, Durham, Newcastle United, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Southampton.
