Ipswich Women hope for record Portman Road turnout
Ipswich Town Women are relishing the "massive opportunity" of playing at Portman Road for a second time on Sunday, and they hope to set a new attendance record.
Last year, 10,173 fans attended their league fixture with Chatham Town, a match they won 5-0.
"We hope as many come as possible," said goalkeeper Natalia Negri. "It is a big boost for us and the women's game in general."
Town Women, who are chasing promotion from the FA Women's National League Southern Premier Division, take on Plymouth Argyle at 14:00 GMT.
The occasion will be extra special for midfielder Kyra Robertson. The 22-year-old told BBC Look East that her family were all big Town supporters.
"They probably would not expect to see their younger sister playing on the pitch that they watch the men's team play on every week," she said.
"The club are fully behind us. It is so nice to have their support and I will really relish the opportunity to play here."
Robertson said last season's fixture was the first time she had played at Portman Road.
"It was a great day. This town really supports the club as a whole," she said.
"It's not just the men's team or the glamorous fixtures that they play [in the Premier League] every week.
"Just before kick-off, when [Ipswich Town CEO] Mark Ashton broke the news in the changing room that we had hit 10,000, we couldn't believe it.
"Walking out, we could hear the crowd. It was amazing and to top it off with the 5-0 win, we were so happy."
Town Women go into Sunday's match trailing league leaders Hashtag United by three points with five games to play after losing 1-0 to their Essex rivals three weeks ago.
Asked if they needed to win all their remaining fixtures, goalkeeper Negri, 21, said the occasion would not get in the way of the important job they needed to do.
"We take each game as it comes," she said. "We must put in a good performance, and it will be a bonus if we get the three points at Portman Road."
The goalkeeper was signed last summer, having helped Crystal Palace win the Championship, and she has not yet played at the stadium.
"I am really excited to be part of it this year, being able to showcase what I can do personally and what we can do as a team," she said.
"I have been involved in big games before. I am used to the pressure of having a crowd and lots of outside noise. I can't wait."
Manager Joe Sheehan joined the club in 2019 and has guided the team to the third tier of women's football.
"Last year, we had an incredible attendance," he said.
"Seeing so many supporters [made it feel] like a typical men's matchday, but just on a slightly smaller scale.
"It was all about being trailblazers, to inspire the community and try to put on a performance to leave a lasting memory. It was a huge success."
Sheehan said there were a number of bright players coming through the club's youth development pathway, which has been boosted by the rising prominence of the women's team.
He is also pleased to see attendances continue to grow at Felixstowe, where Town Women play their regular home games.
"There always seems to be new fans – boys, girls, parents, pets! The club has been moving on an upwards trajectory in recent years and I feel our growth has been boosted following last season's game [at Portman Road]."
Leah Mitchell signed her first professional contract last July. The defender, who was named player of the month in February, took time out from preparations this week to spend time with the Women's under-14s and under-16s performance squads – a programme run by the Ipswich Town Foundation.
"It is always great to see the young girls play. I was one of them once," she said.
"Nowadays, there are so many professional female footballers for young girls to look up to. It is different from even a couple of years ago.
"The girls now have role models in the women's game, not just the men."
Mitchell, 19, said the recent increased coverage of the women's game had inspired her.
"I loved it," she said. "I thought to myself it could be me, whereas before it was always the men I was watching."
She added that she was pleased so many of the girls from the club's development squads would be watching on Sunday.
"We are not nervous – we are just so excited to play at this incredible stadium again. We can't wait to put on a show!"
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