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60 free Ipswich Town trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Ipswich Town did not turn professional until 1936, yet won the First Division at the first attempt in 1962 and gave England both of its most successful managers. This quiz covers the whole story: the merger with the town's rugby club, Alf Ramsey's title and departure for England, the 121 goals conceded in 1964, Bobby Robson's thirteen years, Roger Osborne's Wembley winner and his fainting fit, John Wark's penalties, the Dutch pair Mühren and Thijssen, the 5-4 UEFA Cup final against AZ, the Escape to Victory cameos, the 9-0 at Old Trafford, George Burley's fifth place, Roy Keane, League One and Kieran McKenna's back-to-back promotions. Early questions suit anyone who has heard 'Old Farm derby'; later ones are for Town fans who know their Churchmans from their Cobbold Stand: what Portman Road pioneered in 1890, who first switched on the floodlights, which German club's fans visit every year, and what animal dominates the crest. Good for a supporters' club night or a Suffolk pub quiz. Every answer was checked against Wikipedia's articles on the club, Portman Road and the 1978 and 1981 finals, and each question shows its source.
30 of 60 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Ipswich A.F.C. became Ipswich Town in 1888 after merging with a club that played which sport?
Rugby
The club stayed amateur for another 48 years, turning professional only in 1936.
Q 02In what year were Ipswich Town elected to the Football League?
1938
They had turned professional two years earlier and won the Southern League at the first attempt.
Q 03Which manager, later England's World Cup winner, replaced Scott Duncan at Ipswich in August 1955?
Alf Ramsey
He took the club from the Third Division South to the First Division title in seven seasons.
Q 04Ipswich won the Football League championship in 1961-62. What was remarkable about the timing?
It was their first ever season in the top flight
They had come up as Second Division champions the previous spring.
Q 05By what aggregate did Ipswich beat Floriana in their first European tie, the 1962–63 European Cup?
14-1
The 10-0 home leg is still a club record; AC Milan knocked them out in the next round.
Q 06Two years after winning the title, Ipswich went down in 1964 having conceded how many goals in 42 games?
121
Jackie Milburn's one full season in charge produced one of the worst defensive records in English senior football.
Q 07Bill McGarry left Ipswich after winning the 1967-68 Second Division to manage which club?
Wolves
His replacement in January 1969 was a 35-year-old Bobby Robson.
Q 08Steve Stacey, who made his debut in September 1968, was Ipswich's first what?
Black player in the League
He had been signed that summer from Fourth Division Wrexham.
Q 09Ipswich beat Manchester United 6-0 in 1979–80 despite United keeper Gary Bailey doing what?
Saving three penalties
The two points United lost that day were exactly the margin by which Liverpool won the title.
Q 10Which two Dutch midfielders did Robson bring to Ipswich in the late 1970s?
Arnold Mühren and Frans Thijssen
They added flair to a side built around Wark, Butcher and Mariner.
Q 11Who scored the only goal of the 1978 FA Cup final for Ipswich against Arsenal?
Roger Osborne
He was substituted moments later, overcome with emotion and feeling faint; Wark had hit the post twice.
Q 12What odds did William Hill offer on Ipswich winning the 1978 FA Cup final the day before?
9/4
Ipswich had finished 18th that season and lost 6-1 at Aston Villa in their previous match.
Q 13Ipswich's route to the 1978 final included a 6-1 win at The Den that was delayed 17 minutes by what?
Crowd violence spilling onto the pitch
Paul Mariner scored a hat-trick against Millwall that day.
Q 21Which ex-West Ham manager took Ipswich up as champions into the first Premier League season?
John Lyall
Ipswich were fourth in January 1993 before fading to 16th; Lyall resigned in December 1994 with the club bottom.
Q 22Ipswich suffered a then Premier League record 9-0 defeat in 1995 at which ground?
Old Trafford
Andy Cole scored five; the margin was equalled by Leicester at Southampton in 2019 and by Liverpool against Bournemouth in 2022.
Q 23Which club did George Burley's Ipswich beat 4-2 in the 2000 Division One play-off final?
Barnsley
They came from behind to win, then finished fifth in the Premier League the following season.
Q 14Ipswich won the 1981 UEFA Cup 5-4 on aggregate over which Dutch club?
AZ Alkmaar
They won the first leg 3-0 at Portman Road, then lost 4-2 in Amsterdam's Olympic Stadium.
Q 15In the first leg of the 1981 UEFA Cup final, who opened the scoring for Ipswich from the penalty spot?
John Wark
He had scored three penalties in one match against Aris Salonika in the first round.
Q 16On the way to the 1981 UEFA Cup, Ipswich won 4-1 away at which French club, captained by Michel Platini?
Saint-Étienne
That season a squad of about thirteen played more than sixty matches, and Ipswich still finished second in the league.
Q 17Ipswich were league runners-up in 1980-81 to a club they had beaten home and away that season. Who?
Aston Villa
Injuries and fixture congestion wrecked a possible treble; they were runners-up again the following year.
Q 18Which Ipswich player doubled for Michael Caine in the football scenes of Escape to Victory?
Kevin Beattie
Paul Cooper doubled for Sylvester Stallone, and Wark, Osman, Sivell, Turner and O'Callaghan all appeared on screen.
Q 19Bobby Robson left Ipswich in July 1982 to do what?
Manage England
He had been linked with the Manchester United job the year before, but it went to Ron Atkinson.
Q 20Terry Butcher, the last key player from the 1981 side, was sold after the 1986 relegation to which club?
Rangers
An expensive new stand had squeezed the budget even as Thijssen and Wark were sold.
Q 24In 2000-01 Ipswich finished fifth, pipped to a Champions League place on the final day by whom?
Liverpool
George Burley won the Premier League Manager of the Year award as consolation.
Q 25How did Ipswich qualify for European football in 2002 despite being relegated from the Premier League?
Through the UEFA Fair Play ranking
They beat two sides before losing to Slovan Liberec; the club went into administration the same year.
Q 26Which ex-Norwich player managed Ipswich to play-off semi-finals in 2004 and 2005, both lost to West Ham?
Joe Royle
He resigned in May 2006 after a 15th-place finish, the club's lowest since 1966.
Q 27Which businessman bought an 87.5% stake in Ipswich in December 2007, investing around £44 million?
Marcus Evans
His group's shirt sponsorship ran from 2008 to 2018, the longest in the club's history.
Q 28Which former Manchester United captain managed Ipswich for 18 months from 2009 to 2011?
Roy Keane
He was sacked in January 2011 and eventually replaced by Paul Jewell.
Q 29Paul Hurst, sacked in October 2018, is Ipswich's shortest-serving manager. How long did he last?
Less than five months
Paul Lambert followed but could not prevent relegation to League One, ending 63 years in the top two tiers.
Q 30The 2019 relegation to League One ended Ipswich's stay in the top two divisions of how many years?
63
Their first third-tier season since 1957 ended 11th, decided on points per game during the pandemic.