Ed Sheeran is traded to a £1.5 billion digital firm by Ipswich Town.

 Ipswich Town has announced that Halo, a software company, would replace minority owner Ed Sheeran as the team's 2025–2026 front-of-shirt sponsor.

The Tractor Boys had worn Sheeran's Mathematics Tour insignia on their jerseys for the last four seasons, but the worldwide sensation felt that now was the perfect moment to "pass the torch over."


Sheeran remarked, "I've known the Halo guys for a while."

They've obviously sponsored the arm, and I made it very evident to everyone in Ipswich that we didn't want another bookmaker to appear on the jersey.

Additionally, we wanted to keep it local and in Suffolk. In addition to being a huge disruptor in the IT sector, I also like what Halo is doing for the local youth.

"Having a fantastic Suffolk brand from the Mathematics Tour onto Halo is just great."

The deal, which is the largest in the club's history, will be with the Stowmarket-based company for the next three years.

Both the men's and women's first-team jerseys will be sponsored by the service-management experts.

Halo CEO Paul Hamilton continued, saying: "We are thrilled to have advanced our collaboration with Ipswich Town.

"After being a sleeve sponsor for the last two seasons, it's an honour to follow Ed Sheeran as a front-of-shirt sponsor. For at least the next three years, which we believe will be another exciting time for the club, we're excited to see the Halo emblem on the jerseys.


With a stated market value of around £1.5 billion, Halo is the second-largest software vendor in the United Kingdom, after Sage.

The company soared to £73 million in 2024 under the direction of its "unusual and technical" CEO, but Hamilton stated in an interview with IT Channel Oxygen that he has no stake in the money.

"I'm pretty unique," he remarked. Although I'm very technical, I also embrace the difficulties of managing people and culture that come with growing a company, such as managing 200 employees to collaborate successfully and efficiently.

Many software entrepreneurs sell out early because they are unable to manage the human side of things.


However, the money has never piqued my curiosity. If I had a few million pounds, what would I do?

"The never-selling-out and ten-year guarantee are because I think the actual problem-solving part is worth much more."

In 2004, the 44-year-old and Alan Rogerson created the business, which was once known as Net Help Desk.

The two succeeded in developing a marketable solution with the goal of providing businesses with custom software packages.

Seven years after hiring its first worker, it changed its name to Halo in 2020.


The company then relocated to its present location in 2021, and it currently employs 150 people, with Hamilton's ambitious goal of growing that number to 1,000 in the following five years.

In addition to sponsoring the local football team, the corporation has affiliations with McLaren's Formula One squad and the World Championship snooker team.

Andy Wooldridge, the commercial director of Ipswich Town, stated: "Working with Paul and his colleagues as a main partner and sleeve sponsor over the past two seasons has been a joy. The friendship between the two institutions has truly flourished.

"The fact that Halo has now signed a record contract to sponsor our front-of-shirt is evidence of the expansion of our partnership program and demonstrates our dedication to collaborating with Suffolk companies who share our objectives.

"Halo is expanding rapidly, and we are thrilled to be able to support them in their exciting plans by leveraging our global reach."

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