Explained: How Ipswich Town's owners Gamechanger 20 Ltd got rich | OneFootball

It has been an outstanding start to life back in the Championship for Ipswich Town.

The Tractor Boys were promoted from League One last season, and they have seamlessly made the step up to the second tier.

Kieran McKenna's side currently sit second in the Championship table after picking up 28 points from their first 11 league games, and they are already eight points clear of third-placed Preston North End.

The 37-year-old has done an outstanding job since his arrival at Portman Road in December 2021, and he continues to reinforce his reputation as one of the brightest young managers in the EFL.

Ipswich have been transformed under the ownership of Gamechanger 20 Ltd, who bought the club from unpopular former owner Marcus Evans for £40 million in 2021.

As the Tractor Boys continue to progress, we looked at how the club's owners made their fortune.

How did Ipswich Town's owners Gamechanger 20 Ltd get rich?

The main owner of the Tractor Boys is ORG, an American investment fund who, according to the East Anglian Daily Times, "manage funds on behalf of large US pension pot - the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System - and who own 90% of Gamechanger 20 Ltd".

Edward Schwartz co-founded the organisation in 1999 and is the ORG representative for the club, while Brett Johnson, Berke Bakay and Mark Detmer, who enjoyed success previously with Pheonix Rising FC, also form part of the board.

It is unknown exactly how much Gamechanger 20 Ltd are worth today, but in April 2021, Chief Investment Officer for the Arizona PSPRS Trust, Mark Steed, tweeted that "our fund is $13 billion and we’re holding $700m in cash".

The group wiped Ipswich's debts of around £100 million when they took over, and while they have provided McKenna with backing in the transfer market so far, they have significant financial resources to continue to progress the club in the years to come.

Following promotion last season, co-owner Schwartz insisted that was just the start of the club's journey.

"We could not be more pleased with the incredible support we have from the fanbase – it's like nothing we could have ever imagined," Schwartz told the East Anglian Daily Times in May.

"The emotion and feeling you get walking the streets is something we couldn’t have imagined. We’re so proud to be part of this incredible journey.

"This is a bigger and better opportunity than we could have imagined. Like Mark Ashton has said, this isn’t the end, it’s just the end of the beginning. We’re excited for an incredible journey together.

"A lot of us feel like the most difficult task was to get out of League One. We have accomplished that now and we will be working hard to develop our plans for next season and beyond.

"But our long-term goal has always been to build a sustainable club who can be competitive and compete at the highest levels of English football."