What AI thinks Ipswich Town's stadium Portman Road will look like in the year 2050 | OneFootball

We asked ChatGPT what Ipswich Town's stadium Portman Road could look like in the year 2050.

Ipswich Town are currently preparing for life back in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League.

After winning back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, Ipswich returned to the top flight for the first time in 22 years last season, but it is fair to say the step up in quality proved to be a little too much for them.

Having spent almost the entire season in the bottom three, the Tractor Boys were relegated in late April with four games of the campaign still to play, and they eventually finished in 19th place with just 22 points to their name.

Relegation represents the first setback in what has been a meteoric rise for Ipswich under the ownership of Gamechanger 20 Ltd, but that will not deter them from continuing to pursue their ambitious plans for the club, which include a redevelopment of the Portman Road stadium.

With that in mind, we asked AI to predict what the home of the Tractor Boys could look like in the year 2050.

AI predicts how Ipswich Town's Portman Road stadium could look in 2050

After winning promotion to the Premier League, Ipswich implemented a host of changes to their stadium last summer, including the introduction of safe standing in certain areas of the ground, an increase in the capacity of the away end and the opening of a new TV studio.

However, that is far from the extent of the club's ambition to upgrade their stadium, and in October, the Tractor Boys confirmed they had reached an "in-principle agreement" to buy a large section of land near to Portman Road, meaning they would acquire the car park behind the Cobbold Stand if the deal is finalised.

Chief executive Mark Ashton has previously stated that expanding the Cobbold Stand is one of Ipswich's long-term objectives, while he also revealed that he would like to see the total capacity of the stadium increase to 40,000.

According to ChatGPT, the development of the Cobbold Stand is a central part of the Tractor Boys' plans to modernise Portman Road, and it claims that the deal to purchase land from the council could enable the club to expand the stand and improve the matchday experience for supporters.

AI also believes that, by 2050, as part of the regeneration of the surrounding area, a new carbon-neutral aquatics centre could be developed, including features such as an eight-lane swimming pool, a soft play area, a gym and a café, while the introduction of a seven-level multi-storey car park to replace the existing 500 parking spaces will help to provide better parking solutions for drivers.

ChatGPT says that the construction of a hotel and improved pedestrian links between the stadium and the town centre will create a thriving community hub that will also see Portman Road become influential outside matchdays.

As things stand, there is no set timeline for the development of the stadium to be completed, but AI predicts that Ipswich will have a state-of-the-art facility that can rival many Premier League stadiums by 2050, which will also bring plenty of benefits for the community and the local area.

Portman Road redevelopment could help Ipswich Town reach the next level

It is fair to say that Ipswich have grown in every possible department since the takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd in 2021, and the exciting stadium redevelopment plans underline their long-term commitment to the club.

The Tractor Boys had an average attendance of 19,549 in the 2019-20 season, which was the final year of former owner Marcus Evans' reign when supporters were allowed in the ground, but their attendance numbers have increased exponentially over the past five years.

Ipswich had an average gate of 29,742 in the Premier League last term, meaning that many of their home games were a virtual sell-out, and while that figure may drop slightly in the Championship, they will almost certainly record healthy attendance numbers again next season.

If the Tractor Boys continue on an upward trajectory, there is no reason that they could not regularly fill a 40,000-seater stadium at some point in the future, and if ChatGPT's predictions are correct, the area surrounding Portman Road could also be set for significant improvements.