Ipswich Town captain Maria Boswell says WSL promotion is 'inevitable'

Boswell backs Ipswich to reach the WSL

Ipswich Town Women are on an "inevitable" trajectory to promotion to the Women's Super League, according to club captain Maria Boswell.

The Tractor Girls finished ninth in WSL2 last season following promotion to the second tier in 2025, and were in the fourth tier as recently as 2021. Under the management of former men's team player David Wright, appointed in April, the Blues are third after five games of the 2026-27 campaign.

'I don't see it happening any other way'

Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk, the 23-year-old Boswell was emphatic about the club's ambitions.

"I don't think there's any ceiling to what we can go on and achieve. For me, I just see it [promotion to the WSL] as inevitable," Boswell said.

"The way the club's going I don't see it as any other option whether it's this year, or whether it's in five years' time," she added. "I think that is where this club will naturally belong and fall into just with the intent of the owners and the investment we've had and where they see the club. I don't see it happening any other way and I do hope that I'm part of it when it does happen."

A strong start to the season

Boswell joined Ipswich's academy in 2019 and was named captain as a 20-year-old in 2023. The club started the season with draws against Nottingham Forest and Southampton, before winning consecutive league games against Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United.

On Sunday, Ipswich will host second-placed Sunderland at Colchester Community Stadium.

Focus on the next game

Boswell said the squad's recruitment had shaped the club's outlook. "We've brought in such good players and I think looking around we kind of got to end of pre-season and decided that there was no reason why we shouldn't strive for that [promotion to the WSL]," she said.

"I think it's about coming in with that in the back of your mind but not letting it kind of get too ahead of yourself or cloud everything else you do. It's just about coming in training with the intent that we do every single session and then hopefully going out on a Sunday and putting in performances that earn us the three points which at the moment we're doing, but it's not given that that just naturally continues just because it's how we started."