Lucy O’Brien Signs New Deal with Ipswich Town Through 2026/27

Ipswich Town have moved to secure one of their most important homegrown talents, with attacker Lucy O’Brien signing a new contract that keeps her at Portman Road through the 2026/27 season.

The 22-year-old, a former England youth international, had been heading towards the end of her existing deal this summer. The club ended any uncertainty this afternoon with a confirmation on their official website that O’Brien is staying put.

For Ipswich, it is more than just another renewal. It is a statement about who they are and who they want to be.

A Tractor Girl through and through

O’Brien is Ipswich Town through every stage of her footballing life. She came through the club’s academy system, earned her place in the senior squad, and has never played her senior football anywhere else.

That journey hit a major milestone in 2024/25 when she helped the Tractor Girls lift the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division title. It was the sort of campaign that underlines why a club builds around its own.

Last season, O’Brien stepped up again, making 12 appearances in Barclays WSL2 for the Suffolk side, adding valuable second-tier experience to her resume and showing she can handle the demands of a higher level.

The club clearly believe there is much more to come. They have tied her down for another 12 months, backing her to kick on just as the team looks to climb again.

“Such a big part of my life”

O’Brien’s attachment to Ipswich runs deep, and her reaction to the new deal reflected that.

“This club has been such a big part of my life since I first joined and I’m delighted to sign a new deal here,” she said after putting pen to paper.

“The team showed so much fight and togetherness last season and everyone is so eager to continue that progress and kick on in the year ahead.”

Those words mirror the mood around the squad: a sense of unfinished business and a belief that last season’s resilience can be a springboard rather than a one-off.

For Ipswich, keeping a title-winning, academy-bred forward in her early twenties is exactly the sort of continuity that can turn promise into something more lasting. The club have made their move. Now the question is how far O’Brien and this group can push that progress when the new season arrives, with further squad decisions still to come.