Ipswich Town will honour the NHS on the back of their new home and away kits for the 2020/21 season.

The Blues have used the area below players’ shirt numbers to support local charities in recent seasons, including EACH (East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices) and East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Next season’s kits, which the Blues still hope to launch in late May as planned, will include a simple ‘thank you NHS’ to thank those working on the frontline during the pandemic and beyond.

Supporters will have the option to add the ‘thank you NHS’ branding to their replica shirts for a nominal fee of £3.50, with all proceeds going to the local NHS.

“We have been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity shown towards the NHS during the pandemic,” said Nick Hulme, chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Ipswich and Colchester Hospitals.

“This gesture from Ipswich Town is warmly received and we know many of our colleagues will look forward to cheering the club on when football begins once again.”

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Town’s director of retail operations, Lee Hyde, told the club website: “It’s fantastic to be able to support the NHS in this way with the critical role they are playing in protecting the people of the UK throughout this global pandemic.

“It’s a message that shows the gratitude of everybody associated with the Football Club, as well giving the fans the opportunity to add the branding to their 2020/21 shirts and in turn raising funds directly for the NHS.”

Town’s director of sales, Rosie Richardson, added: “We are honoured to be working with and supporting the NHS in these unprecedented times, not only through offering the use of the club’s facilities for blood donor sessions and training sessions but also through our personal thank you on the back of next season’s shirts.”

The Blues have offered the NHS free use of their facilities at Portman Road during the crisis, while owner Marcus Evans has also pledged to make a personal donation matching five per-cent of all season ticket revenue received by May 7 to the health service.