Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna says ‘it’s a fantastic honour’ to be awarded doctorate by University of Suffolk

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna’s success in securing back-to-back promotions for the club has been recognised with an honorary doctorate.

He was awarded his first honorary doctorate yesterday evening in a ceremony at the University of Suffolk at Ipswich Waterfront.

The manager has enjoyed a wealth of success in just a few short years since joining the Blues, securing back-to-back promotions from League One into the Premier League.

Joining students from courses such as sport and exercise science, biomedical science and diagnostic radiography, Kieran implored students to ‘go for your biggest goal’.

He said: “If you have goals in life, if you have some things you are uncertain of, if you are not sure, go with your passion.

“Go with your heart, go with the one that means the most for you. Go with the one you love and chase it with everything you’ve got.”

Having suffered an early setback when his playing career ended at Tottenham Hotspur aged just 22 as a result of injury, Kieran faced a crossroads of career choices.

Weighing up options to pursue new careers as either a maths teacher, sports physio or sports coach, an inspiring conversation with a club medic put him onto the path that led to today’s success.

"It made me realise that so often in our careers, so often in our ambitions, we are limited by our own perceptions of what is possible, by our own perceptions of what we can achieve,” Kieran told the ceremony.

“At that point in my career, to even become a community coach, a youth coach, would have seemed like an incredible achievement and would have been my absolute dream.”

After a stint coaching at Manchester United, Kieran secured the manager position at Ipswich Town in December 2021, and his work culminated in a Premier League promotion at the end of last season, bringing the club back into the top tier for the first time in more than two decades.

Revealing an insight into what has made that period a success, Kieran said the mantra at the training ground is ‘focus on the process’.

He said that during his career, the focus has been on the variables he can control.

He added: “For me, that is always the focus on long-running development, which is why this is an honour to stand here in an institution that believes in the same.”

Earlier this year, the club and the university signed a three-year partnership agreement, with a collective mission to inspire pride in Ipswich and Suffolk.

Kieran said: “It feels fantastic, it’s a great honour. It’s a really important place for me now, and I feel so embedded in the community here, and of course the University of Suffolk is a big part of the community, so it’s a fantastic honour and one I’m really proud of.

“Both institutions have a big part to play in the community, and I think the link with the university is really important for us.

“We need to continue to try and improve, to innovate, and develop in all areas, and of course that is a big ethos of the university as well, so it’s an important relationship for us and one we hope will go from strength to strength and we can both keep developing, both keep helping the local community.”

Kieran joked that he would be ensuring players referred to him by his new honorary ‘doctor’ title in club training this week.

And in a message to the graduates, urged them to ‘let your biggest setbacks be the ones that shape your character’.

“I believe in those setbacks is where you show your true character, and where you show the people around you your true nature.”

‘I now understand to always believe in myself’

Ipswich Town’s first professional women’s player has achieved a first class degree while also managing her career with the club.

Sophie Peskett, 21, graduated with a BSc(Hons) Sport and Exercise Science degree and is now looking forward to focussing on her football career with Ipswich Town.

She became the club’s first professional women’s player in the summer of 2021.

Choosing to study at the University of Suffolk allowed her to progress her professional football alongside her studies, following her move to Suffolk from her home in Hertfordshire.

Graduation has meant a lot to Sophie as she is the first person in her family to graduate with a university degree.

“When I first started, I didn’t believe that I was capable of completing something like this. Three years have passed, and I have graduated with a first-class degree, which makes me really motivated and I now understand to always believe in myself.”

Sophie is currently in her fifth season with the women’s team at Ipswich Town, fulfilling her dreams as a little girl of being a full-time footballer.

“Being given the opportunity to do it at this club means a lot to me after three years of studying and I think it has come at the perfect time.

“I would love to further my education by completing a masters in the future but for now I am looking to focus on my football career and keep developing in every way I can.”