Ian Ashbee (born September 6, 1976 in Birmingham) is an English professional footballer currently playing for Hull City. He previously played for Derby County and Cambridge United, and has also played in Iceland, on loan to IR Knattspyrnudeild.

Purchased by manager Jan Mølby in June 2002 in League Two he suffered a nightmare start to his Hull career as he was sent off on his debut. This was, however, due to his no-nonsense approach on the pitch and he soon became a firm favourite with Tigers' fans and management alike, with both Mølby and Peter Taylor making him Captain.

The goal he scored against Yeovil Town was the goal that promoted Hull to League One and he was also instrumental in the Tigers' successful promotion campaign to the Football League Championship in the following season.

Ashbee was, however, cursed by an old injury in the subsequent Championship campaign, being ruled out for the majority of the 2005-6 season with an osteochondral defect, a degenerative bone condition in his femur. Nevertheless, he remains a favourite amongst many Tigers fans, receiving a standing ovation at the last game of the season 2005-6 against Watford despite being sidelined.

With a poor team performance in their second season in The Championship, finishing just one place outside the relegation zone, many fans have been questioning whether Ashbee's style and ability is now up to the standard required ^[1] despite the outgoing Chairman Adam Pearson suggesting him as a potential Player of the Season. Whenever two or more fans discuss Ashbee's merits as player and captain, views are seemingly always polarised and deeply entrenched. Manager Phil Brown's decision to choose Ian Ashbee as captain of the team in 2007/08 had a mixed reaction, although Ashbee's recent performances have silenced many of his critics and he has cemented his place in the first team, and been retained as captain thoughout the 2007/2008 season.