Do Luton Town even have a stadium for the Premier League?

This weekend
Away day
On the pitch
'Conference to the Premier League'
Work to be done
£10 million
Plans
Is it ready?
Not ready for Burnley
Postponed
Premier League statement
'Regrettable'
No guarantee
'Postponement further down the line’
Stadium in 2026
Foreseeable future
This weekend

The Premier League gets underway this weekend, with Luton Town making their first appearance in the top division since 1992.

Away day

'The Hatters' have a tough test in their welcome back to the league, facing European hopefuls Brighton away from home.

On the pitch

Luton has worked hard over the summer to bolster their squad on the pitch, bringing in players who have experience in the Premier League, like Ross Barkley and Marvelous Nakamba.

'Conference to the Premier League'

According to Luton Town's Twitter account, Ross Barkley said, "Coming to a club that has come from the conference to the Premier League, a team that plays with no fear and with a mentality to win excites me."

Work to be done

As Barkley reflected on Luton's journey from the Conference League to the Premier League, work needs to be done on the club's stadium so it's up to scratch for the league's standards.

£10 million

Since the club was promoted in the Championship Playoff Final in May, a £10 million project has been underway to bring the stadium to the Premier League level.

Plans

The investment in the stadium includes the construction of a new stand to meet broadcast and media requirements.

Is it ready?

With such a large task to complete in a short window of time, the question is, 'Is the stadium ready for Premier League football?' The answer – no.

Not ready for Burnley

Luton Town confirmed last month that their stadium would not be finished in time for the clubs opening home fixture against Burnley on the 19th of August.

Postponed

The game between the two promoted clubs has been postponed, with Luton's first home game expected to be on the first of September against West Ham.

Premier League statement

According to bbc.co.uk, the Premier League stated: "Luton Town FC were unable to offer the League and Burnley FC a guarantee that ongoing work to Kenilworth Road would not impact the scheduling of this match at late notice for supporters."

'Regrettable'

Luton chief executive Gary Sweet said: "The joint decision to delay this fixture is regrettable, especially given the amazing progress that continues to be made on our construction works."

No guarantee

Despite West Ham at home being the provisional fixture for their return to Kenilworth Road, Sweet can't guarantee when the official first home game will be played.

'Postponement further down the line’

Sweet said: "There is no additional contingency and therefore can't give a cast-iron guarantee at this stage that a problem outside of our control, however minor, wouldn't force a postponement further down the line."

Stadium in 2026

'The Hatters' have started creating plans for their new 'Power Court Stadium,' which is expected to be finished in 2026, with plans to start building it in the new year.

Foreseeable future

For now, Kenilworth Road, the stadium built in 1905, will get to host Premier League football for the foreseeable future.

More for you