Kenilworth Road: Is Luton’s ground ready for the Premier League?

The city of “hats” is celebrating. In Luton of 213,052 inhabitants, tonight, probably, no one will sleep. Very normal, if you consider what she has achieved group of the same name city’s, draining Coventry in the final of the Championship and rising for the first time in its history to the “living rooms” of the Premier League. Now, however, the question really arises, which already, all the previous time, the English were asking, seeing the whole Rob Edwards to go… train to rise: Can Luton’s stadium host matches of the top division of English football and yes, some of the behemoths of European football as a whole?

Kenilworth Road is very easy not to see, walking along Dunstable Road, to the west of Luton city centre. Appears at some point at the top of the adjacent streets, but soon hiding from the houses againwhich are present on three of its four sides. It’s so… short and small! Indeed, Great Britain’s handbook of pitches, published in 1987, stated: “You don’t realize how cramped it is until you visit». A stadium, therefore, which opened its gates to 1905, with a capacity currently of just over 10,000, is set to host some of the biggest names in European football when the season kicks off in August. Some of the townspeople will not have seen never anything like itsince it has been 31 years since Luton were last in the top flight.

Kenilworth Road will be the smallest Premier League stadium in history and, above all, you will need one rapid summer upgrade. What does this mean; In accordance with Athleticmust be spent close to 12 million eurosto improve the Luton headquarters, with renewed press facilities, new transmission units and projectors, which are required from the Premier League. The side, however, which today consists entirely of 28 boxesthe so-called and Bobbers Stand by 1986, it is slated for the biggest renovation and will essentially be rebuilt within three months.

Bobbers Stand

In Luton already in 2019 they have announced that they will build a new stadium. But that is not expected to happen before the 2026-27 season. Nevertheless, they consider it makes no sense to invest and… too much in a “home”, whose days are numbered. Thus, the Kenilworth Road taken from another era is being prepared for the “living rooms” approx just the way it was…always! After all, since Luton’s relegation in the spring of 1992, just months before the start of the Premier League, it has not hosted top-flight football and little has changed in that time. Its old charm remains unchanged. The photos are nothing short of characteristic. See for example the entrance to the Oak Road Standwith the turnstiles built into a row of windowed houses.

The Oak Road Stand

Inside, the stadium has a series of narrow corridors and low ceilings. Steel beams usually obstruct the view and, as one brainless fan who pushed Sunderland’s on-loan winger Amad Diallo last week proved, those in the front row they can reach out and touch the players.

Luton are celebrating their promotion to the Premier League. But… tomorrow itself, must stop and start renovating as there is no time to waste! Kenilworth Road, it is popular demandwe want to see it host Premier League matches!