Hatters secure long-term lease for a new training ground at Venue 360

The club, who currently train in Ely Way, will be looking to move into their new surroundings by the end of 2016 as a statement on the club’s official website read: “With immediate effect, Luton Town Football Club will have the exclusive use of the grass fields at Venue 360, once the site of the Vauxhall Recreation Centre, to the west of the River Lea.

“The new private 17-acre facility which will become the daily base for the Hatters’ squad and will be known as ‘The Brache’.

“Contracts have been completed on a long term lease between Venue 360 and 2020 Developments (Luton) Ltd which will also contain an option for the club to purchase the land, if required.

“By the end of the calendar year, Town players will have sole use of all of the buildings, the grass surface and all artificial turf pitches, all of which will all be renovated in the coming months culminating in our first team taking full access to The Brache, once the pitch construction is complete and grass fully grown.

“Meanwhile, the club have an arrangement with Venue 360 that disruption to existing customers will be minimised as much as possible and, in the case of the existing five-a-side courts, continued with a jointly agreed transition period until works are complete.

“This will synchronise ideally with the winter period to provide boss Nathan Jones and his team with the best possible conditions for training at a time when many clubs find themselves forced to look for alternative facilities as grass surfaces deteriorate.”

Hatters chief executive Gary Sweet added: “This is a major step forward for Luton Town Football Club. It cannot be underestimated how important this development at The Brache is to our long term football aspirations.

“Having a first-class training facility will elevate the team’s prospects on the pitch and ambitions for the progress of the club as a whole.

“The training ground is the players’ working office and this environment is fundamental to developing a spirit among the team, maintaining their general well-being, their fitness and contentment.

“Not only that but being able to boast such comprehensive, fresh new training facilities will help us to attract better players to Luton Town.

“Everybody is really excited about the move. The timing of it in some ways is ideal as it will mean we will have perfect pitches to move on to just as winter sets in when Ely Way becomes a little less than ideal.

“Whilst this has been a prolonged desire of the football club and a lengthy negotiation with Venue 360, we thank them for their co-operation and look forward to being their neighbours and working with each other whenever possible.”