Jones hails Hatters' ambition over new training ground

Hatters revealed on Thursday that contracts have been completed on a long term lease between Venue 360 and 2020 Developments (Luton) Ltd, with the club looking to set up home in the new private 17-acre facility, which will be known as ‘The Brache’, by the end of 2016.

Speaking about the future move, Jones said: “It is vital, really vital and again the club have shown their ambition in doing that.

“Because when I first came and mentioned how we want to do things and our environment and what we need, we identified that Ely Way, even though it’s been a fantastic place for us, we would need something a little bit more conducive to what we want to do.

“It can just take the club forward. We want to take the club forward, we want to have a successful football club, a successful football team and these are all part and parcel of what we can achieve.

“We want to achieve high class performance and to do that you need the facilities and then you need the personnel and so on. So it’s all little steps that we’re taking and I’m really pleased we’ve got that as it’s going to be vital.”

After coming from previous club Brighton, who moved into a multi-million pound training ground during his time at the Amex Stadium, Jones has seen first hand the improvements it can bring both on and off the field.

The Seagulls just missed out on promotion to the Premier League last term, as Jones continued: “We want to be like Brighton in a lot of things, although we’re Luton, we want to be Luton, but there’s a lot of stuff we can mirror that we can aspire to and they have a fantastic training facility.

“Their success is no coincidence in terms of that they had a fantastic season last year because of they attracted fantastic players because they get to train in an environment that’s conducive to high class performance.

“That’s what we want and the club and Gary (Sweet, chief executive) and the directors and the people behind the scenes have really gone out and done that.”

Although there has been some local clubs who currently use Venue 360 who have expressed their dismay with the decision, as they will now have to look elsewhere for training facilities, a sympathetic Jones added: “I know there’s been a bit of negativity surrounding it, but it’s so vital for the town.

“If they want a successful football club then the training facility is everything.

“I understand there’s a lot of tradition and a lot of clubs and that’s the sad thing about it, but in terms of moving an area, a town forward, a county, then this is a big, big step and we’ve got more steps to take, but it’s really is moving in the right direction.

“I feel sympathy for those who have lost their place of operating, but it’s so vital and we’re very proud to have it and we thank Venue 360 for that.”