Hatters CEO insists Power Court will help Luton attract 'better players'

Luton chief executive Gary Sweet insists that the move to a new stadium at Power Court will be vital to the club being able to sign better players as they look to make their way back to becoming a Premier League outfit once more.

After almost a decade since the plans were first announced, the Hatters were given the green light to finally begin building the 25,000 stadium, plus outline plans for an 1,800-capacity music venue, a public plaza and a hotel amongst other things, when Luton Borough Council's planning committee approved the planning application at a planning committee meeting held at Luton Town Hall yesterday evening.

With Luton having experienced the bright lights of top flight football last term, they couldn’t quite manage to secure a second successive season, relegated back to the Championship despite giving survival their best efforts. With the footballing glare that comes with being among the elite gleaming on Kenilworth Road once more, Town were one of the shining lights in their efforts to stay up, winning a host of new supporters along the way, for the manner in which they attacked some of the top teams in world football.

Although a return now looks extremely unlikely this term, to give themselves the best chance of not only getting back to the highest tier of English football once more, but also staying there, Sweet insists the new ground will be key. Addressing the committee last night, he said: “Last season despite all odds, the club proved that the seemingly impossible was indeed possible by getting the smallest stadium ever into the Premier League.

“In order to repeat this, and to maintain a position at the top table of English football, we need a new, bigger, better stadium that brings us up to date, gives us greater pride and enables us to be more competitive and attracts better players. The wider benefits of Premier League action to Luton as a town are so far reaching that everyone benefits particularly economically, but also from a sense of pride, well-being and social harmony.

"All of these benefits were evident last season and many have continued. The delivery of this stadium has been long in the making. It’s always been about delivering something we can be proud of to elevate the club and town together, and to guarantee the long-term sustainability of our football club.”