Tomorrow afternoon at Wembley Stadium Luton Town FC have the opportunity to create history. Should they overcome Coventry City they’ll become the only Club to ever complete the journey from the non-league, fifth-tier, Football Conference to the Premier League.
It’s a truly extraordinary nine-year story that has attracted global media interest.
Why is it so important to our Town? Many people have little or no interest in football. Even among those that have, there are a substantial number that have no desire to participate in what they see as the circus that is The Premier League!
Why? Many will despise the financial excesses as well as the exploitation of fans who are at the whim of the satellite and cable TV companies as to whether their club will play on a Friday evening, anytime of the day or night on a Saturday or Sunday, or a Monday night!
The implications of a Luton Town win tomorrow are profound and transformational! The global exposure will put Luton on the map and attract much-needed investment into our town.
The £140m income The Hatters will acquire from promotion will almost certainly ensure that the new stadium at Power Court can be built with the facilities and ambition first proposed in 2016. It should overcome, at a stroke, the impact of rising construction costs and general inflation on the project.
As we said at the creation of Save Our Town, more than five long years ago, Power Court will be a catalyst for the further regeneration of the town centre. Investment draws more Investment. Forces are at work, right now on that project – indeed Save Our Town are also working intensively with others to create a large permanent celebration of Luton’s heritage and it’s people.
Since 1885 our football club has been integral to the identity of the town. The people running the club are Lutonians – and fans. They have dragged Luton Town from the brink of going out of existence to the edge of the biggest league in world football, surely the greatest ever rise of a sporting phoenix from the ashes.
Good luck on Saturday you Hatters! The 36,000 at Wembley, with hundreds of thousands around the globe, could be living the unthinkable dream at 7.00pm tomorrow night.
CARPE DIEM