Luton Town F.C.

Formation and election to the Southern League (1885–1890) Luton Town Football Club was founded on 11 April 1885. Prior to its formation, there were many other football clubs in the town, the most prominent of which were Luton Wanderers and Luton Excelsior. A Wanderers player, George Deacon, came up with the idea of a 'Town' club which would include all the best players in Luton. Wanderers secretary Herbert Spratley seized upon Deacon's idea and arranged a secret meeting on 13 January 1885 at St Matthew's School in High Town, near the railway station. The Wanderers committee resolved to rename the club Luton Town—which was not well received by the wider community. The local newspapers referred to the club as 'Luton Town (late Wanderers)'. When George Deacon and John Charles Lomax then arranged a public meeting with the purpose of forming a 'Luton Town Football Club', Spratley protested, saying there was already a Luton Town club; and the atmosphere was tense when the meeting convened in the town hall on 11 April 1885. The meeting, attended by most football lovers in the town, heard about Spratley's secret January meeting and voted down his objections. The motion to form a 'Luton Town Football Club', put forward by GH Small and seconded by EH Lomax, was carried. A club committee was elected by ballot and the team colours were agreed to be pink and dark blue shirts and caps. Initially based at Excelsior's ground, Dallow Lane, The club was a founder member of the Southern Football League in the 1894–95 season and finished as runners-up in its first two seasons. It then left to help form the United League and came second in that league's inaugural season before joining the Football League (then based mostly in northern and central England) for the 1897–98 season, concurrently moving to a new ground, Dunstable Road. The club continued to enter a team to the United League for two more seasons, winning the title in the1897–98 season. Poor attendance, high wages, in addition to the high travel and accommodation costs that resulted from Luton's distance from the northern heartlands of the Football League crippled the club financially; A poor 1911–12 season saw Luton relegated to the Southern League's Second Division; the club won promotion back two years later. After the First World War broke out, Luton took part in The London Combination during the 1915–16 season, and afterwards filled each season with friendly matches. A key player of the period was Ernie Simms, a forward. Simms was invalided back to England after being wounded on the Italian front, the players had previously worn an assortment of colour combinations, most permanently sky blue shirts with white shorts and navy socks. Such was the quality of Luton's team at this time that despite playing in the third tier, a fixture between Ireland and England at Windsor Park on 22 October 1921 saw three Luton players on the pitch—Louis Bookman and Allan Mathieson for Ireland, and the club's top goalscorer, Simms, for England. However, after Luton finished fourth in the division, the squad was broken up as Simms, Bookman and Mathieson joined South Shields, Port Vale and Exeter City respectively. Luton stayed in the Third Division South until 1936–37, when the team finished top and won promotion to the Second Division. During the promotion season, striker Joe Payne scored 55 goals in 39 games; during the previous season he had scored 10 in one match against Bristol Rovers, which remains a Football League record today. Towards the end on the 1936-37 season Eddie Parris became the first Black player to represent Luton when he made his debut on 13 March 1937 in a home game against Northampton Town. Success under Duncan and relegation (1950–1965) During the early 1950s, one of Luton's greatest sides emerged under manager, Dally Duncan. The team included Gordon Turner, who went on to become Luton's all-time top goalscorer, Bob Morton, who holds the record for the most club appearances and Syd Owen, an England international. During this period, Luton sides also featured two England international goalkeepers, Ron Baynham and Bernard Streten, as well as Irish internationals Seamus Dunne, Tom Aherne and George Cummins. This team reached the First Division for the first time at the end of the 1955–56 season, having finished in second place behind Birmingham City on goal difference. A few years of success followed, including an FA Cup Final appearance against Nottingham Forest in the 1958–59 season where Owen was voted FWA Footballer of the Year. However, the club was relegated the following season and, by the 1964–65 season, was playing in the Fourth Division. in 1980|alt=A professional football match in progress, viewed from behind one of the goals. One team is in white and the other is in yellow. Back to the first tier and late century success (1965–1992) In yo-yo club fashion, Luton were to return. A team including Bruce Rioch, John Moore and Graham French won the Fourth Division championship in the 1967–68 season under the leadership of former player Allan Brown; while comedian Eric Morecambe became a director of the club. Former Luton player David Pleat was made manager in 1978, and by the 1982–83 season the team was back in the top flight. causing it to accrue "a richer history of black stars than any in the country", in the words of journalist Gavin Willacy. On the last day of the 1982–83 season, the club's first back in the top tier, it narrowly escaped relegation: playing Manchester City at Maine Road, Luton needed to win to stay up, while City could escape with a draw. A late winner by Yugoslavian substitute Raddy Antić saved the team and prompted Pleat to dance across the pitch performing a "jig of joy", The club achieved its highest ever league position, seventh, under John Moore in the 1986–87 season, and, managed by Ray Harford, won the Football League Cup a year later with a 3–2 win over Arsenal. With ten minutes left on the clock and Arsenal 2–1 ahead, a penalty save from stand-in goalkeeper Andy Dibble sparked a late Luton rally: Danny Wilson equalised, before Brian Stein scored the winner with the last kick of the match. The club reached the League Cup Final once more in the 1988–89 season, but lost 3–1 to Nottingham Forest. Luton stayed in the third-tier Second Division until relegation at the end of the 2000–01 season. Under the management of Joe Kinnear, who had arrived halfway through the previous season, the team won promotion from the fourth tier at the first attempt. owner John Gurney unsettled the club in 2003, Gurney replaced Kinnear with Mike Newell before leaving Luton as the club entered administration. Newell's team finished as champions of the rebranded third-tier Football League One in 2004–05. While Newell's place was taken first by Kevin Blackwell and later former player Mick Harford, the team was then relegated twice in a row, starting in 2006–07, and spent the latter part of the 2007–08 season in administration, thus incurring a ten-point deduction from that season's total. The club then had a total of 30 points docked from its 2008–09 record by the Football Association and the Football League for financial irregularities dating back several years. These deductions proved to be too large an obstacle to overcome, but Luton came from behind in the final of the Football League Trophy to win the competition for the first time. Non-league to Premier League (2009–2024) Relegation meant that the 2009–10 season saw Luton playing in the Conference Premier, a competition in which the club had never before participated. The club unsuccessfully contested the promotion play-offs three times in four seasons during their time as a non-League club, employing five different managers. In the 2012–13 FA Cup fourth round, Luton won their away tie against Premier League club Norwich City 1–0 and, in doing so, became the first non-League team to beat a side from England's top division since 1989. In the 2013–14 season, under the management of John Still, Luton won the Conference Premier title with three games to spare, and thereby secured a return to the Football League for the 2014–15 season. After reaching the League Two play-offs during the 2016–17 season, when they were beaten 6–5 on aggregate by Blackpool in the semi-final, Luton were promoted back to League One the following season as runners-up. Luton achieved a second successive promotion at the end of the 2018–19 season, after they won the League One title, marking the club's return to the Championship after a 12-year absence. Luton reached the Championship play-offs in 2021–22, where they were beaten 2–1 on aggregate by Huddersfield Town in the semi-final. At the end of the 2022–23 season, Luton Town secured a consecutive place in the Championship play-offs having finished in 3rd place. Luton Town beat Sunderland 3–2 on aggregate in the play-off semi-finals to reach the play-off final against Coventry City. They went on to beat Coventry City 6–5 on penalties after a tense 1–1 draw to secure promotion to the Premier League for the first time. After collecting one point in their first five matches of the season, Luton won their first Premier League game on 30 September 2023, beating Everton 2–1 away at Goodison Park. After a stable first half of the season, the club's form significantly regressed after January, winning one in seventeen matches before being relegated in May 2024. Back-to-back relegation to League One (2024–present) On 3 May 2025, a second successive relegation put Luton back in League One after losing 5–3 on the final day to West Bromwich Albion. Despite compiling 49 points and equaling Hull City's total, their inferior goal difference resulted in them finishing 22nd. Luton parted ways with head coach Matt Bloomfield on 6 October 2025. Bloomfield was sacked by Luton after a bad run of games, leaving the club in 11th place in the league. Former Hatters player, Alex Lawless, was named interim manager the following day. Former Norwich City interim manager and ex-England international Jack Wilshere, who had been a favourite to replace Bloomfield, was appointed manager on 13 October 2025. On 12 April 2026, Luton achieved a 3–1 victory over Stockport County in the 2026 EFL Trophy final, winning the competition for the first time since 2009. Despite a run of 12 games unbeaten towards the end of the season, Luton failed to make the play-off spots due to a late goal against Wigan Athletic by Stevenage. Luton finished the 2025–26 season in 7th place. ==Club identity==

The club's nickname, "the Hatters", reflects Luton's historical connection with the hat making trade, which has been prominent there since the 17th century. Supporters of the club are also called Hatters. The club is associated with two very different colour schemes—white and black (first permanently adopted in 1920), and orange, navy and white (first used in 1973, and worn by the team as of the 2015–16 season). Luton mainly wore a combination of light blue and white before 1920, when white shirts and black shorts were first adopted. These colours were retained for over half a century, with the colour of the socks varying between white and black, until Luton changed to orange, navy and white at the start of the 1973–74 season. Luton began playing in white shirts, shorts and socks in 1979, with the orange and navy motif reduced to trim; navy shorts were adopted in 1984. This palette was retained until the 1999–2000 season, when the team played in orange shirts and blue shorts. From 2000 to 2008, Luton returned to white shirts and black shorts; orange was included as trim until 2007. The white, navy and orange palette favoured in the 1980s was brought back in 2008, following the results of a club poll, but a year later the colours were changed yet again, this time to a predominantly orange strip with white shorts. Navy shorts were readopted in 2011. Luton wore orange shirts, navy shorts and white socks during the 2015–16 season. In 1973, concurrently with the club's switch to the orange kit, a new badge was introduced featuring the new colours. The new emblem depicted a stylised orange football, bearing the letters "Lt", surrounded by the club's name in navy blue text. The club released the song "Hatters, Hatters", a collaboration between the Luton team and the Bedfordshire-based musical comedy group the Barron Knights, in 1974. Eight years later another song featuring vocals by the Luton players, "We're Luton Town", was released to celebrate the club's promotion to the First Division. ==Shirt sponsors==

The first sponsor to appear on a Luton Town shirt was Tricentrol, a local motor company based in Dunstable, who sponsored the club from March 1980 to 1982; the deal was worth £50,000. A list of subsequent Luton Town shirt sponsors are as follow: • 1981-1982: Tricentrol • 1982–1990: Bedford Trucks • 1990–1991: Vauxhall • 1991–1999: Universal Salvage Auctions • 1999–2003: SKF • 2003–2005: Travel Extras • 2005–2008: Electrolux • 2008–2009: Carbrini Sportswear • 2015–2016: Barnfield College and NICEIC • 2016–2018: NICEIC and SsangYong Motor UK • 2018–2019: Indigo Residential (home), Star Platforms (away), Northern Gas & Power (third) • 2019–2020: Indigo Residential (home), Star Platforms (away), Ryebridge Construction (third) • 2020–2022: JB Developments (home), Star Platforms (away), Ryebridge Construction (third) • 2022–2023: Utilita (home), Star Platforms (away), Ryebridge Construction (third), The Wood Veneer Hub (training) • 2023–2024: Utilita (main), FREE NOW (sleeve), TUI (training) • 2024–2025: Utilita (main), Star Platforms (sleeve), TUI (training) • 2025–present: Capital Sky (main), Switchshop (sleeve), University of Bedfordshire (training) ==Stadium==

to 2016–17. Attendances rose with Luton's promotion in 1955 before plummeting during the early 1960s as the club suffered three relegations. Spectators returned with the promotions of the late 1960s and mid 1970s, before seeing a decline with the introduction of an all-seater stadium in 1986.|alt=See accompanying text Luton Town's first ground was at Dallow Lane, the former ground of Excelsior. and is situated in the Bury Park area of Luton. It was named after the road that runs along one end of it, although the official address of the club is 1 Maple Road. Opposite the eponymous Kenilworth Stand is the Oak Road End, which has evolved from a stand first used exclusively by Luton supporters, then later by away supporters, and now used by both except in times of high ticket demand from away clubs. The Main Stand is flanked by the David Preece Stand, and opposite them stands a row of executive boxes. These boxes replaced the Bobbers Stand in 1986, as the club sought to maximise income. The original Main Stand burnt down in 1921, and was replaced by the current stand before the 1922–23 season. The ground underwent extensive redevelopment during the 1930s, and the capacity by the start of the Second World War was 30,000. Floodlights were installed before the 1953–54 season, but it was 20 years before any further modernisation was carried out. In 1973 the Bobbers Stand became all-seated, and in 1985 the grass pitch was replaced with an artificial playing surface; it quickly became unpopular and was derided as "the plastic pitch". A serious incident involving hooliganism before, during and after a match against Millwall in 1985 led to the club's then chairman, Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) David Evans, introducing a scheme effective from the start of 1986–87 supposedly banning all visiting supporters from the ground, and requiring home fans to carry membership cards when attending matches. Conversion to an all-seater ground also began in 1986. and grass a year later. The David Preece Stand was erected in 1991, and the conversion of the Kenilworth Stand to an all-seater was completed in 2005. The club sold Kenilworth Road to Luton Council in 1989, and has since leased it. In 2007, the club's then-owners proposed a controversial plan to relocate to a site near Junction 12 of the M1 motorway, near Harlington and Toddington. A planning application was made on the club's behalf by former chairman Cliff Bassett, but the application was withdrawn almost immediately following the club's takeover in 2008. In 2009, the club began an independent feasibility study to determine a viable location to move to. The club did not rule out redeveloping Kenilworth Road and, in October 2012, entered talks to buy the stadium back from Luton Borough Council. By 2015, these plans had been dropped in favour of a move to a new location, with managing director Gary Sweet confirming that the club was in a position to "buy land, secure the best possible professional advice ... and to see the [planning] application process through to the receipt of consent." In April 2016, the club announced its intention to build and move into a 17,500-capacity stadium on the Power Court site in central Luton. Outline planning permission for this ground, with potential to expand to 23,000 seats, was granted by Luton Borough Council on 16 January 2019. In March 2021, the club announced that it intended to make a number of changes to the initial scheme to reflect changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but that the capacity of the new stadium was still to be 23,000 and had a target opening date of 2024. This plan was revised in 2023, to delivering the first phase, a 19,500-seat stadium, by 2026, followed by the second, a further 4,000 safe standing seats, at a later date. In September 2024, the club submitted revised plans to the Luton Borough Council for a 25,000 stadium with a planned opening date of 2027. The council approved the plans in January 2025. In April 2025, Turkish contractor Limak International was appointed to build the new stadium, with construction starting in summer 2025 and the stadium now set to hold its first competitive game at the start of the 2028–29 season. ==Supporters and rivalries==

, May 2012|alt=A three-tiered football stadium stand, the bottom two full of people clad mostly in white and orange. Several white and orange flags are visible. During the 2014–15 season, Luton Town had an average home league attendance of 8,702—the second highest in League Two behind only Portsmouth. In the 2013–14 season, when the club were in the Conference Premier, the club had significantly higher support than the other clubs in its league, with an average home attendance of 7,387; more than twice compared to the second highest of 3,568. Average attendances at Kenilworth Road fell with the installation of seats and the club's reduction in stature, dropping from 13,452 in 1982–83 to their 2014–15 level—a slump of 35% over 32 years. A supporters' trust, Trust in Luton, owns shares in the club and elects a representative to the club's board. The club's official supporters' group, Luton Town Supporters' Club, merged with Trust in Luton in 2014. The club is associated with another supporters' group, the breakaway Loyal Luton Supporters Club. Trust in Luton has, since March 2014, held the legal right to veto any changes to the club's identity, including name, nickname, colours, club crest and mascot. Luton Town supporters maintain a bitter rivalry with Hertfordshire-based Watford. Watford were the higher ranked team at the end of every season from 1997 until 2022. However, overall Luton still hold the superior record in the fixture between the two clubs; out of 120 competitive matches there have been 55 Luton victories and 38 for Watford, with 29 draws. The 2003 Football Fans Census showed that there was also animosity between Luton Town fans and those of west London club Queens Park Rangers. A character known as Happy Harry, a smiling man wearing a straw boater, serves as the team's mascot and appears on the Kenilworth Road pitch before matches. In December 2014, after the seafront statue of Eric Morecambe in his birthplace Morecambe was restored, Luton and Morecambe F.C. jointly announced that the winners of future Luton–Morecambe fixtures would be awarded the "Eric Morecambe Trophy". Hooliganism Luton Town FC and its supporter base has had a prolonged history with football hooliganism. Incidents of violence date back at least to the 1980s, with the most notorious early example, the 1985 Luton riot, occurring on 13 March 1985 during the FA Cup sixth round tie against Millwall. Millwall fans overwhelmed their allocated stand at Kenilworth Road, throwing bottles, billiard balls, and other objects at Luton supporters and police, while players and officials were forced to take cover. The match was halted for 25 minutes due to pitch encroachment, and the disorder extended into Luton town centre, resulting in around 47 hospitalisations and 31 arrests. The scale of violence contributed to subsequent national measures on stadium safety, including CCTV installation, all-ticket matches, and alcohol restrictions. On 6 October 2012, violence occurred in Lincoln before a match against Lincoln City, when Luton fans clashed in the Ritz pub, leading to 21 arrests and subsequent guilty pleas for violent disorder. During the May 2010 Blue Square Premier play-off semi-final, York City defeated Luton 1-0 at Kenilworth Road. Post-match, York players were attacked by projectiles after a pitch invasion, and police were assaulted by fans armed with improvised weapons. Several arrests were made, prompting apologies from the club chairman and highlighting the need for enhanced security measures. On 24 August 2010, Tommy Robinson, later founder of the English Defence League, led a street brawl between Luton and Newport County supporters. Robinson was convicted in July 2011 for using threatening, abusive, or insulting behaviour and received a 12-month community rehabilitation order, 150 hours of unpaid work, a three-year football banning order, and fines. On 16 February 2013, prior to a fifth-round FA Cup match against Millwall, minor pre-match disturbances occurred in Luton town centre, followed by incidents in the town after the game, resulting in twelve men charged with public order offences and affray. In October 2019, following a Luton Town versus Bristol City match, a mass brawl occurred in Guildford Street involving multiple groups of football supporters, leading police to issue appeals for information to identify those involved. Luton fans have also been involved in incidents during Championship play-offs, including a pitchside assault on an opposing player in May 2023, prompting FA charges for failing to control spectators despite the club having issued prior bans. ==Records and statistics==

The record for the most appearances for Luton is held by Bob Morton, who turned out for Luton 562 times in all competitions. Morton also holds the record for the most Football League appearances for the club, with 495. Six players, Gordon Turner, Andy Rennie, Brian Stein, Ernie Simms, Herbert Moody and Steve Howard, have scored more than 100 goals for Luton. The first player to be capped while playing for Luton was left winger Robert Hawkes, who took to the field for England against Ireland at Goodison Park on 16 February 1907. The first player to score in an international match was Joe Payne, who scored twice in his only game for England against Finland on 20 May 1937. Payne also holds the Football League record for the most goals in a game—he hit 10 past Bristol Rovers on 13 April 1936. and a 12–0 win over Bristol Rovers in the Third Division South on 13 April 1936. and 27,911 against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the First Division on 5 November 1955. The highest transfer fee received for a Luton Town player is the fee Leicester City paid for Luton-born full-back James Justin on 28 June 2019. The most expensive player Luton Town have ever bought is believed to be Mark McGuinness, who signed on 20 August 2024 for a reported fee of £6 million, although the figure remains undisclosed. The youngest player to make a first-team appearance for Luton Town is Connor Tomlinson at 15 years and 199 days old in the EFL Trophy, replacing Zane Banton as a 92nd-minute substitute in a 2–1 win over Gillingham on 30 August 2016, after the club were given permission for him to play from his headteacher. The youngest player to score a senior goal for Luton Town is Finley Evans, who scored in an EFL Trophy match against Brighton & Hove Albion U21s on 28 October 2025 aged 16 years and 271 days old. ==Players==

Current squad Out on loan Under 21s squad Under 18s squad Notable former players ==Backroom staff==

:As of 1 May 2026 Ownership First Team Staff Academy Staff ==Managers==

, seen in 2009, was Luton manager from 2001 to 2003.|alt=A grey-haired man in a black suit walks out of a building. (2007 photograph), a player for Luton during the 1982–83 season, managed the club from 2009 to 2011.|alt=A middle-aged, balding man in a dark suit looks at the camera with a neutral expression on his face. :As of 9 January 2025. Only managers in charge for a minimum of 50 competitive matches are counted. :Key: M = matches; W = matches won; D = matches drawn; L = matches lost } ==Honours==

: :''Luton Town's major honours are detailed below. For a list of all club honours, see List of Luton Town F.C. records and statistics#Honours and achievements''. League • Second Division / Championship (level 2) • Champions: 1981–82 • Runners-up: 1954–55, 1973–74 • Play-off winners: 2023 • Third Division South / Third Division / League One (level 3) • Champions: 1936–37 (South), 2004–05, 2018–19 • Runners-up: 1935–36 (South), 1969–70 • Fourth Division / Third Division / League Two (level 4) • Champions: 1967–68 • Runners-up: 2001–02, 2017–18 • Conference Premier (level 5) • Champions: 2013–14 Cup • FA Cup • Runners-up: 1958–59 • Football League Cup • Winners: 1987–88 • Runners-up: 1988–89 • Football League/EFL Trophy • Winners: 2008–09, 2025–26 • Full Members' Cup • Runners-up: 1987–88 ==Footnotes==