The case of Luton Town is one of the most exciting stadium stories in England. After all, there is no lack of big, modern venues, but it is the small, sometimes crumbling stadiums that convey a truly English atmosphere. That is certainly the case with Kenilworth Road Stadium, whose inaugural Premier League fixture took place just last weekend.

Inauguration later than expected

Luton approached Burnley to request a change of venue for the meeting between the two teams at Turf Moor. The match was due to take place on August 19. However, Burnley refused this request, leading to the postponement of the match. The Premier League confirmed the postponement at the time, but there was no explicit mention of the disagreement between the two clubs over the rescheduled fixture.

Luton Town then issued an official statement regarding the situation. Kenilworth Road is undergoing a programme of extensive improvements to be ready to host the Premier League. This includes the construction of a new stand to meet broadcast and media requirements. While the ongoing work is progressing extremely well and is now ahead of schedule, the Premier League understandably requires a guarantee of the fixture schedule in sufficient time to inform fans and broadcasters of any changes in advance. Due to the scope of the project, the club cannot absolutely guarantee supporters that any future unforeseen issues will not cause delays that may affect the scheduled opening home match.

© Luton Town FC

Kenilworth Road Stadium's eagerly awaited opening fixture behind us

Luton Town's match against West Ham was their first home game in the Premier League. One noticeable change was the famous unconventional entrance in a terraced development, newly sponsored and renamed Domino's Oak Stand. The venue also has a new Bobbers Stand, which has undergone a £10m refurbishment to bring it up to league standards.

Fans have noticed that the famous stand has been repainted as part of a sponsorship deal with Domino's Pizza, with the words 'history is made in Luton' written on the gates. Now known as Domino's Oak Stand, it displays 1885 as the year the club was born, along with 1985, when the first branch of the pizza chain in the UK opened in the town.

The stadium became famous primarily for the revolving gates wedged between the homes of local residents. The club also paid for improvements to around 20 gardens belonging to Kenilworth Road Stadium's neighbours. The unique location of the arena was causing some distress to local residents, so the club decided to at least partially compensate them.

The meeting between Luton and West Ham ended with a score of 1:2, putting the Premier League newcomers in a tricky position in the league. The Bedfordshire team have still not scored a single point in the 2023/24 season.