Luton to start allowing fans into their brand new Bobbers stand

Luton Town are to start allowing fans into their brand new Bobbers stand for the upcoming games against Gillingham and West Ham.

The redeveloped stand will open in time for Luton Town’s first home match since securing promotion to the Premier League after they had to postpone its opening game at Kenilworth Road so that they could complete a £10m revamp of the Bobbers Stand to meet league standards.

The stand is now ready to house fans for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup game against Gillingham, but it will be permitted a 75% capacity with the match treated as a test event.

This is ahead of Luton’s league meeting with West Ham United in their first home Premier League game of the season on Friday.

The club state the new stand has received an interim safety certificate, subject to the signing off of an operational plan, a structural seating report and a final clean-up process before the midweek cup clash.

CLUB STATEMENT:

Following unrelenting building work that began a day after the Hatters won promotion to the Premier League, Luton Town Football Club is delighted to report the new Bobbers Stand will be open for our Carabao Cup tie with Gillingham on Tuesday.

The new stand has received an interim safety certificate which enables, subject to the signing off of an operational plan, a structural seating report and a final clean-up process, the Bobbers to operate at 75 per cent capacity for this fixture.

The second round tie with the Gills will therefore be used as a test event in this area of the stadium. Tickets cannot be made available for supporter consumption for a test event, so tickets in the Bobbers for Tuesday’s game will be

distributed free to displaced hospitality guests, members of the local community affected by the redevelopment works in and around Kenilworth Road, contractors and staff.

“The cup tie and test event in the Bobbers represents a significant landmark in the development of this side of Kenilworth Road ahead of the planning for our first home game in the Premier League next week,” said Hatters CEO Gary Sweet.

“Given the huge demands and the time and space constraints placed under us, we appreciate supporters’ patience in waiting for information. However further, detailed, information regarding all of the new additions and changes at Kenilworth Road that awaits them will be communicated ahead of the West Ham fixture.”

The Prices for the West Ham game are as follows:

Adult – £36.00

Senior (over65) – £30.00

Golden Senior (over 75) – £27.00

Young Adult (under 22) – £30.00

Under 19 – £27.00

Under 17 – £18.00

Under 10 – £15.00

** Prices are the same in all Home areas for this fixture, this includes the Bobbers Stand. This is an introductory price, that may be subject to change in the future.

7⃣6⃣8⃣ is the total amount of blue seats fitted in the Bobbers Stand (as of Sunday 27th).

Oddly most the blocks have been seen the amount of rows reduced from 9 rows to 8 rows, with the exception of one block which still has 9 rows. pic.twitter.com/LrEhc8Wk86

— Luton Town Fans (@LutonTownFans) August 28, 2023

“Lights! Camera! Scaffolding!” pic.twitter.com/IDHyouwwuY

— Luton Town Fans (@LutonTownFans) August 25, 2023

Kenilworth road. You beauty 🎩 pic.twitter.com/0myHClgbY4

— Adam Dilley (@adam_dilley4) August 19, 2023

Sky/TNT pundit room pic.twitter.com/ROlcCoGuDr

— Jamie Mul (@jamiemulv2) August 25, 2023

Speaking to talkSPORT in July, Mr Sweet said: “We won’t have the smallest stadium in the Premier League this season, unless Bournemouth are going to magically put another thousand seats on to their stadium.

“So yes we do plan to have a few more seats.

“Underneath that gantry in the Bobbers, there’s 200-odd executive ticket holders, who were occupying boxes and we have to accommodate them in that side.

Sweet added: “There’s a whole load of things we’re doing for supporters, things we’ve been really eager to do over the last couple of years but just haven’t had the cash to do it and this enables us to do it.

“One of those things for example would be to provide a lot more space and facilities for disabled supporters, that’s home and away.

“Also to make sure that we have a little bit more concourse space in certain areas where we’ve been struggling in those stands.

”So there are quite a few areas, it isn’t just one stand we’re developing, there are improvements to all four.”

This is how Twitter users reacted with Luton to start allowing fans into their brand new Bobbers stand…

@OhWhenTheTown: Congrats to everyone who got the work done 👏👏 Can’t wait to go back home 😍

@moreofaswimmer1: Bloody hell this is getting exciting

@LutonEye: Already infinitely better than those god awful boxes.

@SfcAlex__: Love how close it is to the pitch

@KatLT14: If Prem away fans don’t love being that close to the pitch then they are mental. Id love this as an away day regardless of the entrance 😍

@ltfcmemes: The noise this season is gonna be incredible

Geoffrey Bourne: That’s really, really fantastically well done, it looks great and Garry sweet you are great 👍 👌.

Richard Parsons: An amazing job done by everybody concerned. Not that that’s surprising given the quality of leadership shown at The Kenny!

Robin Richardson: Well done to all those who made this happen. And to all those who are impatient about Power Court progress, I’d say trust the people who serve our club so well. They’ll get us there.

Paul Billson: Excellent work, well done all, if you can make the Kenny look so good without messing up its history and its atmosphere then Power Court will be amazing when it comes. Bring on the Premier to the new home of football. COYH

Geoff Henman: Great news…everyone involved deserve a medal… builders & local residents especially