Hatters chairman David Wilkinson is confident the club can still reach an agreement for an indoor academy training dome despite Luton Council controversially refusing a lease.
The Hatters had planning permission for the facility on Cutenhoe Road, but a lease for the land was denied in a secretive Executive Committee vote by Luton Labour councillors, despite recommendations from council officers to grant approval. Chief executive Gary Sweet said at the time that he was “dumfounded at the short-sightedness” of the decision.
The Luton Liberal Democrats called in the decision in hope of getting the decision referred to Full Council, while questioning what Labour councillors were trying to ‘cover up‘. But again, a private vote, this time in the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, upheld the Executive Committee’s original decision.
The dome is a requirement for the club to upgrade their academy to the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) Category 2 status, which would allow their youngsters to take part in the Premier League’s Under-23 development games programme.
It’s seen as a crucial component, alongside the new Power Court stadium, of helping the Hatters to become a sustainable football club, enabling them to compete with big spending clubs in the Championship, by developing their own top talent.
Despite the current impasse, Wilkinson remains confident about the academy dome, saying on last night’s Luton Town Supporters’ Trust Virtual Awards: “We still think we’ll get it, it’s just a matter of time I think.
“It’s disappointing that we’re not in EPPP2, level 2, next year because we’ve got a tremendous Under-18 squad coming through for next season.
“I watch them quite often and we went to see them play at MK and they were playing next year’s academy team, which is currently the Under-17s, really, some Under-16s, and I think the feeling is that they’re at the same sort of level as the team that got into the (FA) Youth Cup quarter finals five years ago.
“So, they’re that good, it’s a shame that we can’t have had them in the competition, but they’ll still be there the following year because they’re a young group and a very good one.”
The development of Luton’s academy is a significant focus for the club’s long-term goals, with the sale of James Justin to Premier League Leicester City two years ago, after he’d helped win the League One title, remains in feather in the cap for the club.
Wilkinson said: “As long as we’re this type of club, we’ll always be a selling club. So the academy is vital to our future and development because you’ve got to grow.
“Rather like JJ. JJ’s sale has helped us enormously in developing the squad and that’s something that will have to keep happening over time.
“Hopefully, from a higher level, you get more money, so fingers crossed.”
