Luton Town have been forced to postpone their opening home fixture of the season, amid fears their stadium upgrades wouldn’t be completed in time.
The Premier League debutants were set to take on fellow newcomers Burnley at home next weekend, but the game has been postponed after stadium renovations were delayed.
Kenilworth Road has undergone a $10m upgrade this summer so that Luton’s stadium is up to Premier League standards, but the 10,356-capacity ground won’t be ready by next weekend.
A Premier League statement said: “The Premier League match between Luton Town FC and Burnley FC, scheduled to take place on Saturday 19 August, will now be postponed.
So I took a trip to Luton this week and the building works at Kenilworth Road really are something else …. pic.twitter.com/8z0EyBjf8S
— Rob Draper (@draper_rob) August 6, 2023
“Luton Town FC were unable to offer the League and Burnley FC a guarantee that ongoing work to Kenilworth Road would not impact the scheduling of this match at late notice for supporters.”
Luton themselves also released a statement, saying that the fans and clubs need time to prepare for the fixture so they had no choice but to postpone.
“Kenilworth Road is undergoing a programme of extensive ground improvements to be ready to host Premier League football, including the construction of a new stand to meet broadcast and media requirements.”
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“Due to the extent of the project, the Club cannot absolutely guarantee supporters that any future unforeseen issues would not cause any delay potentially impacting upon the scheduled opening game at home.
“Therefore, together with the Premier League and Burnley FC, all parties felt this was a sensible outcome which gives supporters of both teams sufficient time to plan for what will now be a free weekend and subsequently make arrangements for travel for the new date.”
The Hatters were on the end of a 4-1 thumping from Brighton during their first Premier League fixture at the weekend, but they now have until the 25th of August to prepare for their next game which is Chelsea away.
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