Luton Town Football Club is a professional football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. Founded in 1885, the club currently competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", Luton have played their home games at Kenilworth Road since 1905.

Luton Town joined the Football League before the 1897–98 season but left soon after in 1900 due to financial issues. The club did not rejoin the League until 1920. Luton competed in the First Division for the first time during the 1955–56 season and contested a major final for the first time against Nottingham Forest in the 1959 FA Cup final. The club was then relegated from the First Division at the end of the 1959–60 season, and further relegated twice more in five years, playing in the Fourth Division from the 1965–66 season, before returning to the First Division for the 1974–75 season for a single season.

At the end of the 1981–82 season, the club won the Second Division and gained promotion to the First Division. Several years later, Luton defeated Arsenal 3–2 in the 1988 Football League Cup final and remained in the First Division until relegation at the end of the 1991–92 season.

Between 2007 and 2009, financial difficulties caused the club to fall from the second tier of English football to the fifth in successive seasons. The last of these relegations, in the 2008–09 season, followed a 30-point deduction for financial irregularities. Luton spent five seasons in non-League football before winning the Conference Premier in the 2013–14 season, securing promotion back into the Football League. Luton was promoted from League Two and League One in successive seasons in 2017–18 and 2018–19 before being promoted to the Premier League at the conclusion of the 2023 Championship playoffs. After spending a season in the Premier League, Luton saw two back-to-back relegations, seeing them play in League One for the 2025–26 season.

History

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.

A formative photograph of an association football team
The Luton Town squad of 1897–98, which won the United League title

Initially based at Excelsior's ground, Dallow Lane, Luton Town began making payments to certain individual players in 1890. The following year, Luton became the first club in southern England to be fully professional. 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)[A] 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 the 1897–98 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; it became too expensive to compete in that league. A return to the Southern League was therefore arranged for the 1900–01 season.

Early 20th century (1900–1950)

Luton moved into their current ground, Kenilworth Road, in 1905 after having spent eight years at Dunstable Road. Captain and left winger Bob Hawkes became Luton's first international player when he was picked to play for England against Ireland on 16 February 1907. 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, but recovered enough to regain his place in the Luton team and scored 40 goals during the 1916–17 season.

A black-and-white newspaper photograph: taken from behind the goalkeeper's left-hand goalpost, a football is pictured on the right-hand side, in the foreground; an association football player in a white shirt and black shorts is seen on the left-hand side.
1936: Joe Payne (white shirt, left) scores one of his record-breaking 10 goals in one match

The Luton side first played in the white and black colours which it retained for much of its history during the 1920–21 season, when the club rejoined the Football League; 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 first 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.

A professional football match in progress, viewed from behind one of the goals. One team is in white and the other is in yellow.
A home match at Kenilworth Road in 1980

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; two years later Malcolm Macdonald's goals helped them to another promotion, while comedian Eric Morecambe became a director of the club. Luton Town won promotion back to the First Division at the end of the 1973–74 season, but were relegated the following season by a solitary point. Former Luton player David Pleat was made manager in 1978, and by the 1982–83 season the team was back in the top flight. The team which Pleat assembled at Kenilworth Road was notable at the time for the number of Black players it included; during an era when many English squads were almost entirely white, Luton often fielded a mostly black team. Talented players such as Ricky Hill, Brian Stein and Emeka Nwajiobi made key contributions to the club's success during this period, 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", an image that has become iconic. 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.

A crowd of men, some wearing grey suits and some wearing white shirts, navy shorts and white socks, celebrate raucously on a podium. An open bottle of champagne is visible in front of them, spiralling through the air as if somebody has thrown it
Luton Town players and staff celebrate winning the Conference Premier title in 2014

Resurgence and fall to non-League (1992–2009)

The club was relegated from the top division at the end of the 1991–92 season, and sank to the third tier four years later. 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. "Controversial" owner John Gurney unsettled the club in 2003, terminating Kinnear's contract on his arrival in May; 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. Jack Wilshere 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

Badge

See accompanying text
Luton Town badge, 1973–87

Luton Town have traditionally used the town's crest as its own in a manner similar to many other teams. The club's first badge was a white eight-pointed star, which was emblazoned across the team's shirts (then a deep cochineal red) in 1892. Four years later, a crest comprising the club's initials intertwined was briefly adopted. The shirts were thereafter plain until 1933, when Luton first adopted a badge depicting a straw boater. The club's initials were again added in 1935, with this basic design remaining until 1947. The club then played without a badge until 1970, when the club began to wear the town crest regularly, having first done so in the 1959 FA Cup Final.

In 1973, concurrently with the club's switch from a white to an orange kit, a new badge was introduced featuring the club's new colours. The new emblem depicted a stylised orange football, bearing the letters "Lt", surrounded by the club's name in navy blue text. In 1987, the club switched back to a derivative of the town crest, with the shield portion of the heraldic crest becoming the team's badge; the only similarity with the previous design was the inclusion of the club name around the shield in navy blue. The "rainbow" badge, introduced in 1994, featured the town crest below an orange and blue bow which curved around to meet two footballs, positioned on either side of the shield, with the club name underneath. This badge was used until 2005, when a replacement very similar to the 1987 version was adopted, featuring black text rather than blue and a straw boater in place of the outstretched arm depicted in the older design. The club's founding year, 1885, was added in 2008. The badge was altered to its current form during the 2009–10 pre-season, with the red of the town crest being replaced with orange to better reflect the club colours, as well as the font having been modernised.

Kit

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). 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.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

YearManufacturerPrimary Shirt Sponsor
1981–1982AdidasTricentrol
1982–1989Bedford Trucks
1989–1990Umbro
1999–1991Vauxhall
1991–1992Universal Salvage Auctions
1992–1994DMF
1994–1995In-house
1995–1999Pony
1999–2001OlympicSKF
2001–2003Xara
2003–2005Travel Extras
2005–2007DiadoraElectrolux
2007–2008Puma
2008–2009Carbrini
2009–2013CarbriniEasyJet
2013–2015Fila
2015–2015Barnfield College
2016–2018PumaSsangYong
2018–2019Indigo Residential (home)Star Platforms (away)Northern Gas & Power (third)
2019–2020Ryebridge Construction (third)
2020–2022UmbroJB Developments (home)
2022–2023Utilita (home)
2023–2025Utilita
2025–presentRefloCapital Sky

Pop culture

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.

Stadia

An old-fashioned association football stadium. On the left a large wooden grandstand is visible, filled with blue seats; straight ahead, a smaller stand is seen, also with blue seats. On the latter stand, the word "LUTON" is spelled out in white seats among the blue.
The view from the Kenilworth End in 2007. To the left is the Main Stand, and to the right is the Oak Road End.
See accompanying text
Luton Town's average home league attendances at Kenilworth Road from 1946–47 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.

Luton Town's first ground was at Dallow Lane, the former ground of Luton Excelsior. The ground was next to the old Hertford, Luton and Dunstable Railway line, and players regularly claimed to have trouble seeing the ball due to smoke from the trains. A damaging financial loss during 1896–97 forced Luton to sell the stadium to stay afloat and, as a result, the club moved across the tracks to a stadium between the railway and Dunstable Road.

The Dunstable Road ground was opened by Herbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford, who also donated £50 towards the £800 building costs. When the site was sold for housing in 1905, the club was forced to move again at short notice to its present Kenilworth Road site in time for the start of the 1905–06 season.

Kenilworth Road has an all-seater capacity of 12,056 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, with the capacity by the start of the Second World War being 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, 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. Away fans returned for 1990–91, 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.

New stadium

The club first expressed an interest in building a new stadium away from Kenilworth Road in 1955, the year it won promotion to the First Division for the first time. Even then the ground was small compared to those of most First and Second Division clubs, and its location made significant redevelopment difficult. The team has since made several attempts to relocate. Leaving Luton for the nearby new town of Milton Keynes was unsuccessfully proposed several times, most notably in the 1980s. The club sold Kenilworth Road to Luton Council in 1989, and has since leased it. A planning application for a new 20,000-seater indoor stadium, the "Kohlerdome" proposed by chairman David Kohler in 1995, was turned down by the Secretary of State in 1998, and Kohler left soon after.

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, currently called Power Court Stadium, is now set to hold its first competitive game at the start of the 2028–29 season.

Supporters and rivalries

Supporters

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.
Luton supporters at Wembley Stadium, May 2012

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.

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.[B] 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.[C] 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. The Luton Town Supporters' Trust owns shares in the club and elects a representative to the club's board. The club is associated with another supporters' group, the breakaway Loyal Luton Supporters Club. The trust 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.

The club produces an official match programme for home matches, entitled Our Town. 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".

Rivalries

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.

Records and statistics

Luton Town's yearly performance from the club's election into the Football League to the present.

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. Fred Hawkes holds the record for the most league appearances for Luton, having played in 509 league matches. 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 most capped player is Mal Donaghy, who earned 58 Northern Ireland caps while at the club. 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.

The club's largest wins have been a 15–0 victory over Great Yarmouth Town on 21 November 1914 in the FA Cup and a 12–0 win over Bristol Rovers in the Third Division South on 13 April 1936. Luton's heaviest loss was a 9–0 defeat against Small Heath in the Second Division on 12 November 1898.

Luton's highest home attendances are 30,069 against Blackpool in the FA Cup on 4 March 1959 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

First team

Current squad

As of 14 August 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK ENG James Shea 2 DF ENG Hakeem Odoffin 3 DF SCO Kal Naismith (captain) 4 MF NOR Sverre Sandal 5 DF DEN Mads Andersen 6 DF SCO George Johnston 7 MF ENG Jake Richards 8 MF ENG Liam Walsh 9 FW NIR Callum Marshall 11 MF SCO Emilio Lawrence (on loan from Manchester City) 12 DF ENG Joe Johnson 14 FW ENG Shayden Morris 15 DF ENG Teden Mengi 18 MF ENG Jordan Clark 19 MF ENG Jayden LukerNo. Pos. Nation Player 21 FW BER Nahki Wells 22 DF ENG Harry Fox 23 MF NIR George Saville 24 GK IRL Josh Keeley 25 DF GUY Isaiah Jones 26 MF GRN Shandon Baptiste 30 FW ENG Gideon Kodua 31 DF ENG Benny Benagr 33 DF SCO Harrison Ashby (on loan from Newcastle United) 42 DF ESP Christian Chigozie 44 FW JAM Devante Cole 45 MF JAM Kasey PalmerDF ENG Thomas HolmesDF ENG Reuell WaltersFW NOR Lasse NordåsFW ENG Jerry Yates
1GKENGJames Shea
2DFENGHakeem Odoffin
3DFSCOKal Naismith (captain)
4MFNORSverre Sandal
5DFDENMads Andersen
6DFSCOGeorge Johnston
7MFENGJake Richards
8MFENGLiam Walsh
9FWNIRCallum Marshall
11MFSCOEmilio Lawrence (on loan from Manchester City)
12DFENGJoe Johnson
14FWENGShayden Morris
15DFENGTeden Mengi
18MFENGJordan Clark
19MFENGJayden Luker
No.Pos.NationPlayer
21FWBERNahki Wells
22DFENGHarry Fox
23MFNIRGeorge Saville
24GKIRLJosh Keeley
25DFGUYIsaiah Jones
26MFGRNShandon Baptiste
30FWENGGideon Kodua
31DFENGBenny Benagr
33DFSCOHarrison Ashby (on loan from Newcastle United)
42DFESPChristian Chigozie
44FWJAMDevante Cole
45MFJAMKasey Palmer
DFENGThomas Holmes
DFENGReuell Walters
FWNORLasse Nordås
FWENGJerry Yates

Out on loan

No.Pos.NationPlayer
No. Pos. Nation Player — MF ENG Ethon Archer (on loan at Bromley)FW ENG Joe Gbodé (on loan at Shrewsbury Town)FW ENG Oli Lynch (on loan at Port Vale)
MFENGEthon Archer (on loan at Bromley)
FWENGJoe Gbodé (on loan at Shrewsbury Town)
FWENGOli Lynch (on loan at Port Vale)

Academy

Under-21s Development Squad

As of 10 August 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
No. Pos. Nation Player — GK ENG Charlie Booth — DF ENG Dempsey Crace — DF ENG Louie Henry — DF ENG Kyron Roberts-Edema — MF CYP Zach IoannidesNo. Pos. Nation Player — MF ALB Alvin Isufi — MF ENG Jack Lorentzen-Jones — MF ENG Archie Shepherd — MF NIR Dylan Stitt — MF ENG Charlie Trustram — FW COL Samuel Hincapie-Alfonso
GKENGCharlie Booth
DFENGDempsey Crace
DFENGLouie Henry
DFENGKyron Roberts-Edema
MFCYPZach Ioannides
No.Pos.NationPlayer
MFALBAlvin Isufi
MFENGJack Lorentzen-Jones
MFENGArchie Shepherd
MFNIRDylan Stitt
MFENGCharlie Trustram
FWCOLSamuel Hincapie-Alfonso

Out on loan

No.Pos.NationPlayer
No. Pos. Nation Player — GK ENG Lucas Thomas (on loan at Farnborough until 1 January 2027)FW ENG Taylan Harris (on loan at Woking until 30 June 2027)FW ENG Jamie Odegah (on loan at Oxford City until 1 September 2026)FW ENG Tate Xavier-Jones (on loan at Spalding United until 7 September 2026)
GKENGLucas Thomas (on loan at Farnborough until 1 January 2027)
FWENGTaylan Harris (on loan at Woking until 30 June 2027)
FWENGJamie Odegah (on loan at Oxford City until 1 September 2026)
FWENGTate Xavier-Jones (on loan at Spalding United until 7 September 2026)

Under-18 Scholars

As of 10 August 2026

No.Pos.NationPlayer
No. Pos. Nation Player — GK ENG Riley Flynn — DF ENG Rufus Barnes — DF ENG Corey Burton-Green — DF WAL Fin Evans — DF ENG Ben Norford — DF ENG Blake Norton — DF ENG Kyrese Richards — DF ENG Luke Takawira — MF ENG Beau Corcoran-Berkeley — MF ENG Harrison Dunn — MF MAR Nassim El GourjaNo. Pos. Nation Player — MF ENG Femi Fatogun — MF ENG Luca Knote-Reed — MF ENG Ty Lesser — MF ENG Luke McCulloch — MF ENG Jerome Passley-James — FW ENG Josiah Akinfenwa — FW ENG Excel Ed-Okungbowa — FW ENG Darren Frimpong-Kwakye — FW POL Dawid Gawel — FW ENG Alfie Sharp
GKENGRiley Flynn
DFENGRufus Barnes
DFENGCorey Burton-Green
DFWALFin Evans
DFENGBen Norford
DFENGBlake Norton
DFENGKyrese Richards
DFENGLuke Takawira
MFENGBeau Corcoran-Berkeley
MFENGHarrison Dunn
MFMARNassim El Gourja
No.Pos.NationPlayer
MFENGFemi Fatogun
MFENGLuca Knote-Reed
MFENGTy Lesser
MFENGLuke McCulloch
MFENGJerome Passley-James
FWENGJosiah Akinfenwa
FWENGExcel Ed-Okungbowa
FWENGDarren Frimpong-Kwakye
FWPOLDawid Gawel
FWENGAlfie Sharp

Backroom staff

Mick Harford
Senior scout and club ambassador Mick Harford, seen in 2009.

As of 7 August 2026

Ownership

PositionName
ChairmanDavid Wilkinson
Chief Executive OfficerGary Sweet
DirectorsPaul Ballantyne
Bob Curson
Kailesh Karavadra
Rob Stringer
Glyn Taylor
ShareholdersStephen Browne
Luton Town Supporters' Trust
Vice PresidentsRichard Banks
Gary Chamberlain
Doug Knight
Ian Gazeley
Emma Banks
Ben Banks
Ian Montone
Honorary Vice PresidentJohn Buttle

First Team Staff

PositionName
First Team ManagerJack Wilshere
Assistant ManagerChris Powell
Senior Scout & Club AmbassadorMick Harford
Head of GoalkeepingKevin Pilkington
First Team CoachesKevin Foley
David Bridges
Tim Corcoran
Head of Physical PerformanceJosh Hornby
Sport ScientistJake Scott
Strength & Conditioning CoachRobbie Long
Head of RecruitmentWilliam Lancefield
Chief ScoutMarc Tracy
Head of AnalysisJack Lamb-Wilson
First Team AnalystLewis Holmes
Performance AnalystBen Day
Training AnalystJack Newark
Medical Co-ordinatorSimon Parsell
Head PhysiotherapistChris Phillips
First Team PhysiotherapistMonika Jude
Chris Horgan
TherapistDarren Cook
Club DoctorsMonjour Ahmed
Mohammed Al-Awazzi
Club ChiropractorDavid Leu
Kit & EquipmentStewart Bannister

Academy Staff

PositionName
Academy ManagerPaul Benson
Head of Academy DevelopmentWayne Turner
Under-21s Lead Coach & Loans ManagerAlex Lawless
Under-18s Lead CoachJoe Deeney
Assistant PDP CoachRonnie Henry
Head of CoachingBen Strevens
Youth Development Phase Lead Coach (U15 & 16)Jack Cartwright
Youth Development Phase Lead Coach (U13 & U14)Billy Carter
Foundation Phase Lead Coach (U9 to U12)Jack Ainsworth
Senior Academy PhysiotherapistJayden Hay
Academy AdministratorEmily Howes

Managers

A bald man in a grey suit speaks to fans.
John Still, seen in 2014. He led the club to promotion back into the Football League in the same year.
A man wearing a grey sweatshirt smiling for a picture with a fan.
Rob Edwards, seen in 2025. In 2023, he led the club to promotion to the Premier League.

The current first team manager is Jack Wilshere, who was appointed on 13 October 2025.

List of former managers

As of 3 May 2026. Only managers in charge for a minimum of 50 competitive matches are listed.

Key: M = matches; W = matches won; D = matches drawn; L = matches lost

NameNationFromToMWDLWin%
John McCartneyScotland14 September 192721 December 1929151573856037.7
George KayEngland23 December 192913 May 193171291626040.8
Harold WightmanEngland1 June 19319 October 1935198854964042.9
Ned LiddellEngland13 August 193626 February 193879421126053.2
Dally DuncanScotland13 June 194716 October 1958503192133178038.2
Sam BartramEngland18 July 196014 June 196295351842036.8
Bill HarveyEngland24 July 196221 November 1964121372658030.6
George MartinScotland16 February 19653 November 196682341632041.5
Allan BrownScotland4 November 196617 December 1968111562431050.5
Alec StockEngland20 December 196827 April 1972172715645041.3
Harry HaslamEngland4 May 197223 January 19782751106996040.0
David PleatEngland24 January 197816 May 1986393158108127040.2
Ray HarfordEngland16 June 19873 January 1990133513448038.3
Jim RyanScotland11 January 199013 May 199163181629028.6
David PleatEngland7 June 199111 June 1995207557082026.6
Lennie LawrenceEngland21 December 19954 July 2000250906694036.0
Joe KinnearIreland8 February 200123 May 2003122562838045.9
Mike NewellEngland23 June 200315 March 2007200834968041.5
Mick HarfordEngland16 January 20081 October 200991252937027.5
Richard MoneyEngland30 October 200928 March 201183452117054.2
Gary BrabinEngland28 March 201131 March 201262292211046.8
Paul BuckleEngland6 April 201219 February 201352261016050.0
John StillEngland26 February 201317 December 2015148693841046.6
Nathan JonesWales6 January 20169 January 2019170874637051.2
Nathan JonesWales28 May 202010 November 2022133543742040.6
Rob EdwardsWales17 November 20229 January 2025103322546031.1

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

Cup

Footnotes

A.^ The only other club from the south of England in the Football League at the time was Woolwich Arsenal.

B.^ Calculated by adding together all the home league attendances for the 2014–15 season to calculate the total attendance (200,157) and then dividing by the number of home league matches (23) to reach an average of 8,702. Attendances taken from BBC report for match that day and Soccerbase statistics.

C.^ Calculated by adding together all the home league attendances for the 2013–14 season to calculate the total attendance (169,906) and then dividing by the number of home league matches (23) to reach an average of 7,387. Attendances taken from BBC report for match that day and Soccerbase statistics.

D.^ Before the start of the 2004–05 season, Football League re-branding saw the First Division become the Football League Championship. The Second and Third Divisions became Leagues One and Two, respectively.

E.^ On its formation for the 1992–93 season, the FA Premier League became the top tier of English football; the First, Second and Third Divisions then became the second, third and fourth tiers, respectively.

Bibliography

  • Ellis, Brian; Shury, Alan; Bailey, Steve (1997). The Definitive Luton Town F.C. Nottingham: Soccerdata. ISBN978-1-899468-10-2.
  • Collings, Timothy (1985). The Luton Town Story 1885–1985. Luton: Luton Town F.C. ISBN978-0-9510679-0-1.
  • Hayes, Dean P. (2002). Completely Top Hatters!. Dunstable: Book Castle Publishing. ISBN978-1-903747-27-8.

External links