Luton – Raising the game
Pirtek Luton first sponsored Luton Town FC in the 2017-18 season and now “The Hatters” have been promoted to League One, Pirtek Luton is going with them. Not only that, but it hopes to have an increased commitment for the coming season. “Luton has now been promoted and we’re obviously delighted,” says David Hoskins, commercial manager at Luton’s Kenilworth Stadium. “League One is a completely different prospect from League Two. We’ve got a good squad and we are adding to it. There will be some announcements soon.” Elements Any football club is made up of three elements, David explains. “It is a sporting institution, dedicated to winning games, silverware and achieving promotion through the leagues. It is a business, which keeps the team afloat and provides the money for investment in players, infrastructure and other resources. And it is also a part of the community, supported by its fans in a reciprocal relationship. “Without any of these elements, the club cannot succeed.” Fan base David is particularly proud of the fans at Kenilworth Road, who have supported the club through good times and bad, turning out in droves to games in the lower leagues at which the opposition could only muster a handful.
“What has been consistent at this football club is their loyalty – the fans come in their droves. There was one season we finished – I think – seventh in the Conference, which is the lowest point. We still had 6,000 people out there. Unbelievable!” Community Luton is a club with a history of participation in the local community. The football club has an academy that draws up local players, including in the very early stages of his career, Arsenal (now West Ham) and England midfielder Jack Wilshere, whose signed shirt is hung on the wall of the Morecambe bar. This function room is dedicated to the comedian of the seventies and eighties, whose sons live locally. The Hatters are also highly engaged with Luton’s diverse local community. “We won Football League Two family club of the year this year,” David says. “We looked to what we were doing around the ground, what the offerings were. We did a couple of quick wins on
that, but we also concentrated on trying to up our game a little bit. “While most kids will have a hot dog and chips, we now do an offering where you can preorder something that’s a little healthier – the Happy Harry lunch bag. “It’s got water in it rather than coke; it’s got an apple in it rather than a bag of crisps. This is something other clubs aren’t doing.” “We were the first professional football club to pay the national living wage,” says David proudly. “As a club, every member of staff pays a donation to Luton food bank every month. “We support three charities per year – a club charity, a supporters’ charity and a players’ charity. We get about 30 applications a year – it’s difficult to choose one because they’re all worthwhile but concentrating on three charities means you can not only raise a lot of money but also raise their profile.” David gives an example of how this works. “There is a lot of poverty in Luton,” he says. “We had a club charity a couple of years ago called the Level
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