27 July 2023 , 21:51
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Luton have been handed an exemption by the Premier League and will be allowed to begin the season without installing undersoil heating.
The top flight rulebook currently states that such facilities must be part of any stadium with several clubs, Bournemouth among them in 2015, having to bring it in after winning promotion from the Championship. Luton's Kenilworth Road was hosting non-league games less than a decade ago.
Premier League rule K.22 states that undersoil heating is required on all pitches but Luton will be allowed to bypass that rule, which has privately raised concern among top flight managers who fear its absence could lead to several fixture postponements this winter, as per the Daily Mail.
That will lead to a fixture backlog that those competing on several fronts could do without. The top flight new boys are in dialogue with the Premier League to make sure they have sufficient mitigation measures in place which can combat the poor weather conditions.
Luton were by no means fancied to secure promotion from the second tier before their play-off success over Coventry at Wembley. Already they are struggling to complete the £10m revamp of their stadium.
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Luton's first home game against Burnley, which was set to be played on August 19, has already been postponed as the redevelopment of the Bobber Stand will not be completed in time. The Clarets have already rejected the idea of switching the game to Turf Moor.
Kenilworth Road is currently under construction (JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)As a result the Hatters will play their first home game in the Premier League on September 1 against West Ham - their third game of the season. Their first top flight outing in 33 years will be an away game at Brighton before taking on Chelsea two weeks later at Stamford Bridge.
Luton's lack of undersoil heating wasn't a problem last season in the Championship as they were able to meet the more relaxed rules of the EFL. The issues at Kenilworth Road were highlighted however when the club had to postpone a match against Millwall last December due to a frozen pitch.
Luton face several of the Premier League big boys in the winter months, which could see any issues gather unwanted publicity. Liverpool are in town in early November before they host Arsenal and Manchester City within a matter of days in December. Chelsea head to Kenilworth Road on December 30.