Luton Town and Coventry City: From the Depths of English Football to the “Richest Game”
On Saturday, May 29, 2021, soccer fans around the world will turn their attention to the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium in London. In what has been dubbed “the richest game” in the history of soccer, Luton Town and Coventry City will battle it out for supremacy, with a chance to gain a place in next season’s Premier League and claim a slice of the coveted $211 million (£170 million) in projected revenues.
A Remarkable Journey
For both clubs, the play-off final is a culmination of a remarkable journey that began just five years ago when they found themselves playing in the fourth tier of the English football league pyramid. Battling financial difficulties, relegations, and constant setbacks, Luton Town and Coventry City have risen through the leagues slowly but steadily, showing resilience and determination in the face of adversity.
For Luton Town, the journey from the lower echelons of English football to the brink of the Premier League has been a long and winding trek. The club was one of the founding members of the Premier League in 1992, having been in English football’s top flight division the previous season. It was relegated the season before the Premier League was introduced. Over the next almost 20 years, the club suffered five more relegations and was penalized with 40 total points worth of deductions as it slipped further down the rungs of English football.
It was a similar story for Coventry City. A regular in English football’s top flight between the late 1960s and the early 2000s, the club slowly fell down the league system due to financial difficulties. The club was saved from administration in 2007 by a last-gasp takeover from a consortium called SISU Capital. But things didn’t improve much for the club under the new owners, with spending limited, crowds suffering, and the team not even being able to play games at its home ground, the Ricoh Arena, for over a year.
“Money isn’t everything”
Despite the possibility of a financial bonanza if the club gains promotion to the Premier League, the chief executive of Luton Town, Gary Sweet, says that promotion would mean much more than just money for the club. “This will transcend Luton. It will change the face of Luton; it will change the perception of Luton virtually overnight,” Sweet said of the town, which lies 29 miles north of London.
“But it isn’t always about money. We’ve proved this with the club. It’s not about money necessarily; it’s about what you do with it. It’s actually what you do with the perception because we’re more concerned about the perception of Luton,” Sweet added.
The rise of Luton Town has been a result of savvy signings, effective managers, and a new ownership group that has stabilized the club financially. Welshman Nathan Jones led the team successfully over two stints, but it is his compatriot Rob Edwards who has brought the club to within 90 minutes of reaching the promised land of the Premier League.
Coventry City’s Rise under Manager Mark Robins
For Coventry City, the journey to the brink of the Premier League has been equally remarkable. The club was dissolved in 2015 but was allowed to continue to operate. Results suffered further as the team was relegated to League Two. But then Mark Robins returned for a second stint as the manager of Coventry in 2017. Robins has overseen a remarkable rise through the league system, winning promotion from League Two in his first season and a rise to England’s second tier just a year later.
No stranger to adversity, Coventry City once again faced more stadium issues in 2019 when it was forced to play its home games at Birmingham City’s St. Andrews after owners SISU and Wasps – the rugby club which owned the stadium – couldn’t come to an agreement. With Robins at the helm, Coventry has improved season upon season, with Saturday’s play-off final spot the possible crowning moment of his six-year stint so far – the team lost just once since February 3 to rise to fifth in the table before beating Middlesborough in the play-off semifinals.
The Big Stage
The prospect of Premier League stars lacing up their boots and playing at Luton’s old-school stadium, Kenilworth Road, could be a bit of a culture shock to them. The ground, built in 1905, has a capacity of little over 10,000 and has many old-fashioned features – including wooden stands and an entrance which offers a view into the gardens of the terraced housing which border the stadium. It remains a novelty in an ever-modernizing sport.
Whatever the outcome on Saturday, these two historic clubs with more than 135 years of history each will no doubt push until the end in the world’s most lucrative soccer game.
As for the future of these clubs, it remains to be seen what will happen if they gain promotion to the Premier League. But one thing is for sure, the journey of Luton Town and Coventry City to the brink of the Premier League will be one for the ages.
Advice for the Fans
For the fans of Luton Town and Coventry City, this is your moment. A chance to witness history and possibly see your team claim a slice of a $211-million (£170 million) pie. But more than that, it is a chance to witness the resilience, determination, and grit that has brought these two historic clubs from the depths of English football to the “richest game” in soccer. So sit back, enjoy the ride, and cheer on your team with passion and pride.
<< photo by Artem Podrez >>
