• How much does membership cost and how do I go about joining Loyal Luton Supporters Club (‘LLSC')?

Joining LLSC is quite simple, just follow the links at the top of this page, or you can simply contact the Chairman who will return with joining instructions. Life membership is currently a miserly £10 and for this you will also get a much sought after LLSC pin-badge. Membership fees will in due course be under review as the price has been held steady since inception in 1990, however, this will only be following liaison with all members.

The Chairman sends regular e-mail updates out to members and actively encourages ongoing communication (i.e. the Chairman will freely answer questions sent to him via mail as well as be available before/ after matches) while there are also regular monthly/ bi-monthly meetings held to discuss all matters LTFC where active participation is promoted across attendees. A number of social functions are also held during the course of the year while a hard-core of members will meet up for drinks before and after all home matches (currently in The Whitehouse in the town centre). Travel is occasionally arranged for away matches subject to demand and this has proven highly successful in the past.

• What size membership does LLSC have?

LLSC was established in 1990 and has subsequently seen significant membership growth every year. Unfortunately the membership database was never computerised until 2005 and records at this time were largely incomplete. However, membership up to this point was estimated in the 500-700 range and due to a more high profile approach adopted to stadium issues etc. LLSC has seen unprecedented membership growth which was well into three figures for 2006. LLSC is in the process of trying to get its database as accurate as possible and all existing members who currently receive no e-mail distribution should contact the Chairman accordingly.

• I've heard that LLSC is just a bunch of older anti-establishment supporters intent on always causing disruption.

Unfortunately during the 1990's a smear campaign was launched against LLSC by the then Chairman of LTFC and this is something that led to totally unwarranted accusations being made, which for many the untruths still stick. LLSC is today a true representation and cross-section of the whole supporter base from young students, through working class to leading professionals and company directors/ owners across a complete and broad range of industries as well as those now enjoying the fruits of retirement. One thing in common among all members is an undying passion, commitment and love for LTFC.

LLSC was originally established given the desire of a core of supporters to have a representation that was independent from the affiliated supporters groups and to create a voice for those that believed in views that necessarily didn't "toe the party-line". This has been a common theme through the years and LLSC has been prepared to stand up for the fans and argue issues which differed from those coming out of the Boardroom. There have been numerous issues fought for over the years but just a few of the many include: campaigning for the cancellation of the members-only scheme; the requirement for cash-pay turnstiles; opening up unutilised areas of the ground for increased home support demand; the introduction of additional seats at the top of the Kenilworth Road Stand; greater transparency and communication between the FC and the fans; supporting a new stadium development in the current boundaries of the town; while also getting the support of local politicians behind this previous point.

However, it is not always about fighting causes LLSC has also worked with the FC whereby free tickets were given away to kids to encourage greater support among this generation. We have also been liaising with the FC as to ways the whole experience for the fans can be improved (including merchandising etc.) and significant feedback was provided to the FC following consultation with all the members.

• So how democratic is LLSC?

LLSC is probably the most democratic supporters group connected with LTFC. Annual elections are held for senior posts while the members will be regularly consulted by leading Committee members on all important issues/ strategy etc. As mentioned above members who attend meetings are constantly encouraged to make their voice/ opinion known and all sides are actively debated. This considered process will finalise an agreed route to be adopted by LLSC and is taken forward accordingly.

LLSC is essentially a fans group for the fans, always listening and going forward with the majority view whilst retaining flexibility to adapt as matters change/ dictate. The Chairman of LLSC is duly elected to represent the members of LLSC (and not to use LLSC just as a soap-box for his own opinion) and execute the given strategy while being a central figurehead and focal point for LLSC.

• How can LLSC consistently retain its independence?

It is imperative that independence is always the case as it remains central to what LLSC is all about. This is also widely recognised by the FC and helps encourage a healthy voice which should always keep the FC on its toes and ensure the fans are always being considered. At the start of 2006 the Chairman of LLSC turned down an invitation from Trust in Luton to sit on their Committee to ensure the independence of LLSC could still be maintained.

• So what are the views of LLSC in respect of fan representation on the Board of the Football Club?

We feel it is fair to say that through FLAG (Yvonne Fletcher) and TiL (Kelvin Dunn) that the ‘Fan on the Board' has not had the desired impact anticipated by the fans. We feel that it is undoubtedly a hard position to occupy, as also proven at other FCs, and one not particularly helped when regular Board meetings are not being held. We feel that consideration needs to be given to alternative structures which can tap into the undoubted wealth of experience and skill-base across the fan-base, however, for this to succeed it needs 100% support from the Board and more importantly regular contact, dialogue, consultation, communication and feedback with the entire wider fan-base.

• What are your views on the youth set-up?

A strong youth set-up is the blood-line for the FC and should act as a regular feeder of quality young players into the 1^st team. For as long as most of us can remember we have had to live with the fact that our income falls materially short of our outgoings and unfortunately it has been reality that we have had to sell to survive. This can only be achieved if the best young players in the surrounding area are coming through alongside promising young players from other regions where we have well-established strong scouting networks, historically this has seen a strong influx of players from areas such as Wales (i.e. John Hartson, Mark Pembridge, Ceri Hughes).

When Joe Kinnear was in charge he gave us the base to propel the FC back up the Football Leagues, although his focus was a very short-term one based on cheque-book management and aided by generous backers of the FC at the time. However, Joe Kinnear had little apparent trust or tangible support in youth and this resulted in little promotion of promising young players (i.e. Kevin Foley and Curtis Davies) but more importantly abolition of the scouting network. Mike Newell has realised the disastrous impact this could have on the long-term survival of the FC and has looked to re-establish this although building such a network from scratch will take a few years to become fully effective.

• But wouldn't most fans be happy with some form of cheque-book management?

Well in our view this is actually only a recipe for long-term disaster as all fundamentals for what makes a sound football business are disregarded and completely blown away. It is reality today that FCs have to be self-supporting so going down the Roman Abramovic is not one we actively support. However, what we as a FC have to do is to maximise our potential and as well as a strong youth set-up and a manager making good use of the transfer system it also requires the Board to realise the maximum income off the pitch through both the commercial and retail sides of the business.

• So you refer to the former owners, the Watson-Challis'. What are your links with this family?

A recent slur campaign has regularly quoted LLSC as being the mouthpiece for the Watson-Challis'. However, given our independence such a statement could not be further from the truth.

As true supporters of LTFC and without any personal issues - which still exist between the Watson-Challis' and certain FC Board members - we have participated in dialogue as LLSC recognise they own land that could potentially be beneficial and be important to help shape a sound financial foundation for many years to come for the FC and as such have attempted to facilitate a meeting between all relevant parties.

In line with this general stance LLSC will not let any issues whether personal or political get in the way of progression for LTFC provided it is in the best interests of the fans, who are the real stakeholders in the FC. Accordingly we regularly meet with both FC officials and other connected parties to expedite progress and ensure greater clarity on all issues.

• So what are your views about a new stadium in the town?

We can and should never forget our roots and the fact that LTFC has been an integral part of the community since 1885. However, at the same time we are fully cognisant that if we want to continue playing at a high level then the situation surrounding Kenilworth Road means we have to move and develop a new fully-serviced stadium to take advantage of our income potential. We view the owners of LTFC as custodians of the FC for the fans and as such they have a responsibility to act in the best interests of both the FC and the fans. Therefore when looking to move LTFC away from Kenilworth Road the Board should be regularly seeking and undertaking independent professional advice when entering fields they have insufficient expertise or experience while also frequently consulting the fans to understand their needs and demands.

As part of this process we feel that a fully independent feasibility study would cover many of the concerns of the fans and address many of the issues regarding certain sites and also publicly highlight advantages and barriers to all potential sites within the town and surrounding area thereby ensuring complete transparency which would then lead to everyone (the Board, the fans, local Councillors, MPs etc.) getting fully behind and supporting the same project.

We also have to consider the adverse sociological impact as well as the more obvious economical effect on local businesses of the FC moving out of the town. As an example there are already huge concerns across the nation of obesity amongst the young population and by detaching the single most powerful attraction of youth into sporting activity in Luton there is a dangerous trigger which would work against current Central and Local Government policy.

From a FC standpoint, when already competing against the massive armchair SkyTV nation and with the big London clubs only 30mins away by train, how can the FC expect to attract the young supporter of tomorrow from within the town when suddenly there is no direct link with a FC that may be located in a village many miles up the motorway.

So with all things being equal our strong preference is to retain LTFC within the boundaries of the town.

• And if a site cannot be found in the town?

Until it was proved beyond reasonable doubt that there are no feasible options within the current boundaries of the town our members when questioned in 2005 and again in 2006 strongly confirmed they could not support a move out of the town. However, as mentioned above if independent confirmation is provided to the contrary then any such plan would be referred to its members and accordingly considered on its individual merits noting the importance of both sides of the argument.

• So shouldn't the local Council be doing more?

It is noted by LLSC that LTFC currently play at the Council-owned Kenilworth Road on a rent-free basis and have done so for many years since David Evans cashed in the family jewels for £2.3 million to repay the then outstanding Directors Loans. It could be argued that as the FC is an integral part of the local community then this rent-free approach is fully justified, particularly noting the increased capital value of the land for the Council, now rumoured to be worth in excess of £15 million.

The Council has also actively supported the siting of a new stadium at J10, previously approving initial planning applied under David Kohler's regime while also putting the development of a stadium and enabling development within the Local Ten Year Plan. More recently they have continued to support such a development although the failing of the FC to agree any deal with the land-owners (the Watson-Challis') opened a window of opportunity for the airport to state their own expansion programme, which would have some form of impact on the viability of a stadium at this site.

The three local planning offices through the recently established Joint Planning & Development Committee has subsequently identified land adjoining the new proposed inter-section of the M1 at 11a as the preferred location for a new stadium for the FC and publicly confirmed this preference.

Both the Council and the FC will argue that it is the duty of the other party to do more to instigate the whole process.

We certainly feel that the Council can do more but this will only be worthwhile with the full co-operation of the FC and an agreed approach that also meets with the demands of the fans that can then lead to a unified charge to accelerate the whole process. On the back of this LLSC regularly meets leading members within the Council in an attempt to act as a catalyst, mediator and facilitator to ensure progress is achieved where possible.

LLSC also publicly balloted all elected members of the Council to get their support of a new stadium for LTFC in the town. Significant research has also been undertaken by a number of members as to potentially standing in the local elections and LLSC has a number of volunteers willing to stand if required as candidates in areas specifically identified as wards where maximum impact would be achieved.

• And your views on "Franchise football".

Frankly LLSC is and always will be fully against the concept of franchise football, which in our view has no right within English football. Owners of FCs that only temporarily are involved (certainly most of them are short-term when considered against the lifetime a loyal supporter will follow and back their FC) should not be allowed the right to make such decisions which totally ignore the history of a FC within their conurbation, has a hugely negative impact on the local community but more importantly totally disregards the views of the fans of that particular FC. With this in mind we feel that the Football League and Football Association have betrayed the whole of English football by sanctioning the death of Wimbledon FC and allowing the move to Milton Keynes.

Should you have any other questions that you would wish to ask of LLSC please click here and a response will be sent accordingly.