Luton Town: Living next to football's most memed away end

Luton's ground gives a new meaning to the term "home advantage"

It's the football club that's literally on its neighbour's doorsteps - so naturally it's become a social media meme.

Luton Town's unusual away end entrance is sandwiched between a row of terraced Victorian houses.

And with the club on the verge of the Premier League, football fans have been quick to turn the bizarre turnstiles into an online joke.

Luton's form isn't a joke though - they beat Sunderland on Tuesday night so are heading to Wembley for the Championship play-off final.

But how do the locals feel about possible promotion to the Premier League?

BBC Asian Network has been to Luton to find out why it's impossible to separate the community from the football team.

Hina Shafi will be returning to Wembley to watch Luton in the play-off final

Luton's Kenilworth Road ground - tucked tightly into the densely populated Bury Park area - is a far cry from the likes of Old Trafford or Anfield.

Hina Shafi lives nearby and thinks the stadium being nestled in-between people's homes is what makes the club so unique.

"I live 10 minutes away from the ground and it is honestly so amazing," the 25-year-old says.

"Just the energy and vibe when you're walking through Bury Park, the diversity increases and you just see so many individuals from different backgrounds.

"It's literally as if you're going through someone's back garden.

"It's not this prim and proper stadium as it would be in Wembley or London. It is what we are as a community and what Luton is."

Hina, who's the Her Game Too ambassador for Luton, has supported the club since she was a young girl.

"I first visited the stadium on a primary school trip and that's when the passion of football ignited," she says.

She also hopes the men's team get promoted because it "helps the women's game grow, especially within Luton".

Maqsood Anwar's local mosque is a stone's throw from the Kenilworth Road ground

On the corner of Luton's famous Oak Road entrance is the Medina Masjid, the community's local mosque.

Regular worshipper Maqsood Anwar has supported the Hatters for more than 40 years and says the Muslim community in Bury Park has a strong connection to the club.

"They let us use their car park and we have a mutual understanding where we use each other's facilities as much as we can," he says.

"A few years ago when they got promotion we dished out chocolates to make sure as a community we support our football team.

"I remember in the 80s when we used to be in the First Division and we would love to be in the Premier League as well."

Umor (left) and Atif think the current ground would not cope with being in the Premier League

The club's planning to move to a new stadium but the project has been delayed and nothing's being built yet.

That means they'd be hosting the likes of Manchester City at Kenilworth Road, which holds just over 10,000 fans, next season if they get promoted.

College students Umor Uddin and Atif Khan live a couple of roads away from the ground and think the club needs a new home.

"When I first saw the stadium I thought 'what is this?' I was shocked because this does not look like a good ground," 19-year-old Umor says.

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Atif agrees, and says Kenilworth Road is "already packed as it is during a Championship game".

"They definitely need to upgrade their stadium because there's many people that would actually want to watch the Luton game if they get into the Premier League," the 19-year-old says.

Rob Clark reckons neutrals want to see Luton in the top flight

The club also has the support of its local student population, according to 23-year-old Rob Clark.

He was born in Luton and studies Sports Journalism at the University of Bedfordshire in the town.

"All the students talk about it all the time. We all talk about how Luton are just growing and growing and they're improving," he says.

"It means a lot to us as well. We all have that soft spot and I think the neutrals will also support them. They're everyone's favourite second team."

For more from Luton, listen to Ankur Desai's show live from the town between 15:00-18:00 BST on Tuesday 16 May, or catch it afterwards on BBC Sounds.

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