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Luton Town: Airport backs Hatters with flight path message

Tom Maddick/PinPep Luton Town mural at Stockwood Park, LutonTom Maddick/PinPep
London Luton Airport's message of support to the Hatters sits under the flight path in Stockwood Park

An airport has marked Luton Town's return to top flight football with a giant grass painting that visitors can see as they fly in.

London Luton Airport's message of support for the Hatters comes as they prepare for their first match since promotion to the Premier League.

The image is under the airport's flight path at Stockwood Park in the Bedfordshire town.

It features midfielder Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu and a tongue-in-cheek message.

Joe Pepler/PinPep Midfielder Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu helps put the finishing touches to the grass paintingJoe Pepler/PinPep
Midfielder Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu helps put the finishing touches to the grass painting

The giant painting, which was created over more than two days with about 500 litres (110 gallons) of environmentally friendly paint, reads: "Pundits, prepare to eat your hats. Luton Town FC has landed."

Thirty one years after the team was last in the top tier of English football, and nine years after they were playing non-league football, Luton Town travel to Brighton & Hove Albion on 12 August.

They earned promotion by beating Coventry City in the Championship play-offs at the end of last season.

Joe Pepler/PinPep Captain Tom Lockyer, Rob Edwards and Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu on the paintingJoe Pepler/PinPep
Captain Tom Lockyer, Rob Edwards and Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu visited the grass painting ahead of Saturday's match

Mpanzu, who is the first player in footballing history to go from the non-league tiers to the Premier League with the same club, said the team was "feeling confident" for its first game and thanked the airport for its message.

"The journey that this team and I have been on personally throughout my 10 years at Luton Town FC has been incredible," he said.

"I've been bowled over by the love of the community during my years playing for the club, but seeing London Luton Airport create this today to cheer the team on has been out of this world."

Manager, Rob Edwards, said: "This symbol of community will inspire the players for the games ahead and we hope we give fans a season to be proud of."

He told the BBC: "I understand we'll be written off by most people and I get that... we're a small club, we've not been in the League before, so I'm not going to take that personally. It's just up to us to try to prove people wrong."

Airport operations director, Neil Thompson, said: "We felt it was important to commemorate this historic moment for the town and for the team and wanted to cheer them on from a high-altitude, as well as on the ground."

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