The ‘Festival of Football’ held at the Kenilworth Road stadium welcomed both current SSPA (School of Sport Science & Physical Activity) and prospective Bedfordshire students to get involved in a variety of engaging opportunities, including: mini football tournaments, sports study demonstrations, tours of the iconic Luton FC grounds, and hands-on sport science activities.  

The University’s community radio station, Radio LaB, and its student volunteers were also in attendance to report live on the matches throughout the day, broadcasting updates to listeners across the county.

Bob Cozens, Director of Recruitment, Outreach, Admissions & Marketing at the University of Bedfordshire, said: “We are proud to be the official Education Partner of Luton Town Football Club and are thrilled that our students get to experience first-hand how a professional Football club operates through engagement with the clubs management and players.

“The University is ambitious for our students to access real world industry experience and the partnership with LTFC is a great example of this. As well as the industry experience our students gain from this partnership, we were pleased to be able to extend this opportunity to our local Year 12 students and our existing applicants through the ‘Festival of Football’ at Kenilworth Road. Well done to the winners of our tournament, Kempston Rovers Academy, runners-up Bedford College and to all of the other school teams that took part!”

This experience was made possible through the University’s long-standing partnership with Luton Town. In 2023, Bedfordshire was announced as the Official Education Partner of the club and will continue to offer a range of educational and career development opportunities for students and the community.

Earlier this year, students studying sports-related courses were invited to LTFC’s training ground to watch first-team players prepare for their upcoming matches. Ahead of this, the University also welcomed Luton Town legend Mick Harford to present an inspirational public talk, as part of its popular ‘An Evening With’ event series.