History
Our story spans almost three decades — from grassroots beginnings training with the boys’ teams in 1997, through league titles, national promotions and a memorable FA Cup run, to a thriving club of 22 teams today.
Scroll through the timeline below to discover the key moments that built our pathway from first kick to first team.
Luton Town Ladies FC
Building pathways
Foundations and early success
Luton Town Ladies Football Club first began to take shape in 1997 when a small group of girls started training with AFC Luton’s Under 10 boys team. Interest quickly grew and Under 12, Under 14 and Under 15 teams were soon formed, initially playing under the name Luton Town Belles.
The Under 12 and Under 14 sides entered the Bedfordshire Girls League for the 1997/98 season, with the Under 14s winning both the league title and league cup.
Success continued when the Under 15s entered the highly competitive Home Counties Girls League in 2000/01 and claimed the league title. Many of those players would go on to form the core of the club’s first senior side, which entered the Southern Regional League in 2001. At the time, the ambition was to achieve National League status by 2012.
Recognition, promotions and progress
The club’s progress on and off the pitch was recognised in 2002/03 when it was named Bedfordshire FA Charter Standard Club of the Year. Further recognition followed with a regional award win before the club was named the Football Association National Charter Standard Club of the Year.
In 2004/05, the first team earned promotion from the Southern Regional League after securing runners-up spot behind Reading. Promotion placed the club into the South West Combination, bringing challenging journeys to destinations including Plymouth and Newquay.
In 2006, closer links were formed with Luton Town Football Club, leading to the club becoming Luton Town Ladies Football Club. Following three seasons in the South West Combination, a restructure moved Luton into the South East Combination for 2008/09, where the team enjoyed a dominant season and secured the league title.
Goal achieved - new challenges ahead
Promotion to the Women’s National League followed three years ahead of the club’s original target. Although the step up proved difficult and relegation followed. Luton established themselves as a competitive side in the South East Combination over the following seasons. The 2013/14 campaign proved especially challenging, with the club battling relegation before a strong finish secured survival.
Another restructure placed Luton in the Women’s National League Division One South East, where the club recorded three consecutive top-half finishes between 2014 and 2017. During this period, significant effort also went into rebuilding the youth section and strengthening player pathways from younger age groups upwards.
One of the club’s proudest moments came in 2017/18 when Luton reached the FA Women’s Premier League Plate Final before losing to a strong West Ham United side. However, the following season proved difficult and relegation to the Eastern Region Premier Division followed in 2018/19.
The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the club’s attempts to bounce back, with both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons abandoned. In 2022, the club entered a groundshare agreement with Barton Rovers, moving to Sharpenhoe Road.
Recent years have brought a return to success. Luton won the Eastern Region League Cup in 2023, reached the fourth round of the FA Cup in 2024 and secured promotion back to tier four in 2024/25 after winning the Eastern Region Premier Division.
Developing the next generation
At the start of the 2025/26 season, the club’s thriving youth section had expanded to 22 teams ranging from Under-9s to Under-18s, with teams also entering the Junior Premier League for the first time.
From grassroots beginnings to a thriving club community today, join us and be part of the next chapter of the club’s proud history.