Editor of the Non League Paper to join in early June
We are excited to announce that Stuart Hammonds will be joining Luton Town as our new Press and Communications Manager. From early June, Stuart will be working alongside the Marketing team, helping to develop the communications strategy at the Club. He will also be taking on the role of programme editor from next season as well as becoming the primary press contact.
He joins us from The Non-League Paper, where he has spent the last 16 years. During that time, Stuart progressed from editorial assistant to chief reporter and, for the last two years, editor. Alongside his role there, he has also written for The NLP's sister publication, The Football League Paper, and for the last two years has been deputy editor of that publication too.
Stuart has been nominated for some prestigious awards in his career so far. In 2004 he was nominated for the British Press Gazette’s Young Sports Journalist of the Year award and, in 2008, for the Niche Publications Journalist of the Year.
He has been a regular contributor on BBC Radio Five Live, talkSPORT and various local radio stations – once providing a first-half co-commentary with Simon Pitts on a Friday night Town game at Stockport when ex press officer Andrew Barringer had been caught in traffic - and on TV for Setanta, ESPN, Premier and BT Sport during their Conference and FA Cup coverage. On top of this wealth of experience, he has also written for several national daily newspapers and Football magazine FourFourTwo. It’s fair to say that his knowledge of the game is second-to-none.
Stuart is almost as comfortable on the pitch as in the press box. Until 2008 he continued to play semi-professionally as a centre-half for Arnold Town, Lincoln United, Sutton United, Bracknell Town, Hitchin Town - where he played under ex-Hatters Darren Salton and Ken Gillard - and Ware.
In 2013-14, Stuart spent time voluntarily putting the bibs, balls and cones out for the Luton youth development players under Adam Balletta, Scott Smith and Lee Cowley at the North Herts Arena as he worked towards successfully gaining his FA Level 2 coaching qualification. He currently helps to run the Baldock Town Under-7 team, in which his son plays, and acts as an ambassador for Switch The Play, encouraging people to fulfil their potential in sport while gaining a suitable education.
On behalf of everyone at the Club, we’d like to wish Stuart a very warm welcome to the Luton Town family.