Leeds United announce Champions League ambition for Elland Road plans with £10m spend pre-approval

Elland Road will be pushed to a 53,000 capacity under Leeds United's plans
-Credit: (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)


Elland Road will be catapulted to Champions League status under Leeds United’s freshly-announced plans for stadium redevelopment. The club’s latest statement, which does not include dates or drawings, stresses construction will be phased, minimising the loss of seating during the project, which has seen £10m spent to get to this approved planning stage.

Earlier this month, chief executive Angus Kinnear suggested the new target capacity would be around 53,000 and that is confirmed in this new announcement. That capacity would make it the seventh largest club stadium in the country, with a core aim of maintaining the stadium’s current atmosphere as it grows.

A club statement said: “Leeds United is a one-club city, a rarity in European football and demand for tickets consistently outpaces the currently available supply. Elland Road, in its current form, has sold out for every match over the last six years and there are 26,000 supporters on the waiting list for season tickets.

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“The revitalisation will focus on increasing capacity to the North and West Stands and will be delivered in phases to maintain as much seating as possible during construction. The club, along with owner 49ers Enterprises, have brought in specialist acoustic consultants to ensure Elland Road’s unique atmosphere is retained.

“A local transport consultant has been commissioned to help plan access routes and manage traffic flows during construction. Critically, the club and the professional team will also be looking closely at matchday travel plans to ensure an improvement in the experience for both residents and supporters arriving at the ground.”

Liran Froind, Co-Founder at Ticket-Compare, added: "Leeds United is a Premier League club in all but name, especially when it comes to the size of the fanbase, so a stadium expansion is long overdue.

"The demand for tickets to Leeds United matches has always been fierce, and the season ticket waiting list is longer than most Premier League clubs.

"With a new capacity of 53,000, there may be room for at least 40,000 season ticket holders, up from the current cap of around 27,000.

"Expanding Elland Road will not only allow more fans to get season tickets but will also enhance hospitality options, which are a crucial money-maker at elite stadiums."

Should the club’s ambitions be achieved, Elland Road will be in line with UEFA category four, which is required for a stadium to host European football. More details on how the redevelopment look, as well as a formal planning application, will follow in due course.

On a wider scale, the move to redevelop the stadium will also be used as a catalyst for wider regeneration of the community and its links with the city centre. Leeds City Council will be a key stakeholder in this project when it comes to fruition.

Coun James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said: “This investment can also be a catalyst for wider regeneration plans of South Leeds, which represents an opportunity of national significance. Getting there will be easier with work to improve Leeds [railway] station and the introduction of a White Rose rail station, along with the potential of a proposed mass transit route from the city centre close to the ground.”