Leeds United's six-year problem still needs years and tens of millions of pounds to solve
Four current Premier League stadiums are not big enough to even fit the entirety of Leeds United’s season ticket waiting list in their seats. That’s the scale of the popularity problem the Whites have and its only solution is still several years away.
Elland Road, in its current form, has sold out for every match over the last six years, which is, incidentally, how long it has been since Marcelo Bielsa arrived. The Argentine’s football and the team’s subsequent success made United the hottest ticket in town once again.
Promotion to the Premier League only saw demand soar and relegation has hardly taken the edge off the desire to see those white shirts in the polyester. There are 26,000 people waiting for a season ticket at Elland Road, which only has a current capacity of 37,645.
The solution, in chief executive Angus Kinnear’s eyes, is the redevelopment of the stadium’s John Charles and Don Revie stands. There is no formal planning application with Leeds City Council as yet, but United did publish a formal statement on September 23, which set out their ambitions for how they would like the process to unfold.
Modernising the stadium along with a capacity increase to around 53,000 is the headline, making Elland Road the seventh biggest stadium in the country. Maintaining and enhancing the notorious atmosphere at LS11 is critical, chairman Paraag Marathe knows, while phasing the construction will hopefully minimise disruption to spectators in the interim period.
In a statement, Leeds United Supporters’ Club told LeedsLive: “An increase in an extra 15,000-plus seats will ensure more fans will be able to attend games on a regular basis. It is especially important to see the club is ‘looking closely at matchday travel plans to ensure an improvement in the experience for both residents and supporters arriving at the ground.’
“So many times this seems to get overlooked and not work. We also feel it is important the club shares information and seeks input from fans at all stages of the redevelopment process.”
Seeking input from supporters appears to be something Leeds are keen on. In a recent interview with fanzine The Square Ball (TSB), Kinnear made it clear fans will be consulted, which is partly why drawings and dates are yet to be made public. Input from stakeholders is wanted before these grand plans are published to avoid them being pulled apart by fans, had they been kept in the dark.
One of the major talking points on the season ticket waiting list is fans being entirely unaware of where they stand in the queue. Kinnear says it is not a formal policy to keep those waiting in the dark, but it is generally avoided for the ticket office’s benefit.
READ MORE: Leeds United's Anfield inspiration for Elland Road redevelopment and £10m cost explained
READ MORE: Leeds United urged to be transparent with Borussia Dortmund's 'Yellow Wall' remake on the agenda
“The reality is only slightly more than a handful [season tickets] become available every year,” he told TSB. “So really, there's limited churn. The opportunity for people on the season ticket waiting list to get a seat is going to be when the new stands are built and then we can get the visibility.
“In the interim, I think it was in the low 30s, the number of seats that churned and were resold this [summer].”
He added: “It's not a vehement policy. What it is with the ticket office, is they don't like getting into huge dialogues with people over specific numbers and why did someone get one.
“It might be because they've taken one in a different part of the ground which wasn't available to them. What the message is, broadly, at the moment, if we keep playing the way we're playing, then your place on the season ticket waiting list is pretty much irrelevant until the new stand arrives.”
So, those 26,000 people who have paid to wait in line for their chance, will keep waiting for a few more years because this redevelopment will not be completed overnight. Once it is completed, all eyes will be on the prices Leeds then charge in order to start paying back their construction costs.
Read more: Football clubs could face action over ticket prices if fans are no longer valued
Currently, adults are charged between £37 and £49 for a Category A fixture, depending where they are seated. Kinnear accepts the pricing feels expensive, like everything at the moment, but defends the rise over 20 to 30 years in line with inflation.
“If you look at ticket prices and index it against inflation over the last 20 to 30 years, the increases are not significantly above inflation,” he said. “We're now at the age where, I'm certainly at the age where, everything just seems expensive and it does feel like a lot.
“If you take out all the premium seats, then the GA (general admission) seats have gone, broadly, across the football industry, in line with inflation.”
With a waiting list the size of United’s, Kinnear feels pricing could have shot up far quicker with a different ownership group. However, he praised 49ers Enterprises for its relationship with supporters and the fairness it had shown with the current pricing.
“Our pricing policy for our young supporters is fantastic,” he said. “For our youngest supporters, the season ticket works out at £6 or £7 a game. It represents fantastic value.
“Clearly, it needs owners who have a relationship with the fan base and this is where the 49ers have been great. You can look at all the modelling in the world.
“You can look at increasing the prices of Leeds United tickets because we've got 26,000 people on the season ticket waiting list. Actually, season ticket prices have increased twice in the last 10 years. They have actually increased very, very modestly.”