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Leeds United’s tumultuous modern history has often been the story of wasted potential.
Leeds is England’s biggest one-club city and the club’s loyal fans had to live through relegations, point deductions, administration and a string of disastrous ownership situations before they were finally able to return to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa in 2020.
But even that didn’t last, as the Argentine was fired less than a season after guiding the club to a top-ten finish in 2020/21, with relegation following 14 months later. The club are now back in the second tier, but their ownership group 49ers Enterprises have just announced an ambitious set of development plans that they can help the club achieve a more stable future.
Leeds United announce Elland Road stadium plans
Leeds have called Elland Road home since the club was founded in 1919 and while the stadium can produce one of the most intimidating atmospheres in English football, the ground is feeling its age. FourFourTwo ranked it as the 16th-best stadium in English football last year, though – so it’s still got some character, at least.
The last major building work done to the stadium was the building of a new 17,000-seater East Stand in 1993, with the stadium consistently selling out as supply far outstrips demand in a city that has a population approaching 800,000. Every match has been sold out for the past six years and the season ticket waiting list currently sits at 26,000 fans.
The club announced on Monday that they are looking to modernise the stadium and hike capacity up from 37,000 to around 53,000, which would place Leeds in the top seven stadiums in England, ahead of Newcastle United and alongside Manchester City.
Owners 49ers Enterprises are looking to leverage their experience in building the San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium a decade ago, with the plans focusing on increasing capacity in the north and west stands, while bringing the ground in line with UEFA Category 4 status.
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Chairman Paraag Marathe said: “We recognise how important Elland Road is to Leeds United fans and the wider community. The opportunity to refresh a century-old stadium is unprecedented.
“Our plans reinforce our commitment to the long-term success of the club and I am excited that we are going to be able to welcome thousands more supporters to every game in a stadium that retains the unique atmosphere of Elland Road.”
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Described as a ‘phased project’ that includes a new train station and a mass transit route from the city centre to the ground, no timescale has yet been confirmed for the project.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, this expansion is well overdue as Elland Road has been feeling its age for some time and a bigger capacity is clearly not just sustainable, but required if the club are to consistently meet their potential.
Why do Leeds need a new ground?
Elland Road has seen better days. This latest stadium plan follows a number of aborted projects to address Leeds’ stadium situation.
Former chairman Peter Ridsdale surveyed fans about building a new stadium on the outskirts of the city in 2001 during the club’s ‘living the dream’ era, while plans for an expanded 50,000 capacity were announced at an event celebrating the club’s centenary in 2019, and then revised two years later, but did not come to pass.
The statement announcing the plans spoke of a core objective being to ‘maintain and enhance the unique atmosphere’, which is vital and while fans will have wanted to see a timescale, the 49ers Enterprises have deeper pockets and more experience than recent ownership groups who were unable to deliver any major improvements to one of English football’s most historic football stadiums.