While the bulldozers aren’t revving up at Elland Road just yet, Leeds United are edging towards a stadium redevelopment that will reshape both their financial destiny and the club’s soul.
Tonight’s clash against 12th-place Norwich City at Elland Road will sell out, just as nearly every match at the 37,890-seater stadium does.
The season ticket waiting list is currently about 26,000 fans strong, while 20,000 members typically apply for around 7,000 matchday tickets via the ballot system.
The extraordinary unmet demand for tickets not only deprives thousands of bedrock supporters from watching their club weekly, it also means Leeds are missing out on transformative extra revenue.
Fans meanwhile have been promised an expansion by successive ownership regimes for years.
Andrea Radrizzani, who sold the club to 49ers Enterprises almost 18 months ago, once said Leeds would press ahead with redevelopment after three successive season in the Premier League.
The plans have since evolved with the change of ownership, with the 49ers favouring a phased expansion to take capacity at Elland Road to approximately 53,000.
Recently, the transfer of the ground back the club was confirmed in a Companies House filing, although that only confirmed what Leeds announced in July last year.
Incidentally, that came shortly after Red Bull’s minority investment.
Around the same time, the 49ers also named two new Leeds board members, Andrew Schwartzberg and Eugene Schneur, who have backgrounds in bricks-and-mortar infrastructure projects.
There have been false dawns before, of course. But it looks like the owners are serious, having appointed stadium architecture firm KSS to oversee the project.
As well as KSS – who worked on Qatar World Cup stadiums, the expansion of Anfield, and several Premier League clubs’ training bases – Leeds have hired engineers Buro Happold and a management team in RISE.
Leeds United’s Elland Road targets
In September last year, Leeds announced the following “key ambitions” for the expansion project:
- Modernise and improve stadium capacity from 37,645 to c.53,000 seats
- Significant increase to general admission seating, which at present would make Elland Road the seventh largest club stadium in the country
- A core architectural design objective is to maintain and enhance the unique atmosphere
- Phased approach to construction to minimise loss of seating capacity during the project
- Bring Elland Road in line with UEFA Category 4 status, to be amongst the elite in European stadia
- Expert team, combining global stadium experience with local specialist knowledge, assembled to deliver artist’s impressions and planning submission
We already have concrete details about several key stadium features – more on that later in this piece.
For now, in the latest news direct from CEO Angus Kinnear, Leeds have achieved one of their most important aims ahead of breaking ground at LS11.
Angus Kinnear hires ‘independent’ stadium expansion planner – but there is a clear 49ers link
Supporter Advisory Boards have next to no formal power but, since their mass inception was sparked by 2021’s failed European Super League coup, they have given fans a chance to liaise directly with clubs.
In December’s supporter Supporter Advisory Board meeting, for example, Leeds’ fan representatives had the chance to quiz Kinnear on the progress of the Elland Road plans.
In that meeting, Kinnear also revealed that the club have appointed North Carolina-based sports agency Elevate to conduct a feasibility study into redeveloping the stadium.
The CEO introduced Ben Allen, manager of Elevate’s insights division, to those in attendance.
The minutes of the meeting also show that Kinnear called Elevate “entirely independent”. That might be true in operational terms, but LUN can confirm that the 49ers themselves own a stake in the firm.
In news that may ring alarm bells for those concerned with protecting Elland Road’s identity – and, while unlikely, the chilling prospect of a ‘Red Bull Arena’ in West Yorkshire – Elevate are naming rights experts.
They have been working on a naming rights deal for Everton’s new stadium for several years and have played a key role in the commercialisation of San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium.
Elland Road expansion: How much will Leeds United earn?
Reports have suggested that the 49ers have set aside £200m for the rebuild, but what will be the return on investment?
In 2022-23, the last recorded financial year, Leeds earned £30m through the turnstiles.
That was a Premier League season, of course, but price rises and more matches mean the figure should be broadly similar in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
A crude pro-rata calculation based on that data, the current capacity and the planned expansion would suggest Leeds will earn £42m annually from a 53,000-seater stadium.
In reality, the true number would probably be far, far higher because of increased emphasis on lucrative premium seating and the various commercial opportunities a shiny new home ground would deliver.
Everton, for example, expect to more than double their matchday income when they move to their new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock despite the fact they are only increasing capacity by around 13,000.
For Leeds, who’ve endured their share of PSR anxieties of late, the increased income via this revenue stream would be seismic in terms of cash flow and Daniel Farke’s ability to compete for the best transfers.
- READ MORE: Leeds United target itching to leave current club as manager confirms offers for £78k-a-week star
UEFA Category 4: Confirmed details about Elland Road rebuild
If Leeds are to make good on their commitment to make Elland Road a UEFA Category 4 stadium, as outlined in September’s statement, they must meet the extensive criteria outlined in the graphic below.
UEFA does not list which stadiums in Europe are classified as Category 4, which is the highest rank in European football’s governing body’s terms.
Unconfirmed report elsewhere suggest Category 4 is an exclusive club with only a few dozen members. If a revamped Elland Road gets this status, Leeds would have license to stage football’s very biggest events.
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