Leeds United have plenty of work to do both behind the scenes and in terms of their playing squad ahead of 2025/26, having celebrated promotion and the league title in style this week.
Big things are in store for Leeds after Daniel Farke guided the club to Premier League promotion from the Championship in the 2024/25 season, but there are more aspects than just building out the squad now in mind for the 49ers.
With the transfer window open soon, the Leeds boss, Farke, has already called for ‘ambition’ from the 49ers and Leeds will have to significantly improve their squad in the summer transfer window if they hope to stay up.
But the other focus for the club in the near future is redeveloping Elland Road, making it one of the biggest in the country. Leeds have potential as a one-club city and a larger capacity could bring in far more revenue to consolidate and stabilise in the Premier League.
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Adam Pope explains Elland Road redevelopment situation
Premier League football means a massive increase in revenue and the 49ers plan to use some cash on reshaping Elland Road. That doesn’t just mean significantly expanding Elland Road’s capacity, but also redeveloping aspects of the stadium and surrounding areas to improve the matchday experience.
To achieve this, new tiers, a new roof, and new internal spaces are all planned for the West Stand, with some smaller sections of other stands set to be demolished and then replaced. Thus, the West Stand will be ‘similar in scale’ to the existing East Stand.
Plans for the North Stand are not yet finalised but a new tier is expected, while the South Stand won’t have much change yet, but the expansion will take Elland Road’s capacity from 37,792 to around 56,500.
As reported by The Athletic, this will see the West Stand expanded from 8,000 to 17,750 and the North Stand from 10,401 to 15,300. The Whites’ seven-phase plan for expanding the West and North Stands has been published this week, as put to the City Plans Panel on Thursday.
Adam Pope has provided further details of that since on Twitter/X, stating: “Council members have backed today’s pre-application paper for the development of ER. This isn’t final approval as work needs to be done by the club on the points raised before planning application is submitted on July 3rd.”
He expanded on that further with ‘concerns’ by adding: “Councillor Blackburn likes the idea of ER expansion but has concerns over traffic issues in neighbouring housing areas on matchday. Club say they are trying to change the way fans travel to ER via a “modal shift” to encourage less use of cars. Tram system mentioned.”
It appears there are still things to iron out before spades can be put in the ground, but those connected with Leeds are desperate for these plans to be finalised as soon as possible. The added wrinkle regarding the tram system is also pleasing to hear for those from Leeds.
A new tram system could revolutionise the city of Leeds and Leeds United
Leeds City Council has agreed to negotiate a sale of land immediately surrounding the stadium to the club, while there are also plans to regenerate the further surrounding areas as well.
According to a February report from the BBC, two-thirds of people support the idea of a tram network connecting Bradford and Leeds. That’s because 4,845 individuals and organisations responded in a consultation on plans for a new tram network in West Yorkshire and support the scheme.
They said: “According to the consultation report, respondents said improving connections with residential areas, reducing traffic congestion and providing quick journey times were the most important outcomes for a mass transit network in the region.”
It could be of huge benefit to Leeds United, as Elland Road would be one of the hubs around which it would be centred. That’s despite the fact no decisions have yet been taken on the route, but something between St James’s Hospital and Leeds city centre was supported most by respondents.
That would run via the First Direct Arena, Leeds Beckett University, Millennium Square, East Parade and Infirmary Street, before heading past City Square and Leeds Station towards Victoria Bridge. The most supported south Leeds route would run via Holbeck, Elland Road, and Beeston before finishing at the White Rose centre.
It would get home and away fans to the ground quicker from various parts of West Yorkshire, and is an absolute must alongside Elland Road’s redevelopment, potentially strengthening the city’s various industries and the economy of Leeds as a whole.
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