Inside Leeds’ new £150MILLION stadium with Elland Road to dwarf Stamford Bridge

Elland Road is one of English football’s most historic stadiums – the beating heart of Leeds United.

But with Premier League rivals boasting bigger, modern grounds – Leeds know they can’t afford to stand still.

Backed by their ambitious American owners, 49ers Enterprises, the club has unveiled a bold £150million redevelopment to transform their famous ground into a 53,000-seater fortress.

And in this video, with help from a former Leeds captain and passionate fans, SunSport takes a deep dive into the plans – from what’s being built and when, to the cost, the impact on supporters, and how it could restore Leeds United to the top table of English football.

#Leeds #LUFC #EllandRoad

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00:00 Intro
01:27 History of Elland Road
03:27 Why now?
05:37 Redevelopment plans
08:29 Project timescale
10:01 Cost
11:44 Is it worth it?
13:57 Future plans

#leedsunited #ellandroad #insidestadiums

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Music: Getty
Visual Assets: Getty, Alamy, Leeds United FC, Leeds City Council

[Music] Leads United have long been considered one of the biggest clubs in English football. But after spending just three of the last 20 years in the Premier League, for some that reputation has slowly faded away. But now with the whites back in the top flight, manager Daniel Farer at the helm and a new look ownership group pumping cash into the club, leads are ready to go toe-to-toe with the big boys once again and settle back into life at the top. Last season’s 100point championship tally proved they could be a force to be reckoned with on the pitch, but that’s not enough for the club’s American owners, who have unveiled exciting new plans to redevelop their iconic Ellen Road Stadium to ensure they can compete off the pitch, too. The project will seek to modernize the famous Old Ground to supercharge its famously fierce atmosphere by adding 15,000 seats to take the noise to a whole new level. So, in this video, SunSport breaks down the key facts and figures, details of the development, future plans, and most importantly of all, what fans really think. Leads to me means just the absolute world. It’s not just a club, it’s that stadium means everything to the city. A lot of people refer to it as church. It’s a pilgrimage on a Saturday to go and watch a Legionite game at Elmro. So to get the chance to play there, as I said, my first year wasn’t great, but then when you come into the team and you play every week, I ended up captain later down the line as well. So it meant a great deal. So what’s gone before? Ellen Road first opened in 1897 and remains one of English football’s most iconic stadiums. It’s been Leeds home since they were founded in 1919. And over the decades, it’s undergone six renovations and nine expansions. The first of those came all the way back in 1905 when Lead City FC were tenants and they spent £1,050 building a 5,000 capacity main stand. Down the years, further developments followed, including the Southeast corner in 1991, which is affectionately nicknamed the Cheese Wedge thanks to its distinctive yellow seats before the 17,000 seat two-tiered East Stand followed in 1993. Despite a record attendance of 57,892 back in March 1967 when they drew one all with Sunderland in an FA Cup fifth round replay, leads like most clubs were acquired to go allseater following the Taylor report in 1994 and that saw their capacity reduced to its current level of 37,645. That puts Leeds 12th in this season’s Premier League stadium rankings. But ask any leads fan and they will tell you that their club is far bigger than that. When you walk in the gates of Ellen Road, there’s an immediate feeling of tension. You know you’re in a big place and there is like a proper feeling of wow, here we go. When you’re walking down a tunnel, it’s like a wall of noise. You just realize you’re at a big club and and you’re part of something special. There’s this wonderful feeling of tradition. you walk in, the seats are a bit old and a bit rubbish. You know, the the whole grounds feels like it’s being put on a life support system, but that life support system, not to sound too cliched, is the fans and the football on the pitch. So, I think that’s a uniqueness that that Lead United have got and the fact that they’re not going to go to a new stadium, they’re just going to do a little bit extra to the the cauldron that is Ellen Road. So, why now? Well, Leed’s promotion to the Premier League has changed everything. Topflight status means huge TV and commercial revenues. And with their hugely ambitious new owners, 49ers Enterprises, leads have a real chance to cement their place at the top table of English football once again. The 49ers ownership group is led by Jed York, owner of NFL Giants the San Francisco 49ers, who recently completed a takeover of Scottish heavyweights Rangers as well. Since arriving, the 49ers group have made it abundantly clear that they want to take Leads to the next level and that a stadium upgrade is a huge part of that plan. Despite the turbulence of the last 25 years, Leadeds are still one of the biggest clubs in England, which is reflected in the fact they have more than 28,000 fans on their season ticket waiting list. And the club now wants to meet that demand, maximize revenue, and boost the already electric Ellen Road atmosphere by packing thousands of extra fans inside the ground. And don’t forget a final important factor. Leadeds now own Ellen Road again. Back in 2004, following relegation and financial crisis, the club was forced to sell the stadium in a lease back deal. But after 13 years of leasing it, they’ve now regained ownership and they’re finally in a position to invest. In the 25 years that I’ve been going, not an awful lot has changed. Structurally, nothing definitely has changed cuz it’s still the same bricks and mortar that it was in the 1990s. The biggest change that I’ve seen inside the stadium is probably the number of fans. Um I think maybe 18 19,000 fans turning up when I first signed. Slowly they started coming back. It’s still the same old ground that it always was and that’s something that’s so special to not just me but to lead fans and there is no feeling like it in the world. I’m kind of like the the average fan myself. You don’t want them to be lost along the way. You want them to be looked after because they’re the ones who were coming to watch coming to watch me on a Tuesday night at home to Barsley. Understand why clubs are doing it. I do. They’ve got to maximize revenue to try and get to that next level. But I think it’s important to look after probably as many fans as they can and not just the people who give the club the most money. So what are leads planning? In May this year, the club made a major announcement that they’re moving ahead with plans to redevelop and expand Ellen Road into a state-of-the-art 53,000 seater stadium. That’s a jump of 15,355 seats. That would make Ellen Road the sixth biggest stadium in England this season. That would leaprog the capacity of Everton’s new Bramley Moore.com and put Leads just behind the likes of Premier League giants Arsenal, Liverpool, and West Ham United. And the club say it will be a Premier League stadium for a Premier League club. A clear signal about where they believe they belong. And they’re even considering plans to add an extra 3,500 seats further down the line if phase 1 is a success. The initial redevelopment plans focus on revitalizing the west and north stands with possible changes to the south stand in future with architects KSS Group being the same team that led Liverpool’s redevelopment of Anfield. Plans show that the John Charles West stand, currently a single tiered stand, will be re-imagined as a three- tiered structure and become the biggest section of the stadium. Meanwhile, the Don Revy North Stand, or the COP as it’s affectionately known, will become a two-tiered stand with a significantly higher capacity. But Leadeds do not want to lose their trademark atmosphere in the process. So, they brought in acoustic consultants to help make the ground even louder than it already is. The design includes an overhanging canopy that will provide shelter and help trap in the deafening noises from the stands, making Ellen Road one of the worst places to play for visiting clubs. Club chairman Parag Marate echoed those sentiments when he talked of Leed’s desire to protect the magic and electricity that’s in Ellen Road, and he wants opposition players to absolutely hate playing there. The club are also keen to keep Ellen Road’s traditional look. So instead of swapping it for a sterile modern shell, initial concepts show a stonework exterior, giving the new ground an old school historic feel. Inside the club promises a more diverse range of spaces and experiences with improved concourses that will encourage early arrivals and longer stays on match days, thus boosting revenues. Overall, the plans look good. I think it’s a it’s good because some great cities have these stadiums outside of the cities and when you drive in like Villa Park for example, you drive into Birmingham and there is Villa Park and it’s like wow that’s a proper event. Ellen Road needs to have that and I think these plans give it that ability. I think the outside looks super and I really like the fact that they’re not just increasing the corporate areas but there’s going to be increased seats for the for the normal normal supporter. When Gary Neville talks about it on his podcast, we want him say, “Oh, we hated going to leads.” We want everyone say that on future podcasts. We hated going to leads. Good. Let’s keep it that way. So, how long will all of this take? Well, this is not going to be a rush job. Leadeds are not cutting any corners. Plus, they’re not moving stadiums either. So, while no fixed completion date has been given, the full project is expected to be finished by late 2030, giving the club just over 5 years to get it done. The redevelopment will also be phased with the westand expansion increasing capacity from 8,000 to 17,750 expected by 2028, while the Northstand will go from 10,41 to 15,300 with a 2030 target completion date for that one. With the team set to remain playing at Ellen Road during the construction, that does reduce disruption, but it does slow down the build. And there also likely to be periods of reduced capacity and limited access for fans throughout. But the club believe that that is a small price to pay. I think I’d be happy to keep up with a bit of disruption. Not too much cuz I think that’s one of the great trunk cards that leads have is the atmosphere. And if you say, “Oh, we’re just going to pause the atmosphere for a bit to build this new stadium.” Well, all of a sudden Leads aren’t going to be in a position where they need a new stadium. Whatever the the new owners at Lead United say, you’ve got to go with because they’ve delivered on everything that they’ve said they’re going to do. so far. So, it’s hard to go against it. There needs to be a we can get this done and we can take our time with it, but we also can’t get rid of what makes leads an incredible place to go. Listen, I think in life, no matter what you do, it’s not going to be good enough for for everyone. So, but like you say, it’s important to try and to try and touch as much of the fan base with this as you possibly can. So, how much will all of this cost? No official figure has been announced yet, but based on similar projects like Liverpool’s Anfield Road redevelopment and Fulham’s Riverside Stand project, the estimate sits somewhere between 100 and 150 million pounds. But fans understandably nervous about financial risks can take comfort in the 49ers approach as they’ve made it clear the investment will be spread over large installments using a mix of structured debt and their own equity. One of the biggest expenses will be buying land from the council that surrounds the stadium, which is essential for the club to expand outwards. Leadeds have already spent around 10 million quid on the planning phase alone, covering architectural designs, consultations, and securing permissions with at least £100 million more yet to come. There’s no denying it. This is a massive project and a major spend, but one that leadeds owners believe will pay them back time and time again. I think the cost of it is the going rate. If you want to have a top-notch facility, you’ve got to pay top prices. Tottenham paid a billion and a half quid for their stadium and they’ve got one of the best stadiums in the country. If leads want to make money, you’ve got to spend money and that’s the simple thing. I think for what the owners have done overall has been nothing short of incredible. They’ve at least seen what the club can be and could be. And I think it’s important that they do spend that money. And the fact that they’re willing to spend the money shows a they’ve got enough to back it up. B that they are, you know, willing to invest in our football club. The 49ers are serious. They know what they’re doing and I have every faith in them. And having met people in them high up positions in the club, I do trust that they’re going to follow through on the promises. So, will all of this be worth it? When any club invests this heavily, there needs to be a long-term upside. And for leads that comes down to revenue. Put simply, more bums on seats means more money in the bank. Leadeds reported a total match day revenue of 30.6 million during the 2324 season. And an increase in capacity is only going to boost that number further. In the simplest terms, you can increase that figure by 40%, the same percentage increase of the capacity. And that would see leads earn around 42.8 million per season once the work is complete. And that’s without including potential additional revenue from hospitality packages, commercial partnerships, and new match day experiences. However, the cash flow will not stop there as their plans stretch well beyond hosting football matches. Leads have also submitted plans to host eight non-OOBing events a year, boosting their income even more with the prospect of concerts, boxing fights, and other major sporting events in the offseason. The new Lllen Road will also qualify as a UEFA category 4 stadium, making it eligible to host major European matches and international fixtures, as well as cold hard cash, intangible factors such as boosted connection between fans and the club by allowing more season tickets. Further improvements in the atmosphere, and making the club and the city more attractive to tourists are also benefits that make the hefty investment well worth it in the club’s mind. By the looks of it, they’re future proofing, which I think is good. Number one, it gives you it gives you the option to sort of attract a better caliber of player, but also it gives you a chance then to get the players at a younger age because it’s it won’t just be well I’m going to Manu, I’m going to Man City, I’m going to Liverpool lead should be up there in terms of being able to get these younger kids. The fact that someone is willing to come and spend this amounts of money on us. The fact that they’re bringing in players who look like they know what they’re doing, you know, that’s pending. We don’t know whether that’s going to work out or not. When you upgrade the training ground and you go to a category one academy and all the rest of it, that’s the owners who are putting the money in to do that gives you a better chance to basically get the kids at a younger age. I think the fact that someone is willing to take this much of a risk, it’s really it can only be a good thing. So, what does the future hold? Leads are also exploring the possibility of improving their south stand after they were granted permission to increase Ellen Road to 56,500. While the current plan takes them up to just 53,000, the club is now consulting fans and local residents about going one step further. Lead City Council was also launched a public consultation on a huge 20-year regeneration project for the area around the stadium, including 2,000 new homes in Beaston, which they’re calling a once- in a generation opportunity of national significance. Leads United are also working with the council on improving local infrastructure with plans for a white rose rail station and major upgrades to lead station. And at the heart of it all is the new stadium. I think the future looks really positive. I think if they get it right, it can walk in and be like, “Oh, that wasn’t too bad. Yeah, let’s crack on.” The atmosphere, the passion, if they can put a product that matches that stadium on the pitch, which they’re well on the way to doing, then I think it’ll be a massive pull going forward. They’ll do it. Lees believe that by redeveloping Ellen Road, they’re not just rebuilding a ground, they’re rebuilding their status. They want to rub shoulders with the biggest clubs in England and Europe once again. And they believe this project is the key to getting them back to where they once so proudly sat in their heyday. [Applause]