Leeds United unveiled new plans to redevelop Elland Road last Monday (28 April) after gaining official support from the Leeds City Council’s Executive Board.
The club revealed new images of the proposed plans to redevelop its home stadium, which would see the total capacity increase from 37,645 to 56,500. If completed, this would make Elland Road the eighth largest football stadium in England by capacity.
The redevelopment will see the expansion of Elland Road’s West and North stands, alongside changes to the South Stand that will see general admission and hospitality areas improved.
Leeds United said a major reason behind the expansion of the West, North and South Stands is to meet the increasing demand from supporters for tickets, with 26,000 fans currently on the club season ticket waiting list.
After recently being promoted back to the Premier League after a two-year stint in the English Football League (EFL) Championship, Leeds United is anticipating more supporter demand for tickets next season.
To see the proposed redevelopment of Elland Road, click here.
Supporters of the Yorkshire football club will be able to attend public exhibitions regarding the redevelopment stadium plans from 22-23 May 2025 at the Centenary Pavilion at Elland Road.
The club first outlined plans to redevelop the stadium in September 2024 in a bid to modernise and improve the stadium’s facilities.
The proposals officially gained the backing of the Leeds City Council’s Executive Board last Monday after unanimously agreeing to the regeneration project. Councillors will now discuss a pre-application clearance for the club to proceed further on 8 May 2025.
Whilst promotion from the EFL Championship back to the Premier League was not guaranteed at the start of the 2024/25 season, the backing of its stadium redevelopment boosts Leeds United’s s ambitions to become a mainstay in the English top-flight.
Competing in the Premier League is a lucrative proposition for many aspiring lower league clubs, as its global appeal and highly valuable broadcast rights agreements enable clubs to earn vastly more amounts of revenue.
After securing promotion to the Premier League next season, Leeds United stand to make up to £200m in broadcast revenue over the next three years, even if the club were relegated back down to the EFL Championship at the end of next season.
The added revenue will almost certainly help fund the construction of the new West, North and South Stands at Elland Road, although the club did not disclose how much the redevelopment will cost.
Leeds United are not the only English club to announce plans for a stadium expansion. Aston Villa confirmed last week (23 April) that it will increase the capacity of Villa Park to 50,000 as part of its regeneration plans, all in a bid to help create its home stadium “world-class sports and entertainment venue”.
Football stadiums are typically owned by the football clubs themselves, therefore they receive additional revenue from hosting various events outside of football.
Tottenham Hotspur has arguably set the largest example of utilising its stadium as a core revenue driver, hosting various NFL regular season games and concerts, such as Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.
As football clubs continue to diversify their business practices to become more flexible when it comes to new streams of revenue, it may come as no surprise that Leeds United is focusing on long-term growth with the expansion of Elland Road to be potentially set-up to host future events outside of football.
