The 49ers have been promising to redevelop our beloved stadium ever since they started to invest in the club, and today they have finally published some further details of what it’s all going to involve.

The expansion of the stadium will help us to compete with the top clubs in English Football without breaching the dreaded Profit and Sustainability rules. Spending on stadium infrastructure can be excluded from the losses taken into account for PSR, but once it’s all finished the increased revenues will help us stay within the allowed limits.

Today’s statement doesn’t give us any timescale of when this is all going to happen, but the 49ers have previously said that it’s not dependent on getting back into the Premier League, presumably because they’ve seen that the demand for tickets is already there while we’re doing well in the Championship. The club’s official website said that the main aims are to:-

- Modernise and improve stadium capacity from 37,645 to c.53,000 seats

- A 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 [which it has to be to host games in the Champions League]

- [Create an] Expert team, combining global stadium experience with local specialist knowledge, assembled to deliver artist’s impressions and planning submission

Oh, and there is also something about greatly improved hospitality facilities, which is very important. The statement also notes that Elland Road in its current form has sold out for every match over the last six years (by which they presumably mean home fans for league games) and that the waiting list for season tickets now stands at 26,000.

The revitalisation will focus on increasing capacity to the North and West Stands and will be delivered in phases to maintain as much seating as possible during construction. And a local transport consultant has been commissioned to help plan access routes and manage traffic flows during construction and to minimise the disruption of it all.

The official site quoted Paraag Marathe as saying “We recognise how important Elland Road is to the Leeds United fans and the wider community. The opportunity to refresh a century-old stadium, coupled with the legacy of Leeds United, 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. We look forward to sharing our plans with supporters and the local community for their input.”

While Councillor James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council, said: “As council leader and a lifelong Leeds United fan I very much welcome this news for what it could mean for the club, its supporters, the local community and the city. This investment can also be a catalyst for wider regeneration plans of South Leeds, which represents an opportunity of national significance.”

He also promised that getting to Elland Road will be easier with the proposed mass transit route from the city centre, though he also mentioned the new White Rose rail station. If it ever gets finished the White Rose station will actually make it harder to get to Elland Road, as it will mean the closure of the existing Cottingley station, which is closer to the stadium. (The line doesn’t have sufficient capacity for trains to call at both stations).

But never mind. We’re assured that “Leeds United’s owners, 49ers Enterprises, have a wealth of experience having built the famous Levi’s Stadium, one of the premier sports and entertainment venues in the world, whilst members of the club’s board are renowned for overseeing successful major real estate projects across the globe”.

And that “The revitalisation of Elland Road Stadium will see 49ers Enterprises bring their expertise from the US, in overseeing a UK-based project team which includes stadium-specialist architects KSS, structural engineers Buro Happold and management team at RISE, whose leadership team managed the delivery of some of the most successful mixed-use projects in the UK”.

All of which is very exciting. We can finally look forward to the days when the desperate 1pm virtual queue for tickets will be a thing of the past, and yet we will still have a team that inspires us to keep coming to Elland Road in out tens of thousands.

Photo: Action Images

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