Leeds United chief executive makes '70,000 tickets' claim amid Elland Road redevelopment comment - YEP 16/10/22
Leeds United chief executive Angus Kinnear has weighed in on the debate surrounding access to tickets and future plans to redevelop Elland Road
By Joe Donnohue
Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear believes United ‘could
have sold over 70,000 tickets’ for this afternoon’s fixture against Arsenal.
The Premier League tie pits two of the competition’s
best-supported clubs against each other for the first time this season,
provoking Kinnear to become the latest club figure to weigh in once more on the
topic of Elland Road’s redevelopment.
"The supporter correspondence over the early part of
the season has once again been dominated by frustrations over access to
tickets,” Kinnear begins in his pre-match programme notes.
"Since the start of our ascent to the Premier League we
have worked tirelessly with supporters to come up with a system that balances
rewarding loyalty while ensuring that all supporters have the opportunity to
see the team play live.
"However, for today’s match we could have sold over
70,000 tickets, so it is an unavoidable consequence that the majority of
supporters are disappointed. In the medium term, stadium redevelopment is the
ultimate solution. In the interim, Members who wish to maximise their chances
are advised to apply for as many matches as possible (not just the glamour
ties!) both in the initial sales period, the ballot, and then again on Ticket
Exchange – where significant numbers of tickets are available right up to
before the match.”
Elland Road’s expansion was a topic vice chairman and 49ers
Enterprises chief Paraag Marathe recently discussed in an interview with the
BBC, and remains a development opportunity the Leeds hierarchy are keen to
push.
