Leeds reclaim full ownership of Elland Road — The Athletic 10/7/24
By Nancy Froston
Leeds United have announced that ownership of Elland Road
has been transferred back to the club for the first time since 2004.
It remains an Asset of Community Value (ACV) and is once
again under the control of Leeds’, who have called it their home stadium since
1919.
The 37,000-seater ground was sold in 2004 during Leeds’
financial difficulties and has been owned by various companies since. It was
first bought by the British Virgin Islands-based Teak Trading Corporation
before being sold to Greenfield Investment Pte Ltd — a company controlled by
former Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani — for £20million ($25.6m) in 2017.
In December 2020, ownership of the stadium was transferred
to a new parent company, Elland Road Limited. Both that business and Leeds
United Football Club Limited passed into the ownership of 49ers Enterprises
when the current owners assumed control in July 2023.
The Elland Road Limited company was transferred to Leeds
United Football Club Limited in March 2024, making the club now full owners of
the stadium.
A number of internal and external improvements were made to
Elland Road in 2017 under Radrizzani’s ownership of Leeds, although further
development of the ground has long been a topic of discussion for fans.
“While this may seem like only a subtle change in corporate
structure, I know that our supporters will understand its broader significance
in signalling our ownership’s intent that Leeds United and Elland Road should
always be inextricably bound,” Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear said on
Wednesday.
Elland Road was granted status as an ACV by Leeds City
Council in 2017 and had its status renewed in 2023. It means that, among other
privileges, if the stadium and its surrounding land were ever put up for sale,
the community would have the right to bid for it.