"The trouble is" — Finance expert reveals issue Leeds United may face in Elland Road expansion plans — Football League World 27/9/24

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By Declan Harte

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire expects short-term pain for Leeds United in their bid to increase Elland Road’s capacity.

The club confirmed plans earlier this week to expand the Whites’ home ground to around 53,000 seats. The stadium’s current capacity is 37,645, meaning this will be a significant increase on the existing infrastructure. If the expansion goes as expected then Elland Road will become the seventh biggest club stadium in England, only behind the likes of Old Trafford, Anfield and the Emirates. It is hoped that Leeds will have one of the finest modern stadiums in world football once the project is concluded in the coming years.

Kieran Maguire issues Leeds stadium warning

Maguire expects that there will be some short-term pain for Leeds during the process of building the expansion to their stadium.

He believes that there will need to be a reduced capacity during construction for one to two seasons, which will have an impact on the team, as well as their matchday revenue.

“If you want to be at the top table you’ve got to have at least a 50,000, and this appears to be the decision which has been made by 49ers investment and Red Bull that Elland Road, which is a fierce and ferocious stadium and it creates an absolutely cracking atmosphere, and credit Leeds United fans for doing that,” said Maguire, via The Price of Football podcast. “The trouble is more prawn sandwiches need to be sold. It’s all very well having the fans who make the noise pay but they’ve got limited budgets so it looks as if there is a plan to 50,000. Leeds United will sell that out, they’ve got a big waiting list in terms of tickets, there’s a positive feeling on the back of their promotion a few seasons ago now. That will involve some short-term pain, I suspect, if they’re going to have to make certain sections of the ground unavailable on a match-by-match basis for a year or two.”

Leeds will be hoping that they are a Premier League side by the time the expansion of Elland Road is completed.

However, no start date has yet been given for when work will begin on improving the stadium, so there is no concrete timeline for when it will be finished.

Daniel Farke’s side are aiming for a promotion battle this year, with the club looking to seek a return to the top flight at the second attempt. Leeds currently sit sixth in the Championship table after six games.

Some match-going supporters will be left out during this expansion, as parts of the stadium will need to be closed off while work is ongoing on it.

But increasing the capacity to 53,000 is a great sign of 49ers Enterprises’ ambition for the club, as that is a stadium size fit for a Premier League side.

The initial hit to their matchday revenue, as well as the total cost of construction, will be a hit to their accounts.

However, modernising and expanding Elland Road can allow for greater revenue in the long-run as well, so the long-term gain could be worth the short-term pain.

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