Leeds United's promotion to Premier League could be worth £3m to the city for every home game

Business experts in the city have been crunching figures and comparing the fortunes of similar clubs, such as Leicester City and Swansea, after they were promoted to the top flight in 2011.

Overall, the club’s promotion this weekend could be worth in the region of £78m for each year that Leeds are in the Premier League.

Leeds Business Improvement District (LeedsBID) say the knock on effect of the club’s success in returning to top flight football after a 16 year absence will be “phenomenal”.

Martin Dickson, head of marketing at LeedsBID, said Swansea in 2011 generated £58m across the year by being in the Premier League, so seven years on, the comparable figure is now at £78m.

If Leeds play around 25 home games at Elland Road throughout the course of the season, then that equates to £3.1m.

He added: “The Premier League as an entity brings about £3.3bn a year in tax, that gives you some sense of scale.

“That is a lot of money from 20 clubs and one of the most staggering facts is that they reckon 680,000 people come from abroad to watch Premier League games. Clubs like Leeds, both Manchester clubs and Liverpool - the big northern teams - get people coming from Ireland and Scandinavia, so even in our northern region there will be about 200,000 people a year.

“It is a staggering tourist trade. That has been drawn down to a general estimate per game for Leeds that we would be taking £3m for each home game through tickets, drinks, trains hotels.”

The Sky TV payment could create an extra £150m and during their 2016 Premier League winning campaign, Leicester City reported a 300 per cent increase in hospitality spend across the city for each home game.

Mr Dickson added: “The hotels, bars and restaurants are saying ‘this will be amazing, it is huge’. The other thing we are starting to look at is profile. Last time Leeds were in the Premier League most people (away fans) under 20 potentially will never have been to Leeds.

“They might come to Leeds and like it. That volume of UK tourism trade is just huge.”

After the death last week of Leeds United legend, Jack Charlton, and Norman Hunter a few weeks before that, as well as the disruption, distress and upheaval that coronavirus has caused the city and the country - the club’s promotion could not have come at a better time, he added.

“It gives people something to be hopeful about. In a sense, the success is not even being threatened by coronavirus. Covid did not beat us," he said.

“This will be a bigger story than Liverpool winning the Premier League. Leeds are historically a fantastic club. They have had the death of Jack Charlton on Saturday and Norman Hunter a few weeks back and I think the world is really keen to see Leeds United back in the Premier League.

“The timing could not be better given the hell we have been through - it is just phenomenal.”

The West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce said the Leeds United brand carried weight across the country.

Mark Goldstone, head of business representation and policy at the chamber, said: “The Leeds United brand carries such weight across the country with promotion to the premiership bringing both direct and indirect economic benefit to the city, both on match days and beyond.

“We have seen the impact major events have on the city, from the Tour de France Grand Depart through to the MOBOs; having Premiership Football back in the city once again will make a significant contribution and raise Leeds’s profile even further.

“I think it will also play a huge role in lifting spirits too as we start to recover from the last four months of lockdown. Looking forward to marching on together.”

----------------------------

A message from the Editor: Leeds has a fantastic story to tell - and the Yorkshire Evening Post has been rooted firmly at the heart of telling the stories of our city since 1890. We believe in ourselves and hope you believe in us too. We need your support to help ensure we can continue to be at the heart of life in Leeds.

Subscribe to our website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe. For more details on our newspaper subscription offers click here.

Thank you

Laura Collins