YEP Says: Elland Road is more than just a football stadium

Our exclusive interview with Angus Kinnear, the club’s managing director brought in by chairman Andrea Radrizzani earlier this year, shows a man with ambition for the club but with his feet firmly on the ground.

Whilst the fortunes of the club on the field will no doubt be a rollercoaster of nail-biting excitement and nerves this year, off the field Mr Kinnear will be working steadily to grow what the club does in and around the ground.

Elland Road is obviously a place of pride for Leeds fans, but its position in the city, right alongside the M621, makes it an extremely visible, and accessible, place to do business.

For years it has been said that Elland Road has potential, and he’s right that re-engaging a “disillusioned” fan base has to be a priority (this year’s ticket sales show that there has been a good stride forward there). Now he says, it’s time to take that strong foundation and work with Leeds and the business community to explore its wider potential.

The idea of the club being used as a “thriving asset to the community seven days a week” and for it to be a “catalyst enabler” for fast-growing technology businesses may not be as exciting as a 5-0 win but it should be roundly welcomed so that we can see something else growing around the ground other than weeds.