Leeds United grand plans may cause 'short-term pain', warns football finance expert

Leeds United’s plan to expand Elland Road may see them initially go through some ‘short-term pain’ financially, according to football finance export Kieran Maguire. They have formally announced their intention to increase the capacity of their stadium to 53,000 from 37,645.

The Whites want more bums on seats and believes making their ground bigger will boost their chances of long-term success in the future. The project will be costly though for their owners 49ers Enterprises.

Leeds’ plans have been assessed by Maguire, who has said on The Price of Football podcast: “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.

“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’ statement earlier this week read: “The revitalisation will focus on increasing capacity to the North and West Stands and will be delivered in phases to maintain as much seating as possible during construction. The club, along with owners 49ers Enterprises, have brought in specialist acoustic consultants to ensure Elland Road’s unique atmosphere is retained.

"Leeds United’s owners, 49ers Enterprises, have a wealth of experience having built the famous Levi’s Stadium, one of the premier sports and entertainment venues in the world, whilst members of the club’s board are renowned for overseeing successful major real estate projects across the globe."

If Elland Road’s capacity went up to 53,000, that would make it the biggest stadium in the Championship and the whole of the Football League. Sunderland’s Stadium of Light is currently the largest at 48,000.

Of course, by the time the work has been completed, the Whites will be hoping to be a Premier League football club. That would help sell tickets and bring in more revenue.

They are aiming to go up this term under Daniel Farke after they missed out in the play-off final in the last campaign after losing to Southampton at Wembley. They are currently sat in 6th place in the table and have only lost once so far in thier first six fixtures and that was to newly relegated Burnley.

Leeds are back in action this weekend with a home clash against Coventry City as they look to keep their form going. They won 2-0 away at Cardiff City last time out.