Leeds United’s pre-season campaign ended with a 1-1 draw against AC Milan, with six signings on display for Daniel Farke and the 49ers.
It meant an unbeaten pre-season campaign for Leeds United, with Sebastiaan Bornauw the only one missing through injury. Anton Stach scored the equaliser in Ireland’s Aviva Stadium against the European giants.
Leeds’ tour of Germany was bookended by that trip to Ireland on Saturday, as well as the first game of the summer with Man United playing Leeds in Sweden’s Strawberry Stadium.
Their next fixture is back at Elland Road against Everton in a week’s time for Sky Sports’ first Monday Night Football showing of the season. It will be a sell-out in West Yorkshire for their first Premier League game in over two years.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty ImagesThe 49ers trial larger capacity stadiums ahead of Leeds United’s Elland Road expansion
Elland Road is absolutely vital to the club’s success in the long-term, given the revenue it has the potential to generate on matchdays but also in hosting other major events for the city of Leeds.
Premier League football means a massive increase in revenue already but the 49ers plan to put plenty of that cash into redeveloping Elland Road into one of English football’s largest stadiums.
Leeds City Council has agreed to negotiate a sale of land, while the 49ers have already announced plans to take Elland Road’s capacity from 37,792 to closer to 56,000.
In reality, there should be no question of demand to sell that capacity out whilst Leeds are a Premier League outfit, but the 49ers sneakily did their own experiment this summer.
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It was partially done to test the demand aspect ahead of expansion, but also to see if the atmosphere suffered; it’s fair to say Leeds passed it with flying colours in Sweden and Ireland.
They have handled the demands, as shown above. Leeds have such a global fanbase that the smallest crowd of late was the one at Elland Road, which is surely why the Twitter/X account is hinting that they are ready for a larger home capacity.
At the Aviva, Leeds proved they can fill a 50,000+ seater stadium; it’s time for them to deliver that for Leeds to grow into a more established Premier League side once more.
Photo by Isabelle Field/Plymouth Argyle via Getty ImagesParaag Marathe’s atmosphere promise amid Elland Road expansion
Leeds’ redevelopment plans are mostly in place but a final decision on Elland Road is imminent in the coming weeks, with final details yet to be ironed out and potentially altered.
The Elland Road consultation process ended on Friday, meaning an announcement is surely imminent as to their finalised plans that have been sent off for approval.
Leeds chairman and 49ers Enterprises chief Paraag Marathe has vowed to try and preserve the raw atmosphere that the stadium has become known for, which explains the club’s decision to get Leeds fans into larger stadiums this summer.
Speaking earlier this year, via Leeds United’s website, he said: “The opportunity to refresh a century-old stadium, coupled with the legacy of Leeds United is unprecedented.
“Our plans reinforce our commitment to the long-term success of the club and I am excited that we are going to be able to welcome thousands more supporters to every game in a stadium that retains the unique atmosphere of Elland Road.
“We look forward to sharing our plans with supporters and the local community for their input.”