Leeds United are developing exciting plans to extend Elland Road following the club’s Premier League return.
The Whites ended a long absence from the top flight last year before consolidating their position among the elite with an impressive ninth place finish.
And as the Yorkshire club looks to build on their success, chief executive Angus Kinnear has announced plans to extend Elland Road.
The extension has already been given the green light by the city council, and according to Kinnear, the club is close to agreeing a deal with a land owner to allow work to begin on the West Stand.
Though, the work may not end there, with Kinnear revealing the vision of establishing a 60,000-seater redeveloped ground, adding around 22,000 to the current capacity.
He said, as cited in LeedsLive: “The West Stand would be the first stand that we develop because it’s the oldest and has the most upside potential.
“Those discussions are in place with the council. The deal on the land [behind the West Stand] will be announced very shortly. Plans are continuing to move forward.
“If you look at the revenues that the bigger clubs are generating, Spurs are generating £5m a game, that’s £100m across the course of the season.
“We’re just over £20m. So before you get into sponsorship, there’s really a significant gap in ticketing revenue. And there’s very few clubs in the country that could justify a 60,000 seat stadium, but Leeds United is one of them. And I know that’s part of Andrea Radrizzani’s vision and part of the 49ers’.”
Kinnear added: “I think when I joined the club four years ago, we didn’t open the upper tier of the East Stand because we didn’t have enough supporters to put in. And it was done as a cost-saving. And now we’re in a position where we could sell the ground out three times over.
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“I mean, the increase in interest has been absolutely phenomenal. And I know this creates some tension between the supporters who feel they’ve been more loyal or attended more regularly through some of the more challenging years, versus some of the newer supporters who are becoming either re-engaged in the club or supporting us for the first time.
“And so for the club, we’re trying to create a balance between rewarding the loyalty of the supporters who’ve stuck through this, because they’ve seen some challenging times, and the support has been phenomenal.
“But also we have a responsibility if we’re going to keep Leeds operating at the highest level, to engage new supporters and to grow the fan base, and to diversify the fan base, and to become more international.”