A timeline has been given for when the expansion and redevelopment of Elland Road could begin.
It’s been a great week for Leeds United, who secured promotion back to the Premier League on Monday and sparked wild celebrations throughout the city.
Though the news that Leeds are ‘considering’ sacking manager Daniel Farke did cast a shadow on the jubilation, owners 49ers Enterprises are at least moving swiftly on one crucial next step for the club’s future.
The beloved but old Elland Road has been crying out for a facelift for years now and the massive influx of cash the Premier League will bring has finally set those plans in motion.
Plans to expand Elland Road’s capacity from 37,645 to around 56,500 to make it one of the ‘biggest stadiums in the country’ were approved by Leeds City Council on Wednesday.
Leeds City Council’s executive board has just unanimously agreed the ambitious regeneration vision to make newly-promoted@LUFC‘s Elland Road stadium one of the biggest in the country.
— Leeds Council News (@LeedsCC_News) April 23, 2025
View Tweet
To make the expansion possible, the Council has agreed to negotiate the sale of council-owned land surrounding the stadium to the club, while a deal will also be negotiated to redevelop the wider area around Elland Road.
Journalist Berren Cross has revealed work could begin on the expansion as early as this coming Autumn.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
MORE LEEDS UNITED STORIES
Work could begin on the Elland Road redevelopment by Autumn
Speaking on The Athletic FC podcast on Tuesday, ahead of the agreement with the council being announced, Cross said: “As we speak, tomorrow there will be a meeting of the Leeds City Council where they will actually talk about the very early, preliminary agreements that Leeds and the Council have in terms of agreeing how they can collaborate on this and put it into writing.
“Ultimately, planning and applications are expected to go in, if not before the summer, then before the end of the summer and obviously spades will be in the ground shortly after that.
“So, obviously, several years until it’s finished but the Premier League, like for so many clubs, has been waiting as this checkpoint that they need to get through, then they can hit the green button on a lot of these plans.
“I would imagine they want spades in the ground, I’d say, before the Autumn, maybe.
“It depends on how much opposition they get from the local residents but I think everybody knows it needs to happen, the city knows it needs to happen, it’s going to totally improve the economy and it’s going to unleash the football club.
“It will happen sooner rather than later.”
A much-needed step for Leeds United
Elland Road is one of football’s most iconic stadiums and is integral to the identity of Leeds United.
The thought of knocking it down in favour of a soulless bowl is abhorrent to every single Whites supporter, especially when so many clubs have fallen to such a grizzly fate.
Yet, work does need doing to make the ground even better and when there is such fierce demand for tickets, why not cater to it?
Leeds are one of the few, if only, clubs in the Championship who sell out for every single match and actually have waiting lists for tickets. If more fans want to come, let’s make things even louder in the bear pit.
Redevelopment will be expensive, though, and it’s now more crucial than ever that Leeds actually stay in the top flight.