Finance expert predicts £14m Leeds United boost amid Elland Road expansion | OneFootball

Leeds United have confirmed plans to expand Elland Road to a capacity of 53,000

Football finance expert Dan Plumley has suggested the completed Elland Road development could earn the club an additional £14 million per season.

The club announced in September plans to develop their home stadium, increasing their capacity to 53,000.

The current size can fit 37,645 supporters, meaning an increase of just shy of 16,000 new seats will be created in the expansion of the famous stadium.

It remains to be seen just how long it will take to complete the development, but the plans outline the 49ers Enterprises’ ambition to bring the Whites back to the biggest stages in English football.

Daniel Farke’s side are fighting for promotion to the Premier League this year, and the owners will be hoping top flight football is achieved by the time the Elland Road expansion is finished.

Elland Road development could net Leeds £14m per season

Plumley believes that the additional revenue generated through increasing the capacity of Elland Road could be worth as much as £14 million per year for Leeds.

While he has admitted that there are still some unknowns that make it an imperfect calculation, he has claimed an extra 15,000 or so seats being sold at £40 per ticket could earn the club more than £600,000 for each home game in a given campaign.

“There are some assumptions to be made here,” said Plumley, via MOT Leeds News.

“We are talking about all the seats being sold and we don’t know the parameters of what could be corporate hospitality or add-ons, etc.

“But if you look at the uplift in capacity, the redevelopment is going to up it by just over 15,000, 15,355 at full capacity and the average ticket price is around about £40.

“That’s going to generate Leeds an extra £615,000 per matchday, with some caveats as I’ve said.

“That would be over £14 million uplift in matchday revenue per season, assuming that it was a 46-game Championship campaign.

“The season prior to, the last set of figures that we’ve got for 2023, they generated £30 million in matchday income in total so it would add on a significant amount per matchday and obviously, that adds up.

“In the long-term, that’s a real positive and you get that bump season to season so you can see the long-term gain.“

Leeds United’s promotion pursuit

Leeds are currently fifth in the Championship table after the opening nine league games of the season.

The gap to leaders Sunderland is just three points, with the top nine in the division only separated by five points in these early stages.

The Whites narrowly missed out on an immediate top flight return last season, losing the play-off final to Southampton after coming third in the regular campaign.

Next up for Leeds is a clash against Sheffield United on 18 October in an 8pm kick-off.

Elland Road development is exciting step forward for Leeds

The expansion of Elland Road will be a great step forward for Leeds, especially if they can reach their ambitions of cementing themselves as a consistent presence in the Premier League.

A 53,000 capacity stadium is befitting of a side playing in the top division of English football, and this additional matchday revenue will be a particularly sweet bonus.

Expansion is likely to be costly, but this offset should help in making it a worthwhile expense, particularly in the long-run.

As long as the atmosphere that supporters pride themselves on won’t be diluted by the changes made, this is a decision by the owners that should have far more upside than any potential negatives associated with the cost.