Leeds United announce 'unprecedented' move with major increase to Elland Road capacity

Leeds United person announced that enactment volition beryllium undertaken to rise the capableness astatine Elland Road to 53,000, successful a determination that volition spot the club's 105-year location handed UEFA's highest stadium rating

Leeds person announced plans to summation the capableness of Elland Road to 53,000 arsenic portion of a phased upgrade of the stadium.

The task volition spot the crushed expanded by much than 15,000 seats, with the enactment to beryllium carried retired implicit an extended play successful bid to bounds disruption to the stadium successful the meantime. Once the enactment is completed it volition bring the ground, which has been location to Leeds since 1919, up to UEFA Category Four presumption – the highest standing fixed by Europe’s governing body.

The expanded capableness volition marque it the seventh-largest nine crushed successful England.

Paraag Marathe, Leeds president and president of the club’s owners, 49ers Enterprises, said: “We recognise however important Elland Road is to the Leeds United fans and the wider community. The accidental to refresh a century-old stadium, coupled with the bequest of Leeds United, is unprecedented.

“Our plans reenforce our committedness to the semipermanent occurrence of the nine and I americium excited that we are going to beryllium capable to invited thousands much supporters to each game, successful a stadium that retains the unsocial ambiance of Elland Road.”

Leeds' stadium determination comes arsenic different nine acceptable to marque a large stadium determination successful the north, Everton, person seen The Friedkin Group scope statement to acquisition Farhad Moshiri’s bulk involvement successful the club.

The group, led by the American billionaire Dan Friedkin, had entered a play of exclusivity to negociate a imaginable acquisition successful June, earlier Everton successful July said that nary woody would beryllium struck betwixt the parties.

John Textor, who has a 45 per cent stock successful Crystal Palace, had past appeared to beryllium successful the frame, but a connection from Everton connected Monday read: “Blue Heaven Holdings and The Friedkin Group corroborate that they person reached statement implicit the presumption of the merchantability of Blue Heaven Holdings’ bulk involvement successful Everton Football Club.

“The transaction is taxable to regulatory approval, including from the Premier League, the Football Association, and the Financial Conduct Authority.”

A spokesperson for The Friedkin Group said: “We are pleased to person reached an statement to go custodians of this iconic shot club.

“We are focused connected securing the indispensable approvals to implicit the transaction. We look guardant to providing stableness to the club, and sharing our imaginativeness for its future, including the completion of the caller Everton Stadium astatine Bramley-Moore Dock.”

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