Elland Road: Leeds United

Chris Heaton [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Since the club’s foundation in 1919, Leeds United have only ever played their home fixtures at one ground: Elland Road. The ground began its life as the host of sporting fixtures much earlier than the formation of Leeds United, however. Built in 1897 and opening the same year, it spent seven years as the home of Holbeck Rugby Club and was originally called The Old Peacock Ground, named after the pub that stood opposite to it.

Leeds United also weren’t the first football team to play games on the Elland Road pitch. Leeds City Football Club was the leading professional club in the city from 1904 until it dissolved due to financial difficulties in 1919, with United taking over from them as the city’s foremost side. The players of Leeds City were then auctioned off at the city’s Metropole Hotel though, interestingly, none of the players ever player for Leeds United.

Stats

Elland Road Photos

• View from the West Stand View from the West Stand
• Billy Bremner statue Billy Bremner statue
• Don Revie statue Don Revie statue
• The East Stand The East Stand
• Elland Road Elland Road
• View from stands View from stands
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Elland Road Seating Plan & Where to Sit

Unusually for a turn of the century ground Elland Road is not built in the ‘English Style’ of four distinct stands located at each side and end of the pitch. Rather it has something of the more ‘Bowl Style’ to its design, particularly with the lower tier of the stands that runs uninterrupted around the stadium. Here’s a look at each section of the ground:

• The North Stand - Better known by most as The Kop, The North Stand is where the Leeds United hardcore supporters tend to located themselves. It’s also called The Revie Stand in memory of Don Revie, the club’s most successful manager.
• The East Stand - This stand runs along the side of the pitch and has two tiers that are separated by a row of executive boxes. It can hold over 15,000 supporters.
• The South Stand - Modernised during the 2006-2007 season and also known as The Elland Road Stand because of its location by the street of the same name, this has two tiers which are separated by boxes.
• The West Stand - The West Stand is also known as The John Charles West Stand, named in the honour of the former player in 2004.

Leeds United Ticket Prices

Leeds have decided to put their tickets into categories labelled A and B. Which category the match you're hoping to see will fall into depends entirely on the opposition the club will be facing. You'll also pay less depending on your age and where in the ground you'd like to sit.

Here are the cheapest and most expensive ticket options for adults and concessions, separated according to the categories:

• A: £35 - £47 / £28 - £32
• B: £32 - £45 / £25 - £31

How To Get Leeds United Tickets

As is the case with most top clubs nowadays the official website is the best place to head to for Leeds United tickets. You can also buy your tickets from the club’s ticket office, located at Elland Road Stadium itself. If you’d rather then you can also buy them over the phone by calling the ticket office directly.

Where to Buy

Getting To Elland Road

Elland Road is a little outside of the city itself, but it’s still easy enough to get to. Here are the more common methods of transport you might consider using:

Train - The ground is about two miles from Leeds Railway Station; a station that is served by most major lines in the UK. The closest station to the stadium is actually Cottingley, though you will need to change at Leeds for a local service if you want to head here.

Bus - The R2 is a match day only shuttle bus service that runs from opposite the train station out to the ground. Alternatively bus numbers 51, 52 and 55 run from the city centre to Elland Road, though they are suspended an hour before and an hour after the match so make sure you get there with plenty of time to spare!

Car - From the North take the A1 to the M1 then get onto the A639. Take the M621 to Junction One and then get on the A6110 until you see the ground. From the South the M1 will take you straight to the M621, whilst from the East you want go on the A64 to the A1 then follow the directions from the North. Finally if you’re coming from the West you’ll go M62, M621 and A6110.

By Air - Leeds-Bradford Airport is only twelve miles or so from the ground, so that’s the best place to head if you’re coming from abroad. The Flying Tiger bus service will take you from there to the centre of Leeds.

Taxi - Getting a taxi from Leeds Railway Station to Elland Road should take less than ten minutes if the traffic’s favourable. It will cost you something in the region of £13, though do be aware that traffic in Leeds can be a nightmare around kick-off so if it takes longer you’ll pay more.

Parking Near Elland Road

On-street parking near to the ground is limited to residents only, but there are a number of car parks operated by Leeds City Council near to the ground, Fullerton being the closest.

• See Available Parking Near Elland Road

Useful Resources

Elland Road Hotels

Leeds is excellent for shopping, has a number of theatres as well as top-class sporting venues, so the city is used to welcoming people to stay for the night. As such you’ve got a host of hotels available to choose from, though here are some of our favourites:

Clayton Hotel Leeds - £60+

City Walk Sweet Street, Leeds, LS11 9AT

Just over a mile from Elland Road is the Clayton Hotel. Former a Bewleys, the Clayton has a fitness centre, a restaurant, meeting rooms and free Wi-Fi. There’s also self-parking, for those who want to drive. More details.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Leeds City Centre - £80+

Granary Wharf, 2 Wharf Approach, Leeds, LS1 4BR

With a rooftop terrace, a fitness centre and two bar areas, the DoubleTree in Leeds is the ideal place to head to for a relaxing night before a nerve-wracking match-watching day. More details.

Quebecs - £100+

9 Quebec Street, Leeds, LS1 2HA

About one and a half miles from the ground is Quebecs, one of the nicest hotels in Leeds. They offer a restaurant and lounge area, a conference space, free Wi-Fi and self-parking. More details.

Pubs & Bars Near Elland Road

Leeds has a number of cracking places to go and enjoy a drink or two before the match. The choices are so numerous, in fact, that we’ve picked out some of our favourites for you here:

Facilities

Various parts of Elland Road have been renovated and improved in recent times, most recently in the 2011-2012 season, so you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how good the facilities are at a stadium that was originally built in 1897. The concourses are pleasant enough, with places to grab a snack or a quick drink before kick-off and at half-time.

Prices

• Programme: 3.50
• Pie: 4.00
• Cup of tea: 2.20
• Beer: 5.00

Hospitality

Elland Road has excellent hospitality options befitting one of the finest locations in the city of Leeds. Here are a few of the many choices available:

• The Peter Lorimer Suite - Named after the club’s all-time record goalscorer, this suite offers a three-course menu, reserved table dining and padded seats in the upper tier of The East Stand.
• The Nineteen 19 Suite - Given a name that reflects the year the club was founded, time spent in this suite will see you enjoy a two-course carvery, dedicated waitress service and padded seats in The East Stand.
• The Gary Speed Suite - Named in honour of the Leeds United legend, this bright and modern suite will see you receive a one-course buffet-style meal, a pre-match preview by a former Leeds player, a private cash bar and padded seats in The East Stand.

Private Hire

Elland Road is one of the premier private hire venues in the West Riding of Yorkshire. With a huge number of executives boxes to use for smaller meetings, a host of larger suites available for conferences, banquets, parties or more and a dedicated staff that can attend to your every need, you won’t be disappointed with the service you receive should you choose to host an event at the home of Leeds United.

Stadium Tours & Museum

Unlike most clubs, Leeds actually allow fans to do tours of the stadium on a match day. You’ll get to see the changing rooms, the press area that the manager uses to speak to the papers after games, the hospitality sections and the tunnel down to the side of the pitch. You can also take a seat in the dug-out and imagine what it would be like to be a player getting ready for the match.

Tours are available sporadically and start at various times throughout the day, especially on match days. They last about an hour and a half and cost £15 if you’re an adult, £10 for concessions and £5 for Under-16s. You can get a 10% discount in the superstore at the end too. Tours need to be booked in advance so make sure you get in touch with the club before you want to go on one.

About Leeds United

Leeds came incredibly close to making themselves a permanent Premier League force during the late nineties and early noughties. Under the guidance firstly of former Arsenal manger George Graham, and then David O’Leary, they genuinely threatened the established elite and also gave the Champions League a really good go. Unfortunately the club was mismanaged financially and found itself in all sorts of trouble. When they failed to maintain their excellent record and then imploded, they were relegated from the top-flight and struggled to recover. It took them 16 years to get back into the top flight, but only 3 years to be relegated again.

They are a team built around former glories, having won the First Division three times and finished as runners-up on five more occasions. They’ve also won the Second Division three times, the FA Cup and League Cup once apiece and been runners-up in both the European Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup. They enjoyed their most successful spell under the management of Don Revie, with the period of time when Brian Clough took over as manager at the club famously documented in the book 'The Damned United', as well as a film of the same name.

Elland Road History

Elland Road is the twelfth largest football stadium in all of England and is also the second largest outside of the current Premier League. It has not only been used to host Leeds United games but also rugby matches for Holbeck Rugby Club and the Hunslet Hawks. Both Huddersfield Town and Bradford City have played matches at Elland Road, with the latter’s games taking place there in the aftermath of the Bradford City Stadium fire in 1985.

Elland Road has also been used to host non-Leeds matches, such as FA Cup semi-finals when they were held at a neutral venue rather than at Wembley. The stadium was one of the grounds used during England’s hosting of the 1996 European Championships. The ground has been renovated numerous times, keeping it as up-to-date as is possible for such an old venue. It hosted matches for the 2015 Rugby World Cup and has also been used to hold concerts for bands such as Queen, U2 and The Happy Mondays.

Future Developments

In 2001 Leeds were considered to be one of the strongest teams in the country and unveiled plans to move to a new, purpose-built stadium elsewhere in the city. Their financial implosion put the kibosh on that idea, with the redevelopment of Elland Road the more likely option in the future. The hope is that a hotel and casino will be added as well as improvements to the various stands in the ground to boost its capacity to 55,000. The plan was to start thinking about expansion after their 3rd year in the Premier League, but having been relegated in that 3rd year in 2023, the plan once again may be scuppered.