Estimated Leeds United matchday revenue increase revealed by Elland Road redevelopment plans
Leeds United stand to benefit financially from plans to modernise and expand the club's home stadium Elland Road, to the tune of tens of millions of pounds each year.
United outlined plans to raise Elland Road's capacity to roughly 53,000 earlier this week and will commit up to £10 million towards the planning and design phase of the operation.
Elland Road currently boasts a capacity of 37,645 which is among the largest in the Championship, however, the club and its supporters have made no secret their desire to return to the Premier League which is this season's ultimate goal under manager Daniel Farke.
Leeds intend to take the next step as a club on and off the pitch by securing promotion in 2024/25 and having plans approved by Leeds City Council that will allow works to begin.
While an additional 15,355 seats will allow more supporters than ever before to witness Leeds' home matches in the modern era, it will also help in reducing the 26,000-strong season ticket waiting list. Supporter benefits aside, Leeds will also bring in additional matchday revenue through ticketing sales, matchday merchandising, matchday sundry purchases and an improved corporate offering in the revamped West Stand.
Speaking to The Square Ball Podcast in 2021, Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear outlined the potential revenue United were missing out on due to the limitations of Elland Road's capacity.
“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."
Admittedly, Leeds do not plan to almost double Elland Road's current capacity to 60,000, but 53,000 is still not so far away from what Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium holds.
Kinnear's revelation that in the Premier League, Leeds' matchday revenue was a fifth of their divisional rivals, serves to illustrate the untapped financial potential of a club as well-supported as the Whites.
In Leeds' most recent set of accounts, matchday revenue for the 2022/23 season, in which Leeds were relegated from the Premier League, increased 22 per cent on the previous year to £30 million, up from £25 million in 2021/22. While this has steadily grown since Kinnear's comments in 2021, the club themselves attributed the increase to the 'unflinching commitment' of United's supporters, who sold out Elland Road most weeks despite the team's poor results, and is not always guaranteed if the team are not in the top flight.
Last season, with an additional four home matches, many of which were sell-outs, a play-off semi-final at Elland Road and frozen season ticket prices, matchday revenue is likely to be similar to the £30 million figure reported in 2022/23, but still some way short of Spurs and other teams with high-capacity grounds.
If Leeds go up, plans are approved and work begins on Elland Road, there is every reason to believe United would earn in excess of £30-35 million per season before redevelopment is completed given previous rises, supporters' commitment and a stadium-sized wait-list for season tickets.
Once the new 53,000 capacity is instituted, a full season at Elland Road could see the Whites bring in upwards of a conservatively-estimated £50 million in matchday revenue, at current prices.