Radio 1 DJ reveals Leeds United star's cheeky request after Premier League promotion party
One of Leeds United's star men took the opportunity to make a cheeky request to a Radio 1 DJ during the city's unforgettable bus parade.
Leeds City Council believe there were at least 150,000 in the city on Monday May 5 to celebrate the Whites' Championship title and promotion back to the Premier League. Daniel Farke and his players were joined by coaching staff, backroom team members, directors and club employees as they made their way from Elland Road to City Square to begin a two-hour tour of the city centre. Fans clambered onto the sides of buildings and on top of bus shelters to gain any possible vantage point and the city was a sea of yellow, blue and white smoke for hours before and during the parade.
The man with the best view in the house was Danny Howard, who was invited by the club to DJ the party from the back of the first bus. A Leeds fan from Blackpool, the 37-year-old also DJ'd the players' after party when they returned from Plymouth after securing the title on May 3. Howard responded to requests from club captain Ethan Ampadu, who commandeered a microphone to conduct the party almost from start to finish, playing Marching on Together and other songs popularised by the Leeds fanbase. The audio and visual output from the bus was shown on big screens along the route so fans could follow the entire parade throughout.
Dan James’ cheeky request
Howard tweeted about his experience, joking: "I occasionally get asked the biggest crowd I’ve ever DJ’d too, can I say 150k now."
Speaking to the YEP for this week's Inside Elland Road newsletter, he revealed that Leeds winger Dan James turned to him with a special request midway through the tour of the city centre.
"It was surreal," he said. "Just DJing and having Dan James just sort of stood next to me having the time of his life. Halfway through - I don't think he'll remember it - but he's like 'will you DJ my wedding?' I mean, yeah! I haven't heard anything since. It was just a crazy experience.
"All my friends have been sending me the clips of it all. That's what's most surreal, actually, is the clips and just knowing that I was a part of it. The clips of Farke and Ampadu. It was just mental. I think Ampadu will become a legend now, the fans will love him even more for the way he was, because he's just a normal lad like the rest of us."
Ampadu and several of his team-mates flew to America last Thursday to extend the celebrations in Las Vegas. The skipper was joined by James, Largie Ramazani, Junior Firpo, Willy Gnonto, Mateo Joseph, Patrick Bamford, Sam Byram, Josuha Guilavogui, Alex Cairns, Isaac Schmidt, Karl Darlow and Jayden Bogle. Midfielder Ao Tanaka flew instead to Japan where he was special guest on a national broadcast of the J1 League fixture between his boyhood club Kawasaki Frontale and Kashima Antlers. Joel Piroe has also since arrived in Japan as he takes a break ahead of pre-season.