Elland Road
Encyclopedia
Elland Road is an all-seater
football stadium in Beeston
, Leeds
, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence
of Leeds United A.F.C.
since the club's foundation in 1919 and it was previously occupied by Leeds City.
The stadium is the 12th largest football stadium in England, and the second largest outside the Premier League (after Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium
).
The ground has hosted FA Cup semi-final matches as a neutral venue, and England international fixtures, having been selected as one of eight Euro 96 venues. Previously, Elland Road was home to Holbeck Rugby Club and although used primarily for football since the early 20th century, rugby league
returned when the ground was used by the Hunslet Hawks
for several seasons in the mid-1980s. The stadium has hosted concerts, including performances from rock bands Queen
, U2
, Happy Mondays
and the Kaiser Chiefs
.
Elland Road comprises four main stands – the Revie Stand, the East Stand, the South Stand and the John Charles Stand– which, together with the corners, bring the total capacity to 38,304. The record attendance of 57,892 was set on 15 March 1967 in an FA Cup 5th round replay
against Sunderland
. This was before the stadium became an all-seater venue as stipulated by the Taylor Report
and the modern record is 40,287 for a Premiership match against Newcastle United
on 22 December 2001.
beside the A643 road
to Elland
, was owned by Bentley's Brewery and was called the Old Peacock Ground, after the pub
which faced the land, hence the nickname the Peacocks associated with both Leeds City and United. The first occupants were Holbeck Rugby Club (rugby league
) who moved from Holbeck Recreation Ground after buying the Old Peacock Ground from Bentley's for £1,100. The club built a stand and the ground became widely known as Elland Road.
Football team, Leeds Woodville of the Leeds League shared the ground with Holbeck RLFC in the 1902–03 season, but Holbeck went under in 1904 after losing a play-off
against St Helens and the ground was put on the market. After a meeting at the Griffin Hotel in Boar Lane in August, a new club, Leeds City, was formed and it was agreed that the Elland Road ground would be rented
for the upcoming season. The lease was signed on 13 October 1904, for a rent of £75 per year. The club had an option to buy the ground for £5,000 in March 1905, but in November, the price was reduced to £4,500.
After City's first season in the Football League
, the club built a 5,000-seater covered stand on the west side at a cost of £1,050. Attendances were rising, culminating in over 22,500 people cramming into the stadium to watch a local derby
with Bradford City
on 30 December, bringing in £487 of gate receipts. An expansion programme continued and the club's directors ensured that the initial success was built upon, employing a "ground committee
" to oversee developments. In February 1906, 3,961 square yards of land on the Churwell and Gelderd Road side of the ground was bought from the Monk's Bridge Iron Company at a cost of £420. The committee built a 4,000-seater grandstand
which the Lord Mayor
, Joseph Hepworth
unveilled before a match against Chelsea
on 17 November. The project cost £3,000 and over half a mile of steel was used. There was a training track for the players that ran the length of the stand, dressing & officials rooms and a motor garage. Drainage
work was carried out on the pitch to prevent it from becoming waterlogged.
City experienced financial hardships jeopardising the club's future but after much uncertainty an offer of £1,000 and an annual rental of £250 was accepted for the ground. The ground was used during the Great War
as a venue for drill and shooting practice until the 1919–20 season commenced. City started that season brightly, but scandal arose involving illegal payments to players during the war years and the club was expelled from the Football League after only eight games. This led some local businessmen to contemplate digging up the clay
deposits under the pitch and turning Elland Road into a brickyard
. Yorkshire Amateurs became the tenants
, and that club played there for a brief spell saving the ground from development.
was covered with a wooden barrel
-shaped roof and came to be known as the Scratching Shed. Another stand was built on the east side terracing called the Lowfields. Behind the goal at the north end was a terrace known as the Spion Kop, or simply Kop from a hill in South Africa on which 322 British soldiers
lost their lives in the Battle of Spion Kop
, in January 1900, during the Boer War
.
No significant changes were made regarding the structure of Elland Road during the 1930s and 1940s, although it did see some large attendances. On 27 December 1932, 56,796 spectators attended for the visit of eventual champions
Arsenal
– a record that would last for almost 35 years. The last game of that season saw Leeds play Middlesbrough
at home in front of a 9,006 spectators. The stadium was chosen to host the all city of Leeds Rugby Football League Championship Final between Leeds
and Hunslet
in 1938, when a crowd of 54,112 saw Hunslet win the title. During the Second World War the ground was requisitioned by the War Office
for administrative purposes.
Floodlight
s were first used on 9 November 1953 for a match against Hibernian
when the £7,000 lights, claimed to be the most expensive in the country at the time, were switched on. The game attracted 31,500 spectators who saw two goals each from John Charles
and manager Raich Carter
as Leeds beat the Scottish side 4–1. It was the first of several Monday night games against teams from north of the border and in successive weeks, Dundee
and Falkirk
were the visitors to Elland Road.
During the early hours of Tuesday 18 September 1956, a fire gutted the West Stand and scorched large sections of the pitch. The blaze consumed the entire structure, including offices, kit, club records, physiotherapy equipment, dressing rooms, directors' rooms, the press box
and the generators
for the floodlighting system. The roof of the stand collapsed into the seating area before the fire brigade arrived and the total damage was estimated to be £100,000, but the club's insurance cover was inadequate. The players helped clear rubble and wreckage but the 2,500-seater stand could not be salvaged. After a board meeting, the directors decided to launch a public appeal to build a new stand with assistance from Leeds City Council
. The appeal raised £60,000 and a £180,000 West Stand was opened at the start of the following season.
The new stand had of 4,000 seats mounted behind a paddock, which could hold a 6,000 standing spectators. Two years later another fire started after a Central League
match against Preston North End
affecting the West Stand. Fortunately, Cyril Williamson, the club secretary, and several directors were on hand and the fire was extinguished and no significant damage was caused.
The 1960s saw the arrival of Don Revie
as manager and the club were promoted to the First Division
. The club finished in the top four places for the next ten seasons and Elland Road hosted its first televised game – a league fixture against Everton
on 20 March 1965 – and Leeds were 4–1 winners. Great advances were made on the stadium during Revie's reign and a new attendance record of 57,892 was set on 15 March 1967, in a fifth round replay of the FA Cup
against Sunderland
. In April 1968, the Spion Kop terracing was stripped away to make way for a new stand at a cost of £250,000. The roofed structure was built in less than six weeks and became known as the Gelderd End. When completed it left around 60 feet (18.3 m) of land behind the goal which was turfed and the pitch moved 30 feet (9.1 m) north.
Further improvements in 1970 included the coupling of the West Stand and the Kop with a £200,000 corner stand, the North-West corner. To complement the upgrade, an almost identical stand was built, linking the Lowfields stand and the Kop, which cost £200,000. In 1972, when the Leeds United Sports and Souvenir Shop opened, featuring a programme
collection. In 1974 Leeds won the league
for the second time and the Scratching Shed was dismantled and replaced by the South Stand at a cost of £500,000. This state of the art
development comprised a standing paddock capable of holding 4,000 fans, a row of 16 executive boxes, above which was an all-seater 3,500 capacity stand. Plans to link the South Stand with the Lowfields were curtailled when Leeds ran out of money. In the same year, the floodlights were replaced by the tallest floodlights in Europe, measuring 260 feet (79.2 m). Initially three floodlights were erected – two at either side of the Kop and another in the South-West corner – and the other was erected four years later.
for £2.5m, and the council granted the club a 125-year lease. Ambitious plans to improve the stadium and neighbouring sporting facilities were designed in 1987 by Newcastle upon Tyne
architects and promoted by developers Baltic Consortium and W.H. White. The estimated costs were between £50 million and £75 million to re-build the Lowfields with a 7,500 all-seater stand and construct a peripheral 2,000-seater sports stadium adjacent to the stand. Other plans included a shopping centre, ice rink
, cricket
hall, cinema, nightclub
, café, restaurant, waterpark, leisure centre
and shops. None of the designs were acted on.
In September 1991, the South-East corner was opened, joining the South and Lowfields Stands providing a full corner stand for away supporters. This section was used as the "family stand" until membership proved too big for its 1,710 capacity and a new home found in the East Stand. It is prominent because of its yellow seats, which have given its nickname, the "cheese wedge". A banquet
ing suite at the rear of the west stand, with a conference centre
, was opened in April 1992. The biggest renovation project to date began in 1992, when the Lowfields was replaced by a new East Stand – a 17,000-seater stand with two tiers and no restricted views. On completion in 1993, at a cost of £5.5m, it housed 25 executive boxes, 10,000 seats in the bottom tier, part of which formed the members-only family section, and a further 7,000 seats in the upper tier. The East Stand was then the biggest cantilever
stand in the world. In the close season of 1994 Elland Road became an all-seater stadium, with nearly 7,000 seats replacing the terracing in the Kop, as directed by the Taylor Report
. The new-look Kop was officially opened in October by the club's president, George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood
and Mrs E Revie, widow of the late Don Revie
. The Gelderd End was renamed the Don Revie Stand, in honour of the club's former manager.
On 16 November 1997 the third and deciding match of the Super League Test series
between Great Britain
and Australia was played at Elland Road before a crowd of 39,337.
In December 1997 £11.3 million plans to improve the West and South Stands were unveilledwhich would have raised capacity to around 45,000. A new structure mirroring the East Stand would have seated around 12,000 people. A three-tier structure would focus on hospitality
with a 15,000-seater indoor arena at the rear of the West Stand. This venue would have accommodated basketball, ice hockey
, pop concerts and other events. However, after naming an ice hockey team, the Leeds Lasers, to play at the arena, the project was shelved. Leeds received the ownership of Elland Road once again in 1998, when the new owners, Leeds Sporting Company agreed to pay £10m to buy back the stadium from Leeds City Council.
sent a letter to season ticket
holders and shareholders regarding the future of the club outlining two options, to improve Elland Road or to relocate. A ballot
form was included but the letter was biased in favour of relocation. Less than 13% voted to stay at Elland Road and 87.6% of the 18,500 who voted were in favour of the move. On 7 September 2001, Ridsdale announced his intention to move the club to a 50,000-seat stadium at Skelton
in time for the 2004–05 season. The plans never came to fruition as Ridsdale resigned in March 2003, leaving financial disarray and the PLC was soon to follow in March 2004.
Later that year, Elland Road was sold with a 25-year lease andre buy-back clause to raise funds to pay an instalment of a loan to Jack Petchey
. It emerged on 27 December 2006 that the stadium had been sold to the British Virgin Islands
-based Teak Trading Corporation 15 months before.
In summer 2006 the South Stand was updated and closed for the first few games of the 2006–07 season while work was completed. The refurbishment included boxing in the concrete columns and alcoves; overhaul of the kitchen concourse area, a mezzanine
-level office area, modernisation of the corporate facilities above and a restaurant, Billy's Bar, named after former club captain, Billy Bremner
.
Plans for development at Elland Road to include hotels, a shopping centre and health club
were featured in the programme for the match against Huddersfield Town on 8 December 2007. There would be hotels on the site of the shop. Possible adjacent developments could include an arena, casino
, police headquarters, cafés, bars and parking for 2,700 cars. These ideas were furthered on 27 October 2008 when the club released plans for redevelopment behind the East Stand containing a 350-room hotel, a covered arcade
containing shops, bars, and restaurants; extended and improved facilities for business conferences and events, a megastore, office block and nightclub
. On 6 November 2008 the city council announced it would not be building the proposed Leeds Arena
on council owned land adjacent to the ground.
On 16 December 2009 the host cities and stadia to be used if England won the right to host the 2018 World Cup were revealed. Leeds was chosen and had the bid have been successful the John Charles
and Don Revie
stands would have been rebuilt, leading to increased capacity of over 50,000.
On 28 December 2009 chairman Ken Bates spoke about plans to increase the capacity of the South Stand by 2–3,000. This would be achieved by removing the executive boxes and replacing them with seating.
In March 2011 the East Stand Upper was redeveloped with an extended concourse and 25 executive boxes. An arcade, hotel and megastore will be built as part of the five further phases.
The Revie Stand is situated at the north end of the ground. It was previously known as the Gelderd End or the Kop and was originally a standing terrace, It was renamed in 1994 in honour of the club's most successful manager and former player, Don Revie
. The Revie Stand was officially opened in October by the club's president, George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood
and Mrs E Revie, the widow of Don Revie. The design has 7,000 seats as stipulated by the Taylor Report
, making Elland Road an all-seater stadium. There is a "ground control box" situated in the north-west corner which is the most advanced in Europe. Videos and photographs taken of everyone entering the ground are monitored and security operations are synchronised. Images and video footage are obtained by the security cameras
located around the ground.
The East Stand is the most recent stand in the stadium. The two-tiered structure was built in the 1992–93 season to replace the Lowfields stand and was opened during the 1993–94 season at a cost of £5.5 million. On completion it was the largest cantilever
stand in the world, holding 10,000 spectators in the lower tier and a further 7,000 in the upper tier. The family area was moved from the South Stand and originally spanned the full lower tier, however this was altered by Ken Bates and there are now two sections, one at either end of the lower tier for club members and season ticket holders attending matches with juveniles. Sandwiched in between are 25 executive boxes and a large concourse with merchandise outlets, food shops, betting
booths and a restaurant. Due to the redevelopment the capcity of the East Stand was reduced and the words Leeds United AFC were taken off the seats.
The South Stand was built in 1974 at a cost of £500,000 to replace the Scratching Shed, which had been there since the 1920s. It comprises two small tiers intersected with a row of 32 executive boxes and an executive restaurant. There are a few seats in the South-West Corner, as and a big screen for the 2009–10 season. The South-East Corner seats 1,710 fans were used to house the away
fans until they were moved to the West Stand. In summer 2006 the stand was redeveloped and closed for the first few games of the 2006–07 season. The refurbishment included boxing in the concrete columns and alcoves to give the stand a more modern exterior; an overhall of the kitchen concourse area; a mezzanine
-level office area; a total modernisation of the corporate facilities above and a restaurant called Billy's Bar, named after former captain Billy Bremner. There is a statue in honour of Bremner at the south east corner of the stadium erected in 1998, after his death on 7 December 1997. The club's superstore is situated nearby.
The John Charles Stand is on the west side of the pitch and known as the West Stand until the fans demanded a tribute to former player, John Charles
, following his death on 21 February 2004. It is currently the oldest stand at Elland Road, having been built in 1957 after the previous stand burnt down. The corporate seats are located here and there is a commentary gantry and walkway for TV personnel. The radio and press have facilities in this stand. The West Stand houses the tunnel and the directors' box, where home and away team directors view the match, along with the club doctor. There are many suites incorporated within the stand and a banqueting suite and conference centre are attached to the rear, having been opened in April 1992. As of September 2011 parts of the West Stand and the South West corner became the new home for away fans following a £300.000 Refurbishment.
installed beneath the surface, consisting of 59 miles (95 km) of piping. This, together with a good drainage system, means that only heavy fog, a blizzard
, or flooding would force the club to cancel a match. There are wells
sunk approximately 70 feet (21.3 m) beneath the West Stand and the North Stand and a pumping system
is situated under the South Stand, meaning that the club can draw on its own supply of water, should the need arise. However, the first time the club used it, the pitch turned black as the water was too cold.
unveiled plans for the club to relocate to a 50,000-seat stadium in Skelton
. The following month, the club's 28,250 season ticket holders were asked to vote on the proposed relocation. 87.6% of them voted in favour of relocation, but the plans were abandoned within two years following the onset of the club's financial crisis and decline in fortunes on the field.
The city of Leeds, on behalf of the Leeds City Region, submitted an application to be a Host City for the 2018 World Cup at Wembley
on 26 November 2009. The club was represented by Peter Lorimer
. This bid was successful on 16 December 2009.
Due to the specific stadium requirements imposed by FIFA
, it is likely that the redevelopment of the Kop (North Stand) will become two-tiered to approximately the same height as the current East Stand whilst the West Stand will be completely rebuilt with an envisaged final capacity of 51,240.
The redevelopment of the East Stand for which Leeds already have planning permission will play a significant part in providing the facilities required by FIFA to stage matches in the World Cup.
Despite the England Football Association's unsuccessful bid to host the 2018 World Cup, the first phase of the east stand redevelopment plan began in May 2011.
semi-final
matches as a neutral venue on nine occasions, the first being a tie between Barnsley
and Everton
on 26 March 1910 and the last on 9 April 1995 in a game between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur
. The ground has hosted two England international fixtures. On 8 June 1995, England drew 3–3 with Sweden
. This was the first England home international played away from Wembley in 22 years, and the first time since 1946 that a new ground had hosted an England international game. The second game was a friendly
match against Italy
on 27 March 2002 while the new Wembley
was being built. When England were picked to host Euro 96, the most recent international tournament held in country, Elland Road was selected as one of the eight venues. It staged Group B of the qualifying rounds, which included Spain
, Romania
, France
and Bulgaria
.
Two of Leeds' West Yorkshire
rivals have also used Elland Road as their temporary "home". The first club to benefit from the facilities was Huddersfield Town, when a fire struck their ground on 3 April 1950. Leeds offered it's services and Huddersfield played the last two games of the 1949–50 season there before returning to Leeds Road the next season, following extensive work to revamp the burnt main stand. Bradford City
used Elland Road for three matches after 11 May 1985 when a fire consumed a stand at Valley Parade
during a match against Lincoln City
. Two months after the Bradford City stadium fire, the 1966 World Cup Final
teams from England and West Germany met in a rematch at Elland Road and raised £46,000 for the Fire Disaster Fund, with England winning the game 6–4.
When non-League
team, Farsley Celtic
, reached the first round of the FA Cup in 1974, the game was played at Elland Road. Farsley's opposition was Division Three side Tranmere Rovers
and a crowd of 10,337 saw the League club win 2–0.
Manchester United
manager Alex Ferguson
once said that Elland Road was "the most intimidating venue in Europe".
, a local rugby league club, shared the stadium in the mid-1980s after the ground at the greyhound
stadium in Parkside had been demolished. The 1982 Challenge Cup Final Replay between Widnes and Hull FC was played there. Rugby League was played at international level when a Great Britain
v New Zealand
test match
was staged on 9 November 1985. The stadium hosted the Tri-Nations
final in 2004, when a capacity crowd saw Australia beat Great Britain 44–4 and again in 2005, in a match where 26,534 people watched New Zealand beat Australia 24–0. The 2009 Rugby League Four Nations final between England and Australia was played there.
Leeds Rhinos
have played several matches at Elland Road. In the 1988 Yorkshire Cup
final they beat Castleford RLFC
33–12 and won the World Club Challenge
twice. On 4 February 2005, they beat Australian side Canterbury Bulldogs 39–32 in front of 37,028 spectators and on 29 February 2008, they were 11–4 winners over Melbourne Storm
in the 2008 World Club Challenge
in front of a crowd of 33,204. The ground played host to the 2009 World Club Challenge
, the third time in five years that the ground has held the game, on 1 March 2009. The Manly Sea Eagles won its first WCC title by defeating Leeds 28–20 in front of 32,569 spectators. The stadium hosted the World Club Challenge on 28 February 2010, when Leeds Rhinos lost to Melbourne Storm 10–18 in front of 27,697 fans.
, though the number and nature of matches to be hosted has not yet been finalised.
made a brief appearance at the ground when the Leeds Cougars, members of the British American Football League
, switched from their old ground at Bramley
to play at Elland Road in May 1986. The following year they had to relocate because improvements to the stadium were required. The ground hosted a Gaelic football
match between Dublin
and Mayo
, organised by the Yorkshire County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association
, in 1987.
There was a greyhound
stadium to the south-west of Elland Road which closed in 1982 and a speedway
track known as Fullerton Park, which operated between the two world war
s, attracted audiences in the range of 10,000 – 20,000 people.
Elland Road was to host a Twenty20
cricket
game on 31 July 2009. The game was to be competed between a Leeds United International XI and the Lashings World XI, however was cancelled when a suitable artificial pitch could not be found.
, which was centred around the 44-day reign of Brian Clough
(played by Michael Sheen
) at the club in 1974. Some shots of the 1974 Elland Road were shot at other locations to make the film look more in keeping with that era.
In December 2010, the stadium was used as a backdrop in an episode of the ITV drama series A Touch Of Frost, creating huge interest in the area with the local chamber of commerce suggesting a hotel could be built on the site to deal with the expected hoards of sightseers.
Elland Road was used as a substitute for the old Wembley Stadium
for scenes in the 2010 film The King's Speech, which was nominated for 12 Oscars, 3 of which were for its stars Colin Firth
, Geoffrey Rush
and Helena Bonham Carter
.
The ground has been used as a concert venue on a number of occasions, the first on 29 May 1982, when Queen
played in front of a packed audience as part of their Hot Space Tour
, supported by Heart
, Joan Jett And The Blackhearts and The Teardrop Explodes
. Another rock concert
took place on 1 July 1987 when Irish rock band U2
played to a packed house as part of the Joshua Tree Tour
, supported by World Party
, The Fall, The Mission
and The Pretenders
, Lead singer Bono
said during the gig of kids in Dublin City talking with stars in their eyes about Leeds United, "I didn't myself but, ... you know...". The alternative
band Happy Mondays
played a gig at the stadium on 1 June 1991, which was later released as a live album. Leeds-based band the Kaiser Chiefs
played a homecoming gig at the stadium on 24 May 2008, with support from The Enemy, Kate Nash
, Friendly Fires
and Young Knives. On Friday 3 June 2011 Rod Stewart
played a concert at the stadium. http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Rock-legend39s-Elland-Road-date.6710925.jp
held a three-day convention
at Elland Road stadium. Elland Road hosts the annual Jehovah's Witness conventions. http://footballgroundguide.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=21803
, although fans travelling will be more likely to arrive at Leeds Station, which is approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the stadium. This is around a 35-minute walk, but taxis and buses run from outside the station to the ground. Visitors travelling by car can park in the ground's nearby car parks or make use of limited space in surrounding streets. On match days there are special bus services direct to and from the stadium, usually departing from Sovereign Street near Leeds Station as well as regular local bus services.
Leeds City Council have raised plans for a railway station on the Wakefield Line
serving Elland Road but there are no time frames since capacity issues on the Wakefield Line and funding for a new station would need addressing.
& Premier League. In total, 1,944,365 people attended Elland Road for all the matches played by the club, giving an average figure of 10,234.
All-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most soccer and American football stadiums in the United States and Canada are all-seaters, as are most baseball...
football stadium in Beeston
Beeston, Leeds
Beeston is a suburb Leeds, West Yorkshire, England located about 2 miles south of the city centre. The area is separated from surrounding areas to the north, east and west by the M621 motorway....
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence
Home (sports)
In sports, home is a term referring to both the city and stadium, arena, or field where an athletic team plays games at their venue, whilst when the team plays elsewhere then they are considered the away team. The home term can refer to either the sponsoring institution or the place where it is...
of Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
since the club's foundation in 1919 and it was previously occupied by Leeds City.
The stadium is the 12th largest football stadium in England, and the second largest outside the Premier League (after Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
).
The ground has hosted FA Cup semi-final matches as a neutral venue, and England international fixtures, having been selected as one of eight Euro 96 venues. Previously, Elland Road was home to Holbeck Rugby Club and although used primarily for football since the early 20th century, rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
returned when the ground was used by the Hunslet Hawks
Hunslet Hawks
Hunslet Hawks is a professional rugby league club based in Hunslet, West Yorkshire, England. The club, sometimes known as 'the Parksiders' after their former stadium, are currently champions of Championship One.-History:-Early years:...
for several seasons in the mid-1980s. The stadium has hosted concerts, including performances from rock bands Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English alternative rock band from Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1980, the band's original line-up was Shaun Ryder on lead vocals, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan...
and the Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....
.
Elland Road comprises four main stands – the Revie Stand, the East Stand, the South Stand and the John Charles Stand– which, together with the corners, bring the total capacity to 38,304. The record attendance of 57,892 was set on 15 March 1967 in an FA Cup 5th round replay
Replay (sports)
In sports, a replay refers to a second game between two teams after the first game's results were either nullified or ended in a draw. A game may be nullified if the game's result is protested and the organizers ruled to replay the game...
against Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
. This was before the stadium became an all-seater venue as stipulated by the Taylor Report
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report, better known as the Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Taylor of Gosforth, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. An interim report was published in August 1989, and the final...
and the modern record is 40,287 for a Premiership match against Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
on 22 December 2001.
Early history
The site, at the foot of Beeston HillBeeston, Leeds
Beeston is a suburb Leeds, West Yorkshire, England located about 2 miles south of the city centre. The area is separated from surrounding areas to the north, east and west by the M621 motorway....
beside the A643 road
A643 road
The A643 is a main road in West Yorkshire, England.It starts at the Armley Gyratory and ends at junction 23 of the M62 Motorway and is approximately long....
to Elland
Elland
Elland is a market town in Calderdale, in the county of West Yorkshire, England, south of Halifax, by the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation. The area of Elland was called Elant in the Domesday Book...
, was owned by Bentley's Brewery and was called the Old Peacock Ground, after the pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
which faced the land, hence the nickname the Peacocks associated with both Leeds City and United. The first occupants were Holbeck Rugby Club (rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
) who moved from Holbeck Recreation Ground after buying the Old Peacock Ground from Bentley's for £1,100. The club built a stand and the ground became widely known as Elland Road.
Football team, Leeds Woodville of the Leeds League shared the ground with Holbeck RLFC in the 1902–03 season, but Holbeck went under in 1904 after losing a play-off
One-game playoff
A one-game playoff, sometimes known as a pennant playoff or play-in game, is a tiebreaker in certain sports—usually but not always professional—to determine which of two teams, tied in the final standings, will qualify for a post-season tournament...
against St Helens and the ground was put on the market. After a meeting at the Griffin Hotel in Boar Lane in August, a new club, Leeds City, was formed and it was agreed that the Elland Road ground would be rented
Renting
Renting is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for all property charges regularly incurred by the ownership from landowners...
for the upcoming season. The lease was signed on 13 October 1904, for a rent of £75 per year. The club had an option to buy the ground for £5,000 in March 1905, but in November, the price was reduced to £4,500.
After City's first season in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, the club built a 5,000-seater covered stand on the west side at a cost of £1,050. Attendances were rising, culminating in over 22,500 people cramming into the stadium to watch a local derby
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...
with Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
on 30 December, bringing in £487 of gate receipts. An expansion programme continued and the club's directors ensured that the initial success was built upon, employing a "ground committee
Committee
A committee is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly—which when organized so that action on committee requires a vote by all its entitled members, is called the "Committee of the Whole"...
" to oversee developments. In February 1906, 3,961 square yards of land on the Churwell and Gelderd Road side of the ground was bought from the Monk's Bridge Iron Company at a cost of £420. The committee built a 4,000-seater grandstand
Grandstand
A grandstand is a large and normally permanent structure for seating spectators, most often at a racetrack. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap all or most of the way...
which the Lord Mayor
Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.-Commonwealth of Nations:* In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong...
, Joseph Hepworth
Joseph Hepworth
Joseph Hepworth was a British Conservative Party politician.At the 1931 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for Bradford East, defeating the sitting Labour Party MP Fred Jowett...
unveilled before a match against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
on 17 November. The project cost £3,000 and over half a mile of steel was used. There was a training track for the players that ran the length of the stand, dressing & officials rooms and a motor garage. Drainage
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
work was carried out on the pitch to prevent it from becoming waterlogged.
City experienced financial hardships jeopardising the club's future but after much uncertainty an offer of £1,000 and an annual rental of £250 was accepted for the ground. The ground was used during the Great War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as a venue for drill and shooting practice until the 1919–20 season commenced. City started that season brightly, but scandal arose involving illegal payments to players during the war years and the club was expelled from the Football League after only eight games. This led some local businessmen to contemplate digging up the clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
deposits under the pitch and turning Elland Road into a brickyard
Brickyard
A brickyard is a place or yard where the earthen building material called bricks are made, fired, and stored, or sometimes sold or otherwise distributed from.-See also:...
. Yorkshire Amateurs became the tenants
Leasehold estate
A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord....
, and that club played there for a brief spell saving the ground from development.
1920–1974
During the 1920s, the South Stand terraceTerrace (stadium)
A terrace or terracing in sporting terms refers to the traditional standing area of a sports stadium, particularly in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
was covered with a wooden barrel
Barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a...
-shaped roof and came to be known as the Scratching Shed. Another stand was built on the east side terracing called the Lowfields. Behind the goal at the north end was a terrace known as the Spion Kop, or simply Kop from a hill in South Africa on which 322 British soldiers
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
lost their lives in the Battle of Spion Kop
Battle of Spion Kop
The Battle of Spion Kop was fought about west-south-west of Ladysmith on the hilltop of Spioenkop along the Tugela River, Natal in South Africa from 23–24 January 1900...
, in January 1900, during the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
.
No significant changes were made regarding the structure of Elland Road during the 1930s and 1940s, although it did see some large attendances. On 27 December 1932, 56,796 spectators attended for the visit of eventual champions
English football champions
The English football champions are the winners of the highest league in English football, which is currently the Premier League. Teams in bold are those who won the double of League Championship and FA Cup, or the European Double of League Championship and European Cup in that season.Following the...
Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
– a record that would last for almost 35 years. The last game of that season saw Leeds play Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
at home in front of a 9,006 spectators. The stadium was chosen to host the all city of Leeds Rugby Football League Championship Final between Leeds
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
and Hunslet
Hunslet Hawks
Hunslet Hawks is a professional rugby league club based in Hunslet, West Yorkshire, England. The club, sometimes known as 'the Parksiders' after their former stadium, are currently champions of Championship One.-History:-Early years:...
in 1938, when a crowd of 54,112 saw Hunslet win the title. During the Second World War the ground was requisitioned by the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
for administrative purposes.
Floodlight
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
s were first used on 9 November 1953 for a match against Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
when the £7,000 lights, claimed to be the most expensive in the country at the time, were switched on. The game attracted 31,500 spectators who saw two goals each from John Charles
John Charles
William John Charles, CBE , commonly known as John Charles, was a Welsh international footballer best remembered for spells with Leeds United and Juventus. Rated by many as the greatest all-round footballer ever to come from Wales, he was equally adept at centre-forward or centre-back...
and manager Raich Carter
Raich Carter
Horatio Stratton "Raich" Carter was one of the greatest English footballers of the pre-war era...
as Leeds beat the Scottish side 4–1. It was the first of several Monday night games against teams from north of the border and in successive weeks, Dundee
Dundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
and Falkirk
Falkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
were the visitors to Elland Road.
During the early hours of Tuesday 18 September 1956, a fire gutted the West Stand and scorched large sections of the pitch. The blaze consumed the entire structure, including offices, kit, club records, physiotherapy equipment, dressing rooms, directors' rooms, the press box
Press box
The press box is a special section of a sports stadium or arena that is set up for the media to report about a given event. It is typically located in the section of the stadium holding the luxury box. In general, newspaper writers sit in this box and write about the on-field event as it unfolds...
and the generators
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
for the floodlighting system. The roof of the stand collapsed into the seating area before the fire brigade arrived and the total damage was estimated to be £100,000, but the club's insurance cover was inadequate. The players helped clear rubble and wreckage but the 2,500-seater stand could not be salvaged. After a board meeting, the directors decided to launch a public appeal to build a new stand with assistance from Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
. The appeal raised £60,000 and a £180,000 West Stand was opened at the start of the following season.
The new stand had of 4,000 seats mounted behind a paddock, which could hold a 6,000 standing spectators. Two years later another fire started after a Central League
Central League (football)
The Central League , is a football league in England for reserve teams primarily of Football League clubs in the Midlands and North of England....
match against Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
affecting the West Stand. Fortunately, Cyril Williamson, the club secretary, and several directors were on hand and the fire was extinguished and no significant damage was caused.
The 1960s saw the arrival of Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
as manager and the club were promoted to the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
. The club finished in the top four places for the next ten seasons and Elland Road hosted its first televised game – a league fixture against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
on 20 March 1965 – and Leeds were 4–1 winners. Great advances were made on the stadium during Revie's reign and a new attendance record of 57,892 was set on 15 March 1967, in a fifth round replay of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
against Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
. In April 1968, the Spion Kop terracing was stripped away to make way for a new stand at a cost of £250,000. The roofed structure was built in less than six weeks and became known as the Gelderd End. When completed it left around 60 feet (18.3 m) of land behind the goal which was turfed and the pitch moved 30 feet (9.1 m) north.
Further improvements in 1970 included the coupling of the West Stand and the Kop with a £200,000 corner stand, the North-West corner. To complement the upgrade, an almost identical stand was built, linking the Lowfields stand and the Kop, which cost £200,000. In 1972, when the Leeds United Sports and Souvenir Shop opened, featuring a programme
Event programme
A programme or program is a booklet available for patrons attending a live event such as theatre performances, fêtes, sports events, etc. It is a printed leaflet outlining the parts of the event scheduled to take place, principal performers and background information. In the case of theatrical...
collection. In 1974 Leeds won the league
English football champions
The English football champions are the winners of the highest league in English football, which is currently the Premier League. Teams in bold are those who won the double of League Championship and FA Cup, or the European Double of League Championship and European Cup in that season.Following the...
for the second time and the Scratching Shed was dismantled and replaced by the South Stand at a cost of £500,000. This state of the art
State of the art
The state of the art is the highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time. It also refers to the level of development reached at any particular time as a result of the latest methodologies employed.- Origin :The earliest use of the term...
development comprised a standing paddock capable of holding 4,000 fans, a row of 16 executive boxes, above which was an all-seater 3,500 capacity stand. Plans to link the South Stand with the Lowfields were curtailled when Leeds ran out of money. In the same year, the floodlights were replaced by the tallest floodlights in Europe, measuring 260 feet (79.2 m). Initially three floodlights were erected – two at either side of the Kop and another in the South-West corner – and the other was erected four years later.
1982–2000
The first match televised live was the rugby league Challenge Cup final replay between Hull FC & Widnes played on 19 May 1982. In summer 1982 Leeds sold Elland Road to Leeds City CouncilLeeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
for £2.5m, and the council granted the club a 125-year lease. Ambitious plans to improve the stadium and neighbouring sporting facilities were designed in 1987 by Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
architects and promoted by developers Baltic Consortium and W.H. White. The estimated costs were between £50 million and £75 million to re-build the Lowfields with a 7,500 all-seater stand and construct a peripheral 2,000-seater sports stadium adjacent to the stand. Other plans included a shopping centre, ice rink
Ice rink
An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
hall, cinema, nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
, café, restaurant, waterpark, leisure centre
Leisure centre
A leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
and shops. None of the designs were acted on.
In September 1991, the South-East corner was opened, joining the South and Lowfields Stands providing a full corner stand for away supporters. This section was used as the "family stand" until membership proved too big for its 1,710 capacity and a new home found in the East Stand. It is prominent because of its yellow seats, which have given its nickname, the "cheese wedge". A banquet
Banquet
A banquet is a large meal or feast, complete with main courses and desserts. It usually serves a purpose such as a charitable gathering, a ceremony, or a celebration, and is often preceded or followed by speeches in honour of someone....
ing suite at the rear of the west stand, with a conference centre
Conference hall
A conference hall or conference room is a room provided for singular events such as business conferences and meetings. It is commonly found at large hotels and convention centers though many other establishments, including even hospitals, have one. Sometimes other rooms are modified for large...
, was opened in April 1992. The biggest renovation project to date began in 1992, when the Lowfields was replaced by a new East Stand – a 17,000-seater stand with two tiers and no restricted views. On completion in 1993, at a cost of £5.5m, it housed 25 executive boxes, 10,000 seats in the bottom tier, part of which formed the members-only family section, and a further 7,000 seats in the upper tier. The East Stand was then the biggest cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
stand in the world. In the close season of 1994 Elland Road became an all-seater stadium, with nearly 7,000 seats replacing the terracing in the Kop, as directed by the Taylor Report
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report, better known as the Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Taylor of Gosforth, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. An interim report was published in August 1989, and the final...
. The new-look Kop was officially opened in October by the club's president, George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood
George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood
George Henry Hubert Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, KBE AM , styled The Hon. George Lascelles before 1929 and Viscount Lascelles between 1929 and 1947, was the elder son of the 6th Earl of Harewood , and Princess Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and...
and Mrs E Revie, widow of the late Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
. The Gelderd End was renamed the Don Revie Stand, in honour of the club's former manager.
On 16 November 1997 the third and deciding match of the Super League Test series
Super League Test series
The Super League Test series was a three-Test match series between the Great Britain national rugby league team and Super League's Australian national team held during November 1997 in England...
between Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
and Australia was played at Elland Road before a crowd of 39,337.
Hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between guest and host, or the act or practice of being hospitable. Specifically, this includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, resorts, membership clubs, conventions, attractions, special events, and other services for travelers...
with a 15,000-seater indoor arena at the rear of the West Stand. This venue would have accommodated basketball, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, pop concerts and other events. However, after naming an ice hockey team, the Leeds Lasers, to play at the arena, the project was shelved. Leeds received the ownership of Elland Road once again in 1998, when the new owners, Leeds Sporting Company agreed to pay £10m to buy back the stadium from Leeds City Council.
Modern redevelopment plans
On 16 August 2001 chairman Peter RidsdalePeter Ridsdale
Peter Ridsdale is an English businessman who is currently the Chairman of Football Operations at League Two club Plymouth Argyle. Ridsdale was previously the chairman of Leeds United, Barnsley and Cardiff City.-History:...
sent a letter to season ticket
Season ticket
A season ticket is a ticket that grants privileges over a defined period of time.-Sport:In sport, a season ticket grants the holder access to all regular-season home games for one season without additional charges. The ticket usually offers a discounted price over purchasing a ticket for each of...
holders and shareholders regarding the future of the club outlining two options, to improve Elland Road or to relocate. A ballot
Ballot
A ballot is a device used to record choices made by voters. Each voter uses one ballot, and ballots are not shared. In the simplest elections, a ballot may be a simple scrap of paper on which each voter writes in the name of a candidate, but governmental elections use pre-printed to protect the...
form was included but the letter was biased in favour of relocation. Less than 13% voted to stay at Elland Road and 87.6% of the 18,500 who voted were in favour of the move. On 7 September 2001, Ridsdale announced his intention to move the club to a 50,000-seat stadium at Skelton
Skelton
-Places:United Kingdom*Skelton, Cumbria, England, location of the Skelton transmitter site*Skelton, East Riding of Yorkshire, England*Skelton, North Yorkshire, England*Skelton-on-Ure, North Yorkshire, England*Skelton, York, England...
in time for the 2004–05 season. The plans never came to fruition as Ridsdale resigned in March 2003, leaving financial disarray and the PLC was soon to follow in March 2004.
Later that year, Elland Road was sold with a 25-year lease andre buy-back clause to raise funds to pay an instalment of a loan to Jack Petchey
Jack Petchey
Jack Petchey CBE is a businessman, now involved in many charitable enterprises. He was born and brought up in the East End of London. During the second world war, he served in the Royal Navy, and used his Navy discharge pay to start a car hire and car sales business. This grew into a business...
. It emerged on 27 December 2006 that the stadium had been sold to the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
-based Teak Trading Corporation 15 months before.
In summer 2006 the South Stand was updated and closed for the first few games of the 2006–07 season while work was completed. The refurbishment included boxing in the concrete columns and alcoves; overhaul of the kitchen concourse area, a mezzanine
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
-level office area, modernisation of the corporate facilities above and a restaurant, Billy's Bar, named after former club captain, Billy Bremner
Billy Bremner
William John "Billy" Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road...
.
Plans for development at Elland Road to include hotels, a shopping centre and health club
Health club
A health club is a place which houses exercise equipment for the purpose of physical exercise.-Main workout area:...
were featured in the programme for the match against Huddersfield Town on 8 December 2007. There would be hotels on the site of the shop. Possible adjacent developments could include an arena, casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
, police headquarters, cafés, bars and parking for 2,700 cars. These ideas were furthered on 27 October 2008 when the club released plans for redevelopment behind the East Stand containing a 350-room hotel, a covered arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
containing shops, bars, and restaurants; extended and improved facilities for business conferences and events, a megastore, office block and nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
. On 6 November 2008 the city council announced it would not be building the proposed Leeds Arena
Leeds Arena
Leeds Arena is the name of an under-construction arena in the city centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire. The Leeds Arena will be a 13,500 capacity entertainment focussed arena, and will be the first in the United Kingdom to have a fan-shaped orientation....
on council owned land adjacent to the ground.
On 16 December 2009 the host cities and stadia to be used if England won the right to host the 2018 World Cup were revealed. Leeds was chosen and had the bid have been successful the John Charles
John Charles
William John Charles, CBE , commonly known as John Charles, was a Welsh international footballer best remembered for spells with Leeds United and Juventus. Rated by many as the greatest all-round footballer ever to come from Wales, he was equally adept at centre-forward or centre-back...
and Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
stands would have been rebuilt, leading to increased capacity of over 50,000.
On 28 December 2009 chairman Ken Bates spoke about plans to increase the capacity of the South Stand by 2–3,000. This would be achieved by removing the executive boxes and replacing them with seating.
In March 2011 the East Stand Upper was redeveloped with an extended concourse and 25 executive boxes. An arcade, hotel and megastore will be built as part of the five further phases.
Revie Stand
Capacity: 7,000 (including North-East & North-West corners)The Revie Stand is situated at the north end of the ground. It was previously known as the Gelderd End or the Kop and was originally a standing terrace, It was renamed in 1994 in honour of the club's most successful manager and former player, Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
. The Revie Stand was officially opened in October by the club's president, George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood
George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood
George Henry Hubert Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, KBE AM , styled The Hon. George Lascelles before 1929 and Viscount Lascelles between 1929 and 1947, was the elder son of the 6th Earl of Harewood , and Princess Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and...
and Mrs E Revie, the widow of Don Revie. The design has 7,000 seats as stipulated by the Taylor Report
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report, better known as the Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Taylor of Gosforth, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. An interim report was published in August 1989, and the final...
, making Elland Road an all-seater stadium. There is a "ground control box" situated in the north-west corner which is the most advanced in Europe. Videos and photographs taken of everyone entering the ground are monitored and security operations are synchronised. Images and video footage are obtained by the security cameras
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
located around the ground.
East Stand
Capacity: 15,100The East Stand is the most recent stand in the stadium. The two-tiered structure was built in the 1992–93 season to replace the Lowfields stand and was opened during the 1993–94 season at a cost of £5.5 million. On completion it was the largest cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
stand in the world, holding 10,000 spectators in the lower tier and a further 7,000 in the upper tier. The family area was moved from the South Stand and originally spanned the full lower tier, however this was altered by Ken Bates and there are now two sections, one at either end of the lower tier for club members and season ticket holders attending matches with juveniles. Sandwiched in between are 25 executive boxes and a large concourse with merchandise outlets, food shops, betting
Sports betting
Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome.-United States of America:Aside from simple wagers such as betting a friend that one's favorite baseball team will win its division or buying a football "square" for the Super Bowl, sports betting is...
booths and a restaurant. Due to the redevelopment the capcity of the East Stand was reduced and the words Leeds United AFC were taken off the seats.
South Stand
Capacity: 5,000 (including South-East & South-West corners)The South Stand was built in 1974 at a cost of £500,000 to replace the Scratching Shed, which had been there since the 1920s. It comprises two small tiers intersected with a row of 32 executive boxes and an executive restaurant. There are a few seats in the South-West Corner, as and a big screen for the 2009–10 season. The South-East Corner seats 1,710 fans were used to house the away
Road (sports)
Road game , more commonly known as an away game, is a reference to all cities and stadia/arenas/fields/venues where an athletic team plays games for which it is not the host. Most professional teams represent cities or towns and amateur sports teams often represent academic institutions...
fans until they were moved to the West Stand. In summer 2006 the stand was redeveloped and closed for the first few games of the 2006–07 season. The refurbishment included boxing in the concrete columns and alcoves to give the stand a more modern exterior; an overhall of the kitchen concourse area; a mezzanine
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
-level office area; a total modernisation of the corporate facilities above and a restaurant called Billy's Bar, named after former captain Billy Bremner. There is a statue in honour of Bremner at the south east corner of the stadium erected in 1998, after his death on 7 December 1997. The club's superstore is situated nearby.
John Charles Stand
Capacity: 11,000The John Charles Stand is on the west side of the pitch and known as the West Stand until the fans demanded a tribute to former player, John Charles
John Charles
William John Charles, CBE , commonly known as John Charles, was a Welsh international footballer best remembered for spells with Leeds United and Juventus. Rated by many as the greatest all-round footballer ever to come from Wales, he was equally adept at centre-forward or centre-back...
, following his death on 21 February 2004. It is currently the oldest stand at Elland Road, having been built in 1957 after the previous stand burnt down. The corporate seats are located here and there is a commentary gantry and walkway for TV personnel. The radio and press have facilities in this stand. The West Stand houses the tunnel and the directors' box, where home and away team directors view the match, along with the club doctor. There are many suites incorporated within the stand and a banqueting suite and conference centre are attached to the rear, having been opened in April 1992. As of September 2011 parts of the West Stand and the South West corner became the new home for away fans following a £300.000 Refurbishment.
The pitch
The pitch measures approximately 115 yards (105.2 m) long by 74 yards (67.7 m) wide, with run-off space on each side. There is an under-soil heating systemUnder-soil heating
Under-soil heating is a method used in various sports stadia which heats the underside of the pitch to avoid any bad weather, such as snow and ice, from building up and ultimately helps the club avoid having to postpone any matches.The first ground in England to have under-soil heating installed...
installed beneath the surface, consisting of 59 miles (95 km) of piping. This, together with a good drainage system, means that only heavy fog, a blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
, or flooding would force the club to cancel a match. There are wells
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
sunk approximately 70 feet (21.3 m) beneath the West Stand and the North Stand and a pumping system
Pump
A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
is situated under the South Stand, meaning that the club can draw on its own supply of water, should the need arise. However, the first time the club used it, the pitch turned black as the water was too cold.
Future
In August 2001, when Leeds were among the strongest teams in England, chairman Peter RidsdalePeter Ridsdale
Peter Ridsdale is an English businessman who is currently the Chairman of Football Operations at League Two club Plymouth Argyle. Ridsdale was previously the chairman of Leeds United, Barnsley and Cardiff City.-History:...
unveiled plans for the club to relocate to a 50,000-seat stadium in Skelton
Skelton, York
Skelton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York, in North Yorkshire England. It is northwest of the city of York, west of Haxby, and on the east bank of the River Ouse. Skelton was in the ancient royal Forest of Galtres and covers 977.3 hectares...
. The following month, the club's 28,250 season ticket holders were asked to vote on the proposed relocation. 87.6% of them voted in favour of relocation, but the plans were abandoned within two years following the onset of the club's financial crisis and decline in fortunes on the field.
The city of Leeds, on behalf of the Leeds City Region, submitted an application to be a Host City for the 2018 World Cup at Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
on 26 November 2009. The club was represented by Peter Lorimer
Peter Lorimer
Peter Patrick Lorimer is a former footballer who formed part of the much-admired and feared Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s....
. This bid was successful on 16 December 2009.
Due to the specific stadium requirements imposed by FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
, it is likely that the redevelopment of the Kop (North Stand) will become two-tiered to approximately the same height as the current East Stand whilst the West Stand will be completely rebuilt with an envisaged final capacity of 51,240.
The redevelopment of the East Stand for which Leeds already have planning permission will play a significant part in providing the facilities required by FIFA to stage matches in the World Cup.
Despite the England Football Association's unsuccessful bid to host the 2018 World Cup, the first phase of the east stand redevelopment plan began in May 2011.
Football
Elland Road has hosted FA CupFA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-final
FA Cup Semi-finals
The FA Cup Semi-finals are played to determine which teams will contest the FA Cup Final. They are the penultimate phase of the FA Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world.- Location :...
matches as a neutral venue on nine occasions, the first being a tie between Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
and Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
on 26 March 1910 and the last on 9 April 1995 in a game between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. The ground has hosted two England international fixtures. On 8 June 1995, England drew 3–3 with Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
. This was the first England home international played away from Wembley in 22 years, and the first time since 1946 that a new ground had hosted an England international game. The second game was a friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
match against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
on 27 March 2002 while the new Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
was being built. When England were picked to host Euro 96, the most recent international tournament held in country, Elland Road was selected as one of the eight venues. It staged Group B of the qualifying rounds, which included Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
.
Two of Leeds' West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
rivals have also used Elland Road as their temporary "home". The first club to benefit from the facilities was Huddersfield Town, when a fire struck their ground on 3 April 1950. Leeds offered it's services and Huddersfield played the last two games of the 1949–50 season there before returning to Leeds Road the next season, following extensive work to revamp the burnt main stand. Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
used Elland Road for three matches after 11 May 1985 when a fire consumed a stand at Valley Parade
Valley Parade
Valley Parade, also known as the Coral Windows Stadium through sponsorship rights, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1886, and was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association...
during a match against Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
. Two months after the Bradford City stadium fire, the 1966 World Cup Final
1966 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final was the final match in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth football World Cup. The match was contested by England and West Germany on 30 July 1966 at Wembley Stadium in London, and had an attendance of 98,000. England won 4–2 after extra time to win the Jules Rimet...
teams from England and West Germany met in a rematch at Elland Road and raised £46,000 for the Fire Disaster Fund, with England winning the game 6–4.
When non-League
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
team, Farsley Celtic
Farsley Celtic A.F.C.
Farsley Celtic Association Football Club was an English football club based in Farsley, in the City of Leeds. The club was known by the nicknames of the Villagers and the Celts; their colours were blue and white. Founded in 1908, the club spent their entire existence in non-league football, winning...
, reached the first round of the FA Cup in 1974, the game was played at Elland Road. Farsley's opposition was Division Three side Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
and a crowd of 10,337 saw the League club win 2–0.
Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
manager Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
once said that Elland Road was "the most intimidating venue in Europe".
Rugby League
Hunslet HawksHunslet Hawks
Hunslet Hawks is a professional rugby league club based in Hunslet, West Yorkshire, England. The club, sometimes known as 'the Parksiders' after their former stadium, are currently champions of Championship One.-History:-Early years:...
, a local rugby league club, shared the stadium in the mid-1980s after the ground at the greyhound
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
stadium in Parkside had been demolished. The 1982 Challenge Cup Final Replay between Widnes and Hull FC was played there. Rugby League was played at international level when a Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
v New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
test match
Test match (rugby league)
A Test match in rugby league football is a representative match between teams representing members of the Rugby League International Federation.The definition of a Test match differs from that of an international match...
was staged on 9 November 1985. The stadium hosted the Tri-Nations
Rugby League Tri-Nations
The Rugby League Tri-Nations was a rugby league tournament involving the top three nations in the sport: Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand...
final in 2004, when a capacity crowd saw Australia beat Great Britain 44–4 and again in 2005, in a match where 26,534 people watched New Zealand beat Australia 24–0. The 2009 Rugby League Four Nations final between England and Australia was played there.
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
have played several matches at Elland Road. In the 1988 Yorkshire Cup
Rugby league county cups
Historically, British rugby league clubs competed for the Lancashire Cup and the Yorkshire Cup, known collectively as the county cups. The leading rugby clubs in Yorkshire had played in a cup competition for several years prior to the schism of 1895...
final they beat Castleford RLFC
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
33–12 and won the World Club Challenge
World Club Challenge
The World Club Challenge is an annual rugby league football match held between the champions of the Australasian National Rugby League and the European Super League competitions to determine the world's best rugby league club...
twice. On 4 February 2005, they beat Australian side Canterbury Bulldogs 39–32 in front of 37,028 spectators and on 29 February 2008, they were 11–4 winners over Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
in the 2008 World Club Challenge
2008 World Club Challenge
The 2008 Carnegie World Club Challenge was contested between Super League XII champions, the Leeds Rhinos and National Rugby League season 2007 premiers, the Melbourne Storm. For the fifth consecutive year the English home team defeated their Australian counterparts.-Leeds Rhinos:Leeds Rhinos...
in front of a crowd of 33,204. The ground played host to the 2009 World Club Challenge
2009 World Club Challenge
The 2009 World Club Challenge was contested by Super League XIII champions, Leeds Rhinos, competing in their second consecutive World Club Challenge, and 2008 NRL Premiers, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles...
, the third time in five years that the ground has held the game, on 1 March 2009. The Manly Sea Eagles won its first WCC title by defeating Leeds 28–20 in front of 32,569 spectators. The stadium hosted the World Club Challenge on 28 February 2010, when Leeds Rhinos lost to Melbourne Storm 10–18 in front of 27,697 fans.
Rugby Union
Elland Road is one of the venues included in England's successful bid to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup2015 Rugby World Cup
The 2015 Rugby World Cup is scheduled to be the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament is scheduled to be hosted by England from 4 September to 17 October 2015. In addition, Cardiff's 74,500-seater Millennium Stadium in Wales will also be used...
, though the number and nature of matches to be hosted has not yet been finalised.
Other Sports
American footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
made a brief appearance at the ground when the Leeds Cougars, members of the British American Football League
British American Football League
The British American Football League was the United Kingdom's primary American Football league from 1998 until 2010. It was formerly known as the British Senior League until 2005. BAFL was the trading name for Gridiron Football League Ltd incorporated as a Company limited by guarantee....
, switched from their old ground at Bramley
Bramley, Leeds
Bramley is a district in west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is an old industrial area and home to a lot of 19th century architecture alongside 20th century council housing in the east and private suburban housing to the west. It has its own railway station which is on the Caldervale and...
to play at Elland Road in May 1986. The following year they had to relocate because improvements to the stadium were required. The ground hosted a Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
match between Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
and Mayo
Mayo GAA
The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county teams.-History:...
, organised by the Yorkshire County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
, in 1987.
There was a greyhound
Greyhound
The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...
stadium to the south-west of Elland Road which closed in 1982 and a speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
track known as Fullerton Park, which operated between the two world war
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s, attracted audiences in the range of 10,000 – 20,000 people.
Elland Road was to host a Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
game on 31 July 2009. The game was to be competed between a Leeds United International XI and the Lashings World XI, however was cancelled when a suitable artificial pitch could not be found.
Film
Older parts of the stadium were used in the 2009 film The Damned UnitedThe Damned United
The Damned United is a 2009 British sports drama film directed by Tom Hooper and adapted by Peter Morgan from David Peace's bestselling novel The Damned Utd, a largely fictional book based on the author's interpretation of Brian Clough's tenure as manager of Leeds United...
, which was centred around the 44-day reign of Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
(played by Michael Sheen
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen, OBE , is a Welsh stage and screen actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England and made his professional debut opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced at the Globe Theatre in 1991...
) at the club in 1974. Some shots of the 1974 Elland Road were shot at other locations to make the film look more in keeping with that era.
In December 2010, the stadium was used as a backdrop in an episode of the ITV drama series A Touch Of Frost, creating huge interest in the area with the local chamber of commerce suggesting a hotel could be built on the site to deal with the expected hoards of sightseers.
Elland Road was used as a substitute for the old Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
for scenes in the 2010 film The King's Speech, which was nominated for 12 Oscars, 3 of which were for its stars Colin Firth
Colin Firth
SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
, Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
and Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter is an English actress of film, stage, and television. She made her acting debut in a television adaptation of K. M. Peyton's A Pattern of Roses before winning her first film role as the titular character in Lady Jane...
.
Concerts
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
played in front of a packed audience as part of their Hot Space Tour
Hot Space Tour
The Hot Space Tour was a concert tour by the English rock band Queen, supporting their 1982 album Hot Space. A DVD documenting the band's June 5, 1982 concert at the Milton Keynes Bowl outside London was released in 2004 as Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl...
, supported by Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
, Joan Jett And The Blackhearts and The Teardrop Explodes
The Teardrop Explodes
The Teardrop Explodes were an English post-punk/neo-psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Best known for their Top Ten UK single "Reward" the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s, the group also launched the career of group frontman...
. Another rock concert
Rock concert
The term rock concert refers to a musical performance in the style of any one of many genres inspired by "rock and roll" music. While a variety of vocal and instrumental styles can constitute a rock concert, this phenomenon is typically characterized by bands playing at least one electric guitar,...
took place on 1 July 1987 when Irish rock band U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
played to a packed house as part of the Joshua Tree Tour
Joshua Tree Tour
The Joshua Tree Tour was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place during 1987, in support of their album The Joshua Tree. The tour was depicted by the video and live album Live from Paris.-Itinerary:...
, supported by World Party
World Party
World Party is a British pop/alternative rock band, which is essentially the solo project of its sole member, Karl Wallinger. He started the band in 1986 in London after leaving The Waterboys.-Career:...
, The Fall, The Mission
The Mission (band)
The Mission are a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy.The band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams , soon adding...
and The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
, Lead singer Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
said during the gig of kids in Dublin City talking with stars in their eyes about Leeds United, "I didn't myself but, ... you know...". The alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English alternative rock band from Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1980, the band's original line-up was Shaun Ryder on lead vocals, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan...
played a gig at the stadium on 1 June 1991, which was later released as a live album. Leeds-based band the Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....
played a homecoming gig at the stadium on 24 May 2008, with support from The Enemy, Kate Nash
Kate Nash
Kate Marie Nash is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. She had a UK no. 2 hit "Foundations" in 2007, followed by the platinum selling UK number 1 album Made of Bricks. She was named Best Female Artist at the 2008 BRIT Awards....
, Friendly Fires
Friendly Fires
Friendly Fires are an English band from St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. Their self-titled debut album was released on 1 September 2008 and was announced as one of the shortlisted twelve for the 2009 Mercury Prize on 21 July 2009.-History:Friendly Fires...
and Young Knives. On Friday 3 June 2011 Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
played a concert at the stadium. http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Rock-legend39s-Elland-Road-date.6710925.jp
Religious events
In 1987 15,000 Jehovah's WitnessesJehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
held a three-day convention
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
at Elland Road stadium. Elland Road hosts the annual Jehovah's Witness conventions. http://footballgroundguide.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=21803
Transport
The nearest railway station is CottingleyCottingley railway station
Cottingley railway station serves the Cottingley area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It lies south west of Leeds on the Huddersfield Line. The station was opened in May 1988 with financial assistance from West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and is managed by Northern Rail, who...
, although fans travelling will be more likely to arrive at Leeds Station, which is approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the stadium. This is around a 35-minute walk, but taxis and buses run from outside the station to the ground. Visitors travelling by car can park in the ground's nearby car parks or make use of limited space in surrounding streets. On match days there are special bus services direct to and from the stadium, usually departing from Sovereign Street near Leeds Station as well as regular local bus services.
Leeds City Council have raised plans for a railway station on the Wakefield Line
Wakefield Line
The Wakefield line is the name given to one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro/South Yorkshire P.T.E. area of northern England. The service connects Leeds and Wakefield with Sheffield and Doncaster. The section of the line between Leeds and Doncaster forms part of the East Coast Main...
serving Elland Road but there are no time frames since capacity issues on the Wakefield Line and funding for a new station would need addressing.
Leeds City
During Leeds City's brief history, attendances were among the worst in the league. The club competed in the league for 15 years, from the 1905–06 season until its expulsion in the 1919–20 season. The club was poorly financed financed throughout that period. Association football was a new concept in the area, which as traditionally a rugby league region. Nonetheless, the club were, until the 2009 relegation of Luton Town,the highest-placed team not currently in the league in the all time average attendance figures for the Football LeagueThe Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
& Premier League. In total, 1,944,365 people attended Elland Road for all the matches played by the club, giving an average figure of 10,234.
Leeds United
Leeds United was formed shortly after City's dissolution and entered the league in the 1920–21 season. By this time, football had established itself and in its first season the average attendance was over 16,000. As of the 2005–06 season, 42,339,944 have attended all of Leeds United's matches combined, which gives an average of 25,689. This figure is the 10th highest average in England. The table gives a summary of the attendance figures of all Leeds United's league games in every season since the turn of the century.| Season | League | Lowest | Highest | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | Premiership | 35,552 | 40,055 | 38,974 |
| 2001–02 | 38,237 | 40,287 | 39,784 | |
| 2002–03 | 35,537 | 40,205 | 39,121 | |
| 2003–04 | 30,544 | 40,153 | 36,666 | |
| 2004–05 | Championship Football League Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League... |
24,585 | 34,496 | 29,207 |
| 2005–06 | 18,353 | 27,843 | 22,354 | |
| 2006–07 | 16,268 | 31,269 | 21,613 | |
| 2007–08 | League One Football League One Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system.... |
19,095 | 38,256 | 26,546 |
| 2008–09 2008–09 in English football The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while... |
18,847 | 37,036 | 23,813 | |
| 2009–10 2009–10 in English football The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League... |
17,635 | 38,234 | 24,817 | |
| 2010–11 2010–11 in English football The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May... |
Championship Football League Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League... |
20,747 | 33,622 | 27,299 |