Leeds United fans comment on huge expansion plans for Elland Road

Yorkshire Evening Post

Transcript

00:00We're just asking fans and people associated with the club their thoughts on the expansion

00:07plans for going up to 53,000 from the first 7,500, so what are your thoughts on it?

00:15Yeah, I think it's really great. We know there's a demand for it. The fans have been begging

00:21for seats for ages. The list is quite extensive of those waiting to get in there and it'll

00:26be great, both for the fans especially. I mean, the atmosphere is already great when

00:30there's got 36,000 people in there. Can you imagine what it's going to be like when there's

00:33like 52,000? It'll be absolutely raucous. It'll be great. So now I think everybody's

00:38looking forward to it, that's for sure.

00:41And working within the club yourself, Graham, can you tell us about anything specific about

00:47the plans?

00:48Yeah, so unfortunately it's not really my place to talk about the plans and so forth

00:54and that's within the communication teams within the club itself. But obviously, from

00:58the club we know that the expansion's taking place and so forth. But as to the details

01:04of it, like when it starts and so forth, no, I can't comment on it.

01:08But just that figure alone suggests there's a lot of ambition at the club and that they

01:13see themselves growing and that they've got...

01:17Yeah, there's both an expectation and a buy-in from the new owners. They know the value.

01:24I mean, they built the Levi's stadium and so forth, so they know the value of the numbers

01:28for a match day and so forth. But also from the fans' base, they know the demand is there.

01:35I mean, we're like one of the only clubs that we get record numbers of people coming to

01:41watch an under-21s match, let alone constantly filling up a stadium on a season where they're

01:47in a championship or if they're in the premiership. It's one of the nice things. And when I speak

01:53to a lot of the other clubs, they're quite envious in that regard.

01:57And how much of a boost would it do for the city as a whole and for the area, you know,

02:01businesses like here?

02:02I think from a city perspective, it'll be a great boost. It means more and more people

02:06from a tourism perspective, there'll be more people looking for accommodation in the area

02:10and then because they're staying here overnight or whatever for coming to a match, it means

02:15they're going to be spending within the environment and so forth, where there'll be more hospitality

02:21taking place, a lot more restaurants and so forth. And also from an accommodation perspective,

02:26because I think on this side of the town, it's one of the things that we need to look

02:30at a little bit more rather than having to go all the way into town as such for accommodation.

02:33It'd be nice if there was a bit of investment for accommodation, both closer to the stadium

02:38as well as into town.

02:40I'm delighted, mainly from the sense of I can't, due to circumstances, hold a season

02:48ticket, but getting tickets is an absolute nightmare on a week-by-week basis. I think

02:53it's a bit of a risk after the Bielsa era, because that's where the fans came flooding

03:00back for those that have gone away for quite a long time. But there's 20,000 people on

03:04the waiting list for season tickets. It's full nearly every game and it could be that

03:12extra little bit of something we need if we are to be promoted, for us to stay there again

03:20and attract better players and everything that comes with it.

03:24Did you say you are a regular here?

03:26Yeah, I'm coming on Saturday. I've just come to buy my son his, I came for his seventh

03:31birthday, so it's his birthday on Saturday, so we're down for the Coventry game.

03:36So it's not like you want an extra seat for yourself, but being a regular and knowing

03:43the atmosphere, what can you imagine it being like for the big games on 56, 53 even, 1000?

03:51I think some stadiums, brand new stadiums, have lost their souls a little bit. I think

03:57if it's the development of what we've got, then we should hopefully keep that. It's a

04:02place that, I call it church, that everybody loves to come to, but it needs a little tidied

04:09up in certain areas. But I think there's a lot of people that would come to games every

04:14week if it was easier to do so, and if you miss that ticket queue, there's no chance

04:19unless you're willing to pay for hospitality, which isn't affordable on a week-by-week basis.

04:25Yeah, yeah.

04:26Hopefully it is an extension of what we've got, which I would prefer,

04:30and we keep the soul of the club as well as we grow.

04:35Yeah, what are your thoughts?

04:36It's a real idea, couldn't be more really, because we can't get tickets anywhere, so

04:40yeah, I think it's a really good idea.

04:42Yeah. Are you one of the fans that struggle to get tickets then?

04:46Well, yeah, I used to be at Gedding years ago, but now I just don't even bother trying.

04:52Really?

04:53So, you know, perhaps if they put a few more up, I might get some seats, yeah.

04:57Yeah, yeah. And, I mean, the atmosphere is good enough as it is as well, isn't it?

05:02It's fantastic, yeah. My nephew plays for under-21s, like, so...

05:06Oh, nice.

05:09He can't even get us tickets.

05:12Yeah, hopefully, yeah. A lot of luck forward then for you personally.

05:16Hopefully, yeah. If we can get tickets, it'd be ace, you know, but

05:18I think they'll just go like that then.

05:20Yeah.

05:21That's what they're getting, you know. I think, you know, it'd be better if they can get 63,

05:25really, you know. It's perhaps the part they can get and they go up and be able to do again,

05:31and that's all I've got to say, really.

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