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Elland Road
(Leeds United)
Address: Elland Road,
Leeds,
West Yorkshire,
England,
LS11 0ES
Capacity: 37,792 (All-Seater)
You can say what you want about the club that plays here, but what’s impossible to deny is that for those who follow The Whites, Leeds is their religion, and Elland Road is their chapel.
Opened in 1897, Elland Road was first used as a rugby league ground by Holbeck Rugby Club, who spent seven years here before moving out in 1904.
In August of that same year a new association football club called Leeds City was formed and rented the ground for the upcoming season. City dissolved in 1919 following financial difficulties, with Yorkshire Amateur becoming brief tenants of Elland Road until newly formed Leeds United Football Club took control back and have been there ever since.
Huddersfield Town Football Club played two games here in 1950, Bradford City Association Football Club played three games here in 1985, and Rugby League side Hunslet called this place home between 1983 and 1994.
The Elland Road name comes from the street that runs along its southern side.
Location and Getting There
The stadium is located in the Holbeck area of southwest Leeds, around two miles away from the City Centre. The M621 passes the ground on its northern side and you can also see the stadium from the railway lines that head into Leeds City Centre.
Despite this, coming by train can be something of a challenge. The closest station is the main one in Leeds and walking from here can set you back a journey of anywhere between 35-45 minutes depending on how quickly you go. You can choose instead to take the PR1 Metro service from Leeds Station which takes around 20-25 minutes and drops you off in the car park beyond the stadium’s West Stand.
Whenever I’ve come to Elland Road for a game I’ve used my car, finding space to park for free in the industrial estate on the opposite side of the M621. A lot of people also use this method, and heading down along either Lowfields Road or Latchmore Road has usually brought success with parking. From there, it’s a simple, safe walk under the M621 and over towards the ground.
Take time if you’re coming this way to admire the mural painted onto the underside of the motorway bridge, which pays homage to some great figures and moments associated with Leeds United.
Outside the Stadium
The exterior of Elland Road has a fantastic feel of nostalgia to it and typifies everything that’s great about English football. Each stand has a different shape and design which is something you don't find at modern stadiums, and that gives the place a very unique look.
The East Stand is the largest of the four and the part of Elland Road that most fans will see first, given it has a large cantilever roof that is much higher up than any other part of the stadium.
The East Stand walls are made up mostly of large panels with a brickwork building protruding out of the centre, and the entrances into the club’s executive suites can be found here. On the glass pane at the top of this building is the quote “SIDE BEFORE SELF, EVERY TIME".
Turnstiles into the East Stand are based across the brickwork base.
Out beyond the East Stand on the opposite side of Lowfields Road is a statue of Don Revie, regarded by many as the greatest manager in Leeds United’s history.
Born in Middlesbrough on 10th July 1927, Revie was a centre-forward who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Manchester City, Sunderland, and Leeds United between 1944 and 1962. He became Leeds' player-manager towards the end of his playing career and would remain at the club until 1974. Revie won two First Division titles, a FA Cup and a League Cup, going on to manage the England National Team and teams in the Middle East.
Capped 6 times by England as a player, Revie passed away on 26th May 1989 at the age of 61. The statue outside Elland Road has been in place since May 2012.
The LUFC club shop is in the southeast corner, and in front of this is a statue of Billy Bremner.
Born in Stirling, Scotland on 9th December 1942, the midfielder came through and played for Leeds between 1960 and 1976, playing a key part in Don Revie’s very successful side.
Capped 54 times by Scotland, Bremner passed away on 7th December 1997 at the age of 54. The statue of Billy Bremner has been in place outside Elland Road since 1999.
The area around the statue is known as Bremner square and is full of stone plaques that dedicated Leeds fans can purchase to leave their name or a personal message on as part of the stadium for many years to come.
Continuing round in a clockwise direction brings you to the South Stand, which is named after Norman Hunter.
Born in Gateshead on 29th October 1943, Norman "Bites Yer Legs" Hunter as he was nicknamed was one of the key figures in Don Revie's very successful Leeds side, playing over 500 games for the Whites between 1962 and 1976.
Capped 28 times by England, Hunter passed away on 17th April 2020 at the age of 76. The South Stand at Elland Road was named after him six days later.
The stand's exterior is made up mostly of large blue panels and two rows of windows. There is a club timeline that runs along the bottom of the stand, describing some of the key years and moments in Leeds United’s history.
Turnstiles leading inside are based across the base and down by the southwest corner.
Billy’s Sports Bar is inside the Norman Hunter South Stand and is open to home fans in the build up to a game. There are also a couple of takeaways and pubs on the opposite side of the road which are often regularly used by fans before heading into the stadium.
The West Stand is named after former Leeds player John Charles.
Born in Swansea on 27th December 1931, Charles was a man who could play up front or in defence. He came through at Leeds United, playing almost 300 times for the club between 1949 and 1957, and scoring over 150 goals. He was one of the first British footballers to really make a name for themselves abroad when he moved from Leeds to Italian giants Juventus in 1957, returning to Elland Road for a brief second spell in 1962.
Capped 38 times by Wales, Charles passed away on 21st February 2004 at the age of 72.
The Players' Entrance is located on this side of the ground and you can find the Players' Car Park in the spaces immediately outside the West Stand’s brick exterior.
Elland Road's away turnstiles are based next to the southwest corner, with home turnstiles next to and around the northwest corner.
The Don Revie North Stand is made up mostly of brick and corrugated iron. There is a large car park out beyond it which can be accessed from an entrance along Lowfields Road.
The turnstiles into the stand itself are spread along the outer wall.
Home fans who have seats in either the North or East Stand tend to congregate in a fan zone outside the northeast corner prior to entering the stadium itself. Away fans are strongly discouraged from going to this part of Elland Road as a result.
Inside the Stadium
The East Stand is divided into two tiers, with a row of executive boxes separating the two from one another.
The lower tier is larger and the seats at the back of this tier are steeper than the ones at the front. Elland Road used to have letters spelt out amongst the rows of blue seating, but these have since been removed.
There are no supporting pillars in this stand so your view from any seat is perfectly clear, and with a large windshield at either end, every seat in the upper tier is fully protected from the elements.
Some upper tier seats are available for supporters, but the vast majority are taken up by corporate hospitality.
Unlike the rest of Elland Road, the southeast corner is made up of yellow seats rather than blue.
It is divided into two levels of relatively equal size, but whilst the lower level has a clear view of the pitch, there are pillars that come down within the top level and these can restrict your view from here as a result.
The Norman Hunter South Stand copies the same two-levelled design of the southeast corner, but retains the blue seating that the rest of Elland Road has. A row of executive boxes can be found behind the seats at the very back.
There are no supporting pillars in this stand that block your view, and there is a large television screen in place at the back of the southwest corner, which provides action replays and a live scoreboard during the game.
The John Charles West Stand is split into two levels of fairly equal size.
The central blocks in the upper level are used for corporate hospitality and the Bremner Suite, whilst the rest of the seats are left available for supporters to purchase. Leeds United's dugouts, changing rooms and tunnel can all be found in this stand.
The view in the lower level is clear but there are pillars regularly coming down along the upper section blocks and these will restrict the view for anyone sat behind them.
The Don Revie North Stand is once again split into two levels, with the upper level larger than the lower level.
Spelt out in white are the letters REVIE across the upper level blocks and STAND across the lower level blocks, with a sliver of black seating also used to give each letter a 3D effect.
Much like the adjacent John Charles West Stand, the view from the lower tier is very good, but pillars come down regularly along the middle of the upper tier and so the seats behind here will have a restricted view.
I would be very careful in general when purchasing a ticket for a game at Elland Road. The lower level seats are fine, but your view can be affected if you get a seat in the upper tiers, sometimes to extreme levels.
I remember coming to Elland Road once for an England game and an unfortunate man a few rows down from me had to watch the entire match leaning around a pillar that was right in front of his seat.
You might find seats like this are cheaper than the ones close by, there’s a reason why!
Away Fans
Away fans are housed in the John Charles West Stand, taking up the blocks over by the southwest corner.
Depending on the allocation, they can be given just the blocks in the upper level or the blocks in both levels of this stand.
The upper level away seats run up to the edge of the corporate hospitality section, whilst Leeds tend to use stewards and large sheets to segregate the away fans in the lower level from the home supporters in the neighbouring blocks. Small metal fences are in place here to also help with the segregation.
Your view of the pitch from the lower level is perfectly clear, but the presence of pillars in the upper level can restrict your view somewhat if you are sat behind them.
Matchday Pubs
Pubs available to supporters on a matchday include:
-A small bar called Howards outside the Away Turnstiles (Away Supporters Only)
-Assembly Underground (12 Great George Street, LS1 3AL) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located near Leeds City Centre)
-Drysalters (Elland Road, LS11 8AX) (Typically Home and Away Supporters)
-The George (67 Great George Street, LS1 3BB) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located near Leeds City Centre)
-Old Peacock (Elland Road, LS11 8TU) (Home Supporters Only)
Overview
What makes Elland Road one of the best grounds in the country is its rocking atmosphere. Leeds fans take great pride in the loyalty and support they always show their club and their anthem ‘Marching On Together’ is belted out with passion from all four sides of the ground.
You may not be guaranteed a great view of the pitch from every seat, but being surrounding by devoted Leeds fans on a matchday is what will make this place one of the most memorable you are likely to ever experience.
Elland Road simply has to be up there at the top of your football stadium bucket list.
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