49ers make big Leeds United statement after £10m Elland Road development
The 49ers Enterprises have made a “big statement” at Leeds United by committing £10million to the Elland Road redevelopment, according to football finance expert Dan Plumley.
Reports suggest that the Whites’ owners have already invested heavily in their bid to convert Leeds’ ground into a 53,000-seater stadium, which would be England’s seventh largest club ground [The Athletic, 25 September].
While that initial influx of funding will be costly, Plumley insists that the 49ers will already be looking further down the line at the revenue uplift a bigger ground could earn the Whites in the coming years.
“It’s a big statement,” he exclusively told MOT Leeds News.
“It’s a show of commitment to the cause as well. We know that stadium developments and expansion doesn’t come cheap and it will obviously cost an awful lot to do something like that.
“But the ownership group there are committed to funding that sort of development and you’ve got to look at the long-term position of that.
“Yes, it will be costly and it needs the backing of the owners to go and do it for the most part to do it as well, but you’re looking at the long-term gain looking further down the line.
“The revenue uplift that can give you in the long term is also what they’ll be focusing on.
“It’s a big statement, positive news and again, you want your ownership group to be backing those kinds of things.
“So in all in all, it shows some good commitment there.”
What has happened to Leeds United’s Elland Road redevelopment?
The 49ers’ initial £10m commitment will cover consultations and planning, up to the point of the approval of planning permission in LS11, as the West and North stands at Elland Road are set to be rebuilt.
At this stage, it remains unclear just how much the complete redevelopment of the ground will set the owners back, but there is an expectation that the 49ers’ investment into securing the future of Elland Road will be significant.
In other Leeds United news, Paraag Marathe is set to hold off-the-record talks with Whites supporters with Red Bull questions on the agenda
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