Elland Road
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Elland Road is the home stadium of the football team Leeds United. It has recently been sold by the club in a 25-year sale-lease back deal with a commercial buy-back provision for when the club’s finances improve.
Initially the ground was used for rugby matches before being purchased by the newly formed Leeds City in 1904. When City were forcibly bankrupted by the Football Association in 1919, the FA took possession of the stadium (along with all the other assets of the club) and sold it to the city council, possibly under the impression that the stadium would be torn down and used for housing, which Leeds was in short supply of in the wake of World War I. When Leeds United was formed immediately afterwards, the council allowed the new club to rent the stadium until they could afford to buy it themselves. With the exception of periods from the 1960s until 1983 and from 1997 to 2004, the council has since owned the stadium.
The most recent stand at Elland Road is the East Stand, a huge cantilever structure which was completed during the 1992-93 season and holds 17,000 seated spectators. At the point of construction it was the largest such cantilever stand in the world. The Don Revie Stand (also known as the Kop terrace) was opened at the start of the 1994-95 season, holding just under 7,000 seated spectators, after a refurbishment scheme. It was named after Don Revie, the club's most successful manager of all time. The South Stand (previously known as the 'scratching shed') was built in 1971 and until 1993 the lower tier accommodated standing spectators, but this section of terracing was replaced by seating to comply with the requirements of the Taylor Report.
Following a fire which destroyed the original West Stand in September 1956, a public appeal raised £60,000 towards a new one which was opened in August 1957 at a cost of £180,000. The roof of the West Stand holds a television commentary gantry and walkway for TV personnel who may be asked to film here on a matchday. The adjoining conference centre and banqueting suite behind the stand was opened in 1991.
The ground has hosted several England Internationals, the most recent was against Italy. It also hosted several group games during the Euro 96 tournament. In addition to football the ground has hosted rugby league in the past including being temporary home to the Hunslet Hawks. It also hosted the rugby league Tri-Nations final in 2004 and 2005 and the Carnegie World Club Challenge in 2005.
Elland Road has also hosted concerts the most notable of which saw the band Queen play at the stadium in 1982 and Irish rock band U2 play at the stadium five years later.
During the close season of 1994 the names of all Leeds United players who have represented their country were listed on an International Honours Board in the club reception area and this is updated regularly.
In December 1997, pictures were shown in the Leeds United matchday programme of the plans to improve the West and South Stands which would have brought capacity up to around 45,000. The new structure mirrored the East Stand but would have seated around 12,000 people. The 3 tier structure would also focus on VIP hospitality and the inclusion of an indoor arena on the back of the West Stand. This added venue would have accommodated basketball, ice hockey, pop concerts and other entertainment events. However, after naming an ice hockey team (The Leeds Lasers) to play at the arena during the half-time interval of a match, the project never got off the ground for various reasons and was quickly forgotten about.
However, in September 2001, the then Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale announced plans for relocation to a new 50,000-seat stadium at nearby Skelton because Elland Road's capacity was inadequate for such an ambitious club. Ridsdale was also considering the possibility of improving Elland Road. If any improvements at Elland Road are carried out, they are likely to involve the reconstruction of the three older stands at the stadium. But the relocation plans soon fell through when the club encountered rising debts and finally relegation from the Premiership in 2004. Any relocation or expansion is unlikely considering the club's current position. The current Chairman, Ken Bates, has however stated that once the club's premiership status is secured from a few season's in the top flight he plans to re-develop some of the stand's at Elland Road, inparticular the John Charles (West) Stand which is the oldest part of the Ground
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