Elland Road

Home of Leeds United since 1919, with a record attendance of 57,892.

Elland Road, or Elland Road Stadium, is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. With a capacity of 37,633, the stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England.

Quick Facts

Full name

Elland Road Stadium

Location

Beeston, Leeds
England
LS11 0ES

Built

1897

Renovated

1920s, 1953, 1971, 1994, 2006, 2011–2012

Expanded

1905, 1920s, 1957, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1989, 1991, 1994

Owner

Leeds United Football Club Limited

Operator

Leeds United

Surface

GrassMaster (Hybrid Grass)

Lore & Background

The site, at the foot of Beeston Hill beside the A643 road to Elland, was owned by Bentley's Brewery and was called the Old Peacock Ground. The first occupants were Holbeck Rugby Club, who moved from Holbeck Recreation Ground after buying the Old Peacock Ground from Bentley's for £1,100. The first competitive football match at the ground was as a neutral venue for the West Yorkshire Cup final on 23 April 1898 between Hunslet and Harrogate. In 1920, Yorkshire Amateurs sold Elland Road to the newly formed Leeds United for £250. The stadium has hosted FA Cup semi-final matches as a neutral venue, England international fixtures, and was selected as one of eight Euro 96 venues. It has also been used by rugby league clubs Holbeck (pre-1905) and Hunslet (in the 1980s and 90s) and has hosted numerous rugby league cup finals and semi-finals, internationals and other important matches.

Reader's Guide

Elland Road has four stands – the Don Revie (North) Stand (also known as the kop), the Jack Charlton (East) Stand (which was once known as the Lowfields Road stand), the Norman Hunter South Stand and the John Charles (West) Stand – and an all-seated capacity of 37,645. The record attendance is 57,892, set on 15 March 1967 in an FA Cup fifth round replay against Sunderland. The record league attendance is 56,796, set on 27 December 1932 when Leeds played Arsenal. The modern record is 40,287 for a Premiership match against Newcastle United on 22 December 2001. Plans are currently afoot to increase the capacity to 55,000, to be achieved by demolishing the West Stand and rebuilding the area.

Did You Know?

The stadium was originally called the Old Peacock Ground, after the pub that faced the land.
An urban myth claims the ground was cursed by gypsies; in 1971, manager Don Revie hired a fortune teller named Gypsy Rose Lee to lift the alleged curse.
A fire gutted the West Stand on 18 September 1956, causing an estimated £100,000 damage.
The stadium has hosted concerts by bands such as Queen, U2, Happy Mondays and the Kaiser Chiefs.