This season marked the return of capacity crowds in English football for the first time in well over a year. From March 2020 until May 2021, the majority of matches were played behind closed doors, with just a handful of selected matches around the December period permitting 2000 spectators, before attendances of 8000 made a return in the final two matches of last season.
That meant that after a 17-year wait, Leeds United supporters were finally able to go watch their team live in the Premier League. And Whites fans certainly have not disappointed – turning up consistently in their numbers and backing the team, despite the frequent struggles on the pitch.
But despite having sold out each of their 19 home Premier League games, Leeds rank just 11 th in the division for the highest average attendance with 36,286. Manchester United, Arsenal, West Ham, Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Everton and Chelsea have all averaged higher this season.
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But the only reason those 10 clubs are able to generate larger crowds than Leeds is simply down to the size of the stadium. The club have several people currently on the season ticket waiting list and thousands of members who miss out on tickets each week, which means there is certainly scope to bring in bigger crowds.
And that is something that is already underway from a planning point of view, with Angus Kinnear keen to accelerate the process of expanding Elland Road to around 60,000. Kinnear believes that the demand is there among supporters now as they continue to establish themselves as a Premier League club.
He told the Square Ball back in August: “The West Stand would be the first stand that we develop because it’s the oldest and has the most upside potential. Those discussions are in place with the council. The deal on the land [behind the West Stand] will be announced very shortly. Plans are continuing to move forward.
“If you look at the revenues that the bigger clubs are generating, Spurs are generating £5m a game, that’s £100m across the course of the season. We’re just over £20m. So before you get into sponsorship, there’s really a significant gap in ticketing revenue.
“And there’s very few clubs in the country that could justify a 60,000 seat stadium, but Leeds United is one of them. And I know that’s part of Andrea Radrizzani’s vision and part of the 49ers’.”
