Stadium plans starting to take shape for Premier class Whites

Leeds United will be playing Premier League football next season and alongside a busy summer of recruitment, those in charge can now turn focus on to the development of Elland Road.

- by Harriet Sutton

Plans to increase the iconic stadium's capacity from 37,645 to around 53,00 were confirmed earlier this season, with Leeds keen to bring Elland Road in line with Europe's elite as a UEFA Category 4 ground.

Although United's planning application references a potential capacity of up to 56,500 it is understood that club chiefs expect the final capacity to be around 53,000 as planning mitigations will likely see the number slightly shrink.

And owners 49ers Enterprises backed that with a £10 million commitment to get their project to the point of planning approval, as reported by the YEP at the time.

Since then, the focus of all involved at Leeds has been on promotion and that was finally confirmed on Monday, with Daniel Farke's side thumping Stoke City 6-0 before watching Sheffield United lose at Burnley.

That result confirmed Elland Road will host Premier League football next season and steps forward have already been revealed regarding its expansion.