Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe has revealed that preparations are already in place to upgrade the amenities and overall match-going experience at Elland Road during the offseason.
Leeds fans will have the summer to process the disappointment of not being promoted back to the Premier League, but for the 49ers and Paraag Marathe, the job has already begun.
The new manager has been in charge of the club for 12 months since the takeover, and there is still much work to be done, from infrastructure to cosmetic touch-ups.
Paraag Marathe shares Elland Road development plans with Leeds United fans.
After Leeds’ playoff final agony, chairman Marathe is already looking to keep the club developing both on and off the pitch.
That includes answering supporters’ questions about the Elland Road matchday experience, which has received insufficient care and attention in recent years.
Speaking to the press, Marathe said the following about upcoming changes at LS11 (via the YEP):
“We have already allocated funds to undertake some upgrades at Elland Road, which I know supporters have requested. And, while it may not be the new shiny item, we are doing things like renovating the bathrooms, concourses, lounges, and so on.”
What did Marathe say regarding the Elland Road expansion?
The main question is, of course, whether the club will eventually obtain the expansion that has been discussed for years but appears to be a long way off.
Failing to achieve promotion is a setback for getting ‘shovels in the ground’, as Marathe puts it, but the procedural part of pushing through expansion approval is proceeding and should be completed by next season:
“We have already set aside funds for this purpose. Then comes the bigger, more significant development. We’re still on track to meet that deadline. It has been reported that nothing will happen until we reach the Premier League. That is a bit of a miss, at least for this season.
“What I mean is, all of the preparation work that we have to do for shovels in the ground, it didn’t matter whether we were in the championship or the Premier League this season; there’s still work to be done, which we’re doing anyhow.
“And I don’t mean work; I mean a significant investment in order to line up the rights that you need to work with the city council to get all of the approvals, to do all of the drawings, and all of those things before you put a shovel in the ground, which we will do regardless of whether we are in the Premier League or the Championship.
“So that money has been designated and committed. And we’re still going down that route. If you ask me this question a year from now, it may be a little more complicated because I’ll be prepared with a shovel. But everything is currently greenlit, just as it would have been in either situation.”
Marathe’s usage of the word’shovel’ plainly refers to when Leeds will be ready to begin tangible construction on enlarging the stadium, specifically the West Stand, and he offers a one-year timeline for that to happen.
