"Elland Road my home from home"

Ok bias aside, Elland Road is still one of my more favoured grounds, I've been so many times since the late 1980s I know the place like the back of my hand, so I'll try and write a complete review about the place.

Elland Road today is made up of four stands, (North) Revie Stand, South Stand, (West) John Charles Stand and East Stand (the big one!) and I've sat in every part of the ground. It is showing its age a bit to be fair especially in the West Stand which is 50 odd years old, however leg room is by far the best in this stand. In the East stand the leg room is fine... if you have has your legs amputated! South & North stands are a bit better though, there are some old pillars in the west stand, south stand upper, South East corner (away fans) and the Revie stand. However, the ground has a character that only a few do in England anymore. From the great Leeds side of the 60s & 70s through to the ground hosting England matches and a host ground for Euro 96 some of the world's best players have graced the place.

This is a ground with real character a bit like Goodison Park, Anfield, White Hart Lane etc. It's a famous old ground, although the facilities are nowhere near as good as the newly built grounds but the old place can still raise a hell of an atmosphere - on its day few can compare in England. However, for the majority of games it's pretty flat unless the team are doing well. The atmosphere in the 80s and early 90s was the best in England for a time without a doubt, could be a little intimidating for away fans as the club had a hooligan problem for a while which keep away fans away for a period which was sad however in terms of crowd control, safety etc Elland Road is one of the most secure grounds in the country these days with a big Police presence.

Leeds have announced plans for redeveloping the ground in order for it to be a host ground if England win the rights to the World Cup in 2018, plans include a 200 plus bedroom 4 star hotel, shopping promenade, new Revie Stand and John Charles Stand bringing the capacity up from 40,000 to just over 50,000, the planning application has been approved by the local council so work should start in a couple of years. Once completed the ground will become one of England's best again after a few years of underfunding, the ground still oozes character and history and would definitely recommend a visit for an away fan or maybe to do a tour.

Location

Elland Road is one of the easiest grounds to get to in the country, situated just off the M621 the stadium is slap bang next to the motorway with easy connections to the M1 and M62. Parking is pretty good, there are 4 large car parks at the ground and many businesses offer parking on their premises for £5.

View

Depends on where you sit, the away corner is a bit cramped and you do have pillars so it's not what you call perfect, but you do get good views in the East, West and Revie Stand (if you are in front of the pillars not behind).

Facilities

Facilities are basic in some areas however there are plenty of toilets that are mostly clean, the East Stand has the best facilities in terms of toilets, refreshment areas and seating.

Food & Drink

The line can be long at half time probably best leave your seats 5 minutes before half time if you want to be served promptly.

Police & Stewards

There is usually a large police presence at Leeds games but the police are fairly laid back and approachable. The stewards have a bad rep amongst the Leeds crowd for being a bit overzealous resulting in one or two fracas between Leeds fans and stewards. Be on your best behaviour or you will be thrown out no questions asked!.

Atmosphere

When Elland Road is rocking or it's an important game or a game against Man Utd, Millwall, Newcastle or Sheffield teams to a lesser degree the atmosphere is great, against lowly teams or teams we don't consider a rival or whatever the atmosphere can get a bit flat.

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