Leeds fans: 'Premier League return is enormous'

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2 days ago

After a goal in the 91st minute clinched the Championship title for Leeds United last season, thousands of fans lined the city streets to celebrate. As the Whites host Everton at Elland Road this evening, supporters have told the BBC what a return to the Premier League means to them.
"It has been a long time coming", John Lewis, a season ticket holder at Elland Road for 44 years, said with relief.
The 55-year-old has five tattoos dedicated to the club and said the sense of camaraderie between fans was "unbelievable".
"It is friends what meet up but it is more of a family.
"Wherever we go, like to Portsmouth on a Tuesday night, you have 3,000 Leeds fans.
"You do not get support like that anywhere else."
Mr Lewis said Leeds' return to the Premier League for the first time since 2023 would have a huge knock-on impact for the city's economy.
"It will definitely help Leeds in a big way," he said, highlighting money spent in pubs on a match day.
Plans to expand the club's ground were submitted to Leeds City Council earlier this year, which would take the capacity of Elland Road to 53,000.
Fans believe promotion is key to expansion, with the authority set to make a decision this autumn.
"You just have to look at the infrastructure they are planning to put in place; it would be brilliant," supporter Sean Brennan said.
"There are around 25,000 people on a waiting list for a season ticket so they do need the expansion."
Mr Brennan, 57, has been a fan of Leeds United since the 1970s and was gifted a plaque at Elland Road by his daughter for Christmas.
"As a Leeds fan your emotions are up and down all the time; but you have got to support them through thick and thin.
"I am looking forward to European nights. I know that is still a long way away, but I think we have a good chance."
About 150,000 football fans descended on the city centre to celebrate Leeds United's return to the Premier League after a two-year absence earlier this year.
An open-top bus carried the players and staff through City Square.
Mother-of-three Stephanie said the club's return to the top tier was inspiring for her sons.
"They love football; we went to the friendly two weekends ago and we saw Harry Gray come out.
"To see somebody really young (Gray is 16) like that, it is amazing to see and think that might be them one day."
Stephanie's sons Seb and Max watched the moment the Whites won the league from home last season.
"We came back to school and we were all jumping and shouting," the brothers, who are 10 and seven, recalled.
"The atmosphere is always really good; it is always a sell-out."
Terry Greenall agreed promotion would have an "enormous" impact on the city's economy.
The 69-year-old has supported the club since his childhood, and has fond memories of meeting Leeds legends.
"As a student I met Don Revie, Big Jack [Charlton] and John Charles.
"I upset John Charles because we bumped into him while playing football, and I did not recognise him," he laughed.
He said the return to the Premier League had been worth the wait.
"There have been a lot of ups and downs - but it is about time!"
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
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