
We’re kicking off at 12.30pm, so appreciating this is early for supporters travelling from London on the morning of the game, you are still strongly advised to arrive early. Turnstiles open at 10.30am.
Getting to Elland Road
From Leeds City station, fans are recommended to make use of the regular shuttle buses running between the city centre and the ground. Walk towards Elland Road (signposted) and the Sovereign Street shuttle bus pick-up is opposite the Hilton Hotel. Shuttle buses start running three hours before kick-off, so from 9.30am. It’s a 10-minute journey with no traffic but can take up to 30 mins nearer kick-off as traffic increases.
There are 15 buses running on a loop to and from the stadium. It costs £3 return and you need cash – the right money – to travel. It’s at least a 40-minute walk to the ground from the station, you can get a taxi but pick-up and drop-off points are random. Buses are wheelchair accessible.
If you’re driving, LUFC has also advised of two park and ride car parks. The first at Junction 46 of the A1M, Temple Green, which can be pre-booked on the Leeds United website. The second at Stourton off Junction 7 of the M621, which again can be pre-booked via the Leeds United website. The latter provides easy access to the ground and priority egress post-match, avoiding road closures.
Parking for disabled supporters is available in the Fullerton car park near the ground, and the disabled entrance for away fans is via the W (Whisky) 1 gate.
Police plans and pre-match drinking
This match has been categorised as a low-risk fixture. There will be a low-key police presence, with British Transport and West Yorkshire police directing fans arriving at the main City station towards Elland Road.
There will be a small police presence inside the ground on the segregation line and a light police presence on the stadium footprint.
There are no specifically designated away pubs in the centre of Leeds, however away fans are welcome at The Drysalters Pub on Elland Road itself, roughly 15-minutes walk from the away end. Alternatively, fans are encouraged to make use of Howard’s Bar within the away end at Elland Road. This opens from 9am, but there is no access to the rest of the stadium until 10.30am.
At the ground
The stadium will open two hours before kick-off. The away entrance is on the south west corner of the ground and is clearly signposted.
There is no segregation on the stadium footprint, but the away coach park and approach to the away turnstiles is sectioned off and fans arriving by coach will be in a sterile area from coach to turnstile. Supporters arriving by coach will have a soft ticket check when leaving the coach and will be pulsed into the turnstile queues from the coach park. Other fans will experience a soft ticket check before entering the stadium footprint. COVID checks are no longer being carried out.
At the turnstiles
On approaching the turnstiles, fans should expect to be searched before being invited into a hashed area. It’s here that stewards will explain how to use your match ticket at the turnstile. Fans will then be pulsed through to the turnstile queue, where stewards will be on hand to deal with any ticket issues at the gate. Spurs travelling stewards will also be present. There are six turnstiles and they can process a total of 720 fans per hour.
All turnstiles serve both Upper and Lower Tiers. Tickets with a yellow strip are for the Upper tier. Tickets with a black strip are for the Lower tier. Tickets have recently been redesigned, and the perforated strip removed, significantly lessening the chance of tickets becoming lodged in the turnstiles. Engineers will be on hand to quickly resolve any turnstile malfunction on the morning of the match, also, and extra stewards will be deployed to prevent overcrowding. The barrier configuration at the turnstiles has also been changed recently to improve the away fan experience.
We have been allocated 1,947 seats in the Upper Tier and 966 seats in the Lower. Once through the turnstiles, fans are filtered onto the concourse and directed to the correct entrances for their seats. Howard’s Bar is open inside the away end from 9.00am and is fully accessible for disabled and ambulant fans. Concessions in the accessible area are cash only.
The away ticket office is 25 yards from the away turnstiles, and duplicate tickets can be collected from next to the turnstiles. Stewards from Leeds United and Spurs will be on hand to help.
Bags and facilities
Bags sized A4 and under are permitted. Inside the ground, ladies’ toilets will be managed so, gents, use your own toilets please.
Most kiosks inside the away end take cards, but some satellite kiosks are cash only, so best to have some notes on you to avoid disappointment!
After the game
There are no plans for a hold-back after the game, in line with usual practice.
Shuttle buses start running on the final whistle and will leave as soon as each one is full. The buses run from the Metro Park. Elland Road car parks take about 30-45 minutes to empty out.
So, key things to take from this are to arrive as early as you possibly can. The gates open at 10.30am, with shuttle buses running from 9.30am. LUFC also asked us to stress not to travel to Elland Road without a valid match ticket. Fans will be asked to show their tickets when entering the Elland Road campus and spotters are actively watching for any transactions with touts on the perimeter. Any tickets bought from touts will be deactivated, with admission denied
All that’s left is to say safe travels and here’s to three points on Saturday.
COYS
Martin Cloake and Katrina Law
THST Board
24 February 2022