Leeds United's classy touch as plans for multi-million pound Elland Road development edge closer

A huge new community sports hub complete with four state-of-the-art 3G football pitches will be built right next to Elland Road in the coming years.

The plans for the existing Fullerton car park, in the shadow on the John Charles stand, are on Wednesday, September 18. A final design could be signed off before Christmas.

It is expected to cost roughly £8 million in total, with 60 per cent of this figure coming from the Football Foundation's Parklife project. Leeds City Council will contribute the remaining £3.2 million.

But it has also been revealed that Leeds United are preparing to step in to take the project to the next level.

The club have been in talks with the council to say they will fund a roof for one of the football pitches to ensure the entire south Leeds community can benefit from the first-class facilities, whatever the weather.

What can we expect?

The facility will provide four new 3G football pitches complete with floodlights for thousands of amateur footballers.

The current outline plans show provisions for a full-size pitch, a nine-a-side pitch (complete with roof, courtesy of Leeds United) and two five-a-side pitches - but that's not all.

Leeds City Council is planning to more than double the number of floodlit 3G football pitches across the city (Flickr: Soft Surfaces Ltd)

Changing rooms will also be built on site alongside a community café, meeting rooms, a gym, a studio and a 100-space car park.

It is expected that the football pitches will be installed by the summer of 2021.

There could even be a doctors surgery and pharmacy built on site by the time the area is transformed.

Three other sites across Leeds could also benefit from the Parklife scheme, which will fund a total of 10 new 3G sports pitches.

The other locations earmarked for the development are Woodhall Playing Fields near Pudsey, Green Park in Thorpe Park and Boddington Hall at the University of Leeds.

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