Football League World
·11 November 2024
Football League World
·11 November 2024
FLW compare Elland Road's attendance against QPR to the rest of the Championship.
Leeds United bounced back with a crucial victory over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday afternoon, reclaiming second place in the table with a gritty three points in front of 36,011 fans in attendance.
Leeds boss Daniel Farke made three changes to the line-up that lost in South London, with two being tactical decisions and the other enforced due to Junior Firpo's retrospective three-match suspension for violent conduct in the final moments of the game.
Mateo Joseph and Manor Solomon came in for Joel Piroe and Dan James after their nine-match unbeaten run came to an end with a loss to Millwall on Wednesday, which was a blow to their promotion push after a second league defeat of the campaign.
Leeds started the better and Jayden Bogle’s first-half goal put them ahead before a stoppage-time finish from Piroe from the bench ensured Farke's men returned to winning ways against a struggling QPR side with a 2-0 win at Elland Road.
Despite Leeds dominating and creating plenty of chances, they found it tough to break through for the most part until Piroe’s late strike sealed the result and kept them in close pursuit of league leaders Sunderland, with the likes of Sheffield United and Burnley also in the mix.
The Whites have now been back in the second tier for two seasons, having been relegated from the Premier League in 2023, but are among the sides with the most tickets sold every week, both home and away.
Per Transfermarkt, Leeds have the second-highest attendance so far in the league, with Sunderland the only team ahead of them at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland have averaged 40,738, whilst Leeds are near their capacity with 36,244 at Elland Road so far.
No other club has averaged higher than 30,000, with the likes of Derby County and Sheffield United the closest to Leeds at around the 30,000 mark, but not quite reaching it.
Leeds' attendances dwarf many teams on a weekly basis. Whilst last season, Elland Road was a fortress and one of the toughest places to go in the Championship all season, meaning Leeds fans have absolutely received value for money in this period.
It has been regularly full to the rafters in recent seasons, and close to capacity now for the best part of six years in both the Championship and Premier League.
They also have over 20,000 supporters on a season ticket waiting list and have had to reverse a planned increase in price following that recent demotion. Leeds' hierarchy recently revealed their plans to move the stadium's capacity up from 37,645 to near to 53,000.
Leeds' 2024/25 average so far is 36,244 but 36,011 were in attendance on Saturday for their 15th matchday of the season, and their sixth win at Elland Road so far as well.
Derby County's 29,652, Norwich City's 26,423, and Sheffield United's 31,127 in attendance for the Steel City derby were the closest attendances to Leeds outside of the 43,374 spectators at the Stadium of Light to see Sunderland's 2-2 draw with Coventry City.
Each of the other Championship games, including Burnley against Swansea City, Hull City against West Brom, Portsmouth against Preston North End, and Middlesbrough against Luton Town, had between 18,000 and 24,000 fans present to watch.
It's unlikely that Leeds dip below 36,000 very often this season, with Sunderland's recent crowds highlighting why Leeds also require a larger stadium in the coming seasons, especially if they are promoted to the Premier League this season.