My Visit to the Home of the Gods
by Chang Tou Yuen
You've seen it a thousand times on your TV sets and it's as familiar as your very own living room.
I'm referring to Elland Road of course, and I was fortunate enough to pay a visit to the home of my favourite team recently.
Although I was hoping to catch a home game at Elland Road, the short time I had during my business trip to UK did not permit me that joy. So I did the next best thing -- a visit to that hallowed ground to roam the hallways and dressing room.
For just 5 pounds, I got my money's worth for a full two hours.
As a bonus, John McCelland -- the defensive star from our championship team in 1992 -- guides all guests on the Elland Road tour. That morning, our tour party was about 12 strong, comprising mainly of locals as well as a father-uncle-son team from Gibraltar.
The first stop was the pressroom where reporters from the daily newspapers would congregate to watch the game and prepare their match reports. However, their counterparts from the radio stations are not as fortunate. These blokes have to sit along the ceiling of the main stand which offers a good view but likely to be freezing cold during winter.
From there, we made our way down to the touchline, but not before stopping by David O'Leary's and Peter Risdale's seats in the grandstand. DOL's seat is equipped with a phone that connects him straight to the bench on the pitch. I could imagine him barking orders to Brian Kidd to tell Hartey to get a move on.
What struck me most about the grandstand was that a lot of the seats are reserved for corporate sponsors. While this is an inevitable part of the modern game, it certainly makes it tougher for regular fans to purchase tickets.
Getting to sit on the home bench was a treat but the surprising revelation was the poor view. Unless he stands up, I realized that there is no way DOL could see what happens at the far end of the pitch.
You'll expect that the boss would at least command a seat with a good view of the game.
Probably the most thrilling part of the tour is when you enter the bowels of Elland Road itself and walk the hallways of the Board and Peter Risdale. Here, you get a view of the trophy cabinet (sadly empty) as well as the various English, Scottish, Welsh & Irish caps won by our lads in recent years.
You'll also get a trip down memory lane with the display of all the previous United kits and those of the famous European teams to have graced Elland Road, like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Anderlect and Lazio.
In fact, John related a story to show us just how keen most of the players are to get their hands on kits belonging to famous opponents.
In a previous match between Germany and Ireland, many of the Irish players showed a sudden keen interest in marking Karl Heinz Rummenigge towards the 89th minute. The motive was obvious to grab the famous No 11 German shirt. Sure enough, 4 Irish players made a beeline for Rummenigge at the final whistle but only for him to wave them all away. Unknown to the rest, John had already agreed to exchange jerseys with Rummenigge before the game began. He may not have been the fastest of players, but he certainly was one of the smartest.
Two other interesting stops on the tour were the International Honour Roll & the players' dressing room.
The Roll is a grand plaque listing all the Leeds players who had represented their countries during their stint at Elland Road. While the list for the England team was obviously the longest, a quick glance at the "Others" column shows some interesting and varied destinations like South Africa, Norway, Ghana, Australia and France.
I wondered if we would ever see an Asian country on the list. Indeed, would Singapore ever make it to the Roll in the future?
The final and most anticipated stop was the home dressing room. It was a surprisingly small but tidy room. If you ask me, it certainly doesn't look like it could accommodate 16 players and the coaches. There was a simple bench, a whiteboard, two treatment tables, a shower room and a tiny corner with a smaller whiteboard and a small bench (probably for the substitutes). Everything was in the club colours of course. And hung up was the entire collection of jerseys for the first team -- XXL for Ferdinand and Viduka no less.
John was an awesome host throughout the tour and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience. When it was officially over, we both had a lunch of fish & chips at the Elland Road staff cafeteria to catch up (I first met John back in 1997 during my first trip to ER).
He than took me on a tour of the Lurpak Stand which houses all the corporate boxes. If a corporate sponsor like British Airways splashes out for a box, their guests and staff would get lunch, snacks and drinks in a spacious and cosy area boasting a splendid view.
I was also shown the back office of Leeds United PLC and what they do to keep the club ticking. Like most organizations, United has a Public Relations department (very busy folk!), a Marketing team, an Internet & IT department, Banqueting department and of course, the ticketing staff.
A visit to Elland Road is never complete without a visit to the Club Store. If you're into everything Leeds United, this is definitely the place to be trapped in. From jerseys to underwear, pillow cases to video tapes, fans can literally dress their entire family and home with the Blue, Yellow and White of our favorite club.
So whether you are in England for business or pleasure, I would strongly recommend a visit to Elland Road. Like me, I'm sure you will find that the time and money spent on that long trek up north will be more than worth the effort.
Directions from London
Catch a GNER (Great North East Rail) train from London's King Cross/St Pancreas Station. On weekdays, the most ideal time would be at 0704am & 0750am. It takes about 2 to 2.5 hours to reach Leeds but the cost is quite high -- 124 pounds for a return trip. At the Leeds Station, walk to the nearby Kirkgate Market to catch Bus 51, 52 or 53 and in just four minutes, you'll be at Elland Road. The bus trip costs 1.70 pound return. The Elland Road tour starts at around 10.30am.
Enjoy!
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