With Paraag Marathe considering investing in Glasgow Rangers backed by 49ers Enterprises, Leeds United could face the prospect of being part of a multi club arrangement or if promoted, sold to the highest bidder.

It is being reported that the 49ers are looking at taking advantage of the NFL rule change to sell 10% of the franchise that they value at $9b, increasing the value of their remaining shares and releasing capital either to enrich the York family or to add further investments to their portfolio as venture capitalists. Indeed they could buy Rangers ten times over with the released funds.

With the abject failure of last season's promoted clubs, our promotion would necessitate substantial player investment and clear, open, and effective governance from the owners. With 82 clubs in Europe being part of cross investment relationships already, the zeitgeist is a vision of large multi club groupings controlling football. The more widespread the multi club strategy becomes the more the success stories will come to be out numbered by the failures. With this expansion it is vital to be the largest club in any such arrangement(A) What guarantees would we get from the 49ers ? 

After the Red Bull investment and the public promises made by the 49ers representatives as to its scope and their stated long term commitment to Leeds United with the proposed ground expansion, it is important to consider the veracity of their statements, particularly when our tradition, identity and indeed survival could be at stake. Also to scrutinise their historic activities and promises in particular their dealings with the City of Santa Clara and the 49ers supporters.

Unusually, there has been no deep dive by Leeds Supporters into the background of the San Francisco 49ers, maybe due to an increasing cultural overlap with the USA, or perhaps the opportunity to be in the portfolio of one of the world's 15 richest sporting organisations after a series of chancers has been welcomed with few questions. Success too, as we know to our cost, can blind us to ownership failings.

What's in a name?

The San Francisco 49ers are no longer based in the San Francisco Metropolitan area having moved to Santa Clara, the equivalent of LUFC moving to Manchester, which at the time made them the team that plays the furthest away from the advertised home city.

Their previous home at Candlestick Park, the venue of the last Beatles concert, was dilapidated and according to one supporter's choice phrase

 'Suffered from a sulfurous stench that would just about knock a buzzard off a honey wagon'. 

It was known colloquially as Candlestink Park, a sobriquet more popular amongst supporters than any of its five commercial name changes.

From a business point of view it was based in Hunters Point, an area of extreme poverty and not conducive to following the 49ers mantra of hearts, minds, and wallets.

Initially the 49ers did talk to the elected officials of San Francisco, but their demands were viewed as excessive and when put to the voters they were rejected. Instead the San Francisco 49ers turned their attention away from their roots, to Santa Clara, which not surprisingly had the highest median income on the West Coast with an median income of over $100k. This has enabled the 49ers to charge the second highest average ticket prices in the NFL but also they generate an extra $210.31 (£164 ) in commercial revenue (1 ). This has led to the equivalent of our English prawn sandwich opprobrium, with opposition fans calling 49ers supporters 'wine and cheese' fans. A considerable number of supporters from around their previous home have been squeezed out by this new affluent supporter. Tickets for the upcoming game in the equivalent of our North East Corner are on sale at $537.50 ( £416) on the 49ers website.

The move from their heartland attracted much criticism by taking income away from an impoverished area and their audacity in keeping the name San Francisco 49er's. Senator Feinstein tried to stop them 

'49ers is the tradition of the City. San Francisco is the city of the gold rush. This has been with us for 100 years. You cannot move to Santa Clara and call yourself a 49er. You are not. And you certainly cannot call yourself the San Francisco 49ers. You are not.' (2)

The 49ers in the minds of many San Francisco residents had appropriated the name.

The whole move however was made sweeter by $810m from the City of Santa Clara to build the Levi stadium and it is estimated in 10 years the stadium has generated $2b for the local economy. This figure was produced by the 49ers and has been disputed by two economists Bradbury and Noll who said the figure defies 'conventional wisdom about economic measures'. (3)

The stadium was advertised as the world's most high tech with 400 miles of data cables to ensure 'guests' remained connected. Apps allow fans to locate the nearest parking space, get food delivered to their seats , and which toilets have the shortest queues. The New York Times said 'welcome to the smart stadium'. Light years ahead of the facilities at Elland Road, although there has been an upgrade of the toilets ! If our stadium expansion goes ahead it is certain that there will be no contribution from Leeds City Council and the funds will have to come from the 49ers at least in part. The appointment of Elevate, who have a reputation in the field of naming rights, would indicate that the days of the stadium just being called Elland Road would be numbered.

Promises Promises

Superficially the stadium would seem a success story for the City. However the figures provide a veneer for the arguments, litigation, broken promises, and even political intrigue that have followed the 49ers. One supporter said about the family that own the 49ers

 'The Yorks have brought about deep seated trust issues that only alcohol and therapy can combat'.

Lisa Gillmor was the spokesperson for the Yes vote to provide the monies to the 49ers in 2008. She is now mayor of Santa Clara. Writing to LUSN she said that

  'every promise the 49ers made they have subsequently broke'(4)

 'reports and tons of news stories about their bad, and dishonest dealings with our city' (5)

Rapacious Corporatocracy in Yorktown

Rent has not been paid, it has been claimed the 49ers have not paid their fair share of public safety costs, and they have entered litigation on many occasions against the City, losing many times and in one case the Judge increased their liability by $262k per annum. Having little joy through legal processes, or as Lisa Gillmor says  'instead of keeping their promises'(6), the owner Jed York attempted another strategy, political interference. He initially sank $2.4m into getting 4 councillors elected with extensive negative advertising (7) . The normal spend would be between $10k and $40K per seat, leading an opinion piece to say this wasn't even David v Goliath, the candidates were up against the Death Star.

The councillors known as 49ers'  Five were able to remove the City Attorney who had successfully stopped the 49ers from lowering their own rent, saving the City of Santa Clara $170m (8) and the City manager. Even a Grand Jury raised concerns about the five's unrecorded meetings with 49ers' lobbyists. The five were able to push through an agreement lowering 49ers' costs which the Santa Clara mayor called 'a loan shark deal' (9)

Lisa confirmed to us that 

'the local Grand Jury just issued 2 more reports on the 49ers' 5 and the origins of the stadium deal and how the 49ers' owners outplayed our public from the beginning' (10)

Not all Jed York's Machiavellian intrigues have been successful, his attempt to swing the mayoral contest, and remove Lisa Gillmor, now a major critic, by substantial financial contribution, failed. (11)

Grace Hase's insightful investigative article on the financial interference by the 49ers into Santa Clara elections for San Francisco Bay Area's largest newspaper publisher (Bay Area News Group) revealed that they had paid $224 per registered voter, some $13.1m ,to obtain political influence and, ultimately, control in Santa Clara. Their $1.04 m however paid to stop Lisa Gillmor becoming Mayor was unsuccessful and she remains an obstacle to the 49ers coterie. (12)

Grace spoke to Michael Butterworth from the University of Texas who said

' We are beholden to Corporate Interests, money interests and power sources that don't necessarily have the general public's welfare in mind'

Lisa Gillmor explained to Grace that 

'to have one special interest in your community, just to take over and dictate what the future is going to be in your City is alarming'

Christian Pellecchia, a candidate who faced the millions of the 49ers said (13)

 'Nobody wanted to run against my opponent because of the fear of the 49ers' 'It's disgusting. Money like that has never been in Santa Clara' 

'The fact that it's happening right before our eyes, everybody sees it, just makes the situation so much worse. It's happening in plain sight' 

No wonder many residents have taken to calling Santa Clara, York Town with the interference that the City had surrendered to the Yorks. This is rapacious corporatocracy.

The Grand Jury report states that the 49ers have now put $7.5m into skewing elections leading to (14)

'divisiveness, distrust and rancour among City leaders and garnered distrust from the residents'

Jed York, who is on the Companies House Register as a person with significant control at Leeds United has also been accused of insider trading, defrauding investors, and covering up a cheating scandal in college exams in a company called Chegg. (15) Jed York claimed that lawsuits were 'frivolous' and the 49ers stated that they were

' proud of the work they accomplished in providing scholarships for first generation students' but ignored the central charges.

A quick search of the leaked Paradise papers seems to show that the DeBartolo York family have links to five offshore Trusts based in St Kitts and Nevis, and Bermuda.(16)

Disability and Age Discrimination

There isn't much solace for our disabled supporters either. The 49ers after years of contesting the claims, had to pay $24m for discriminating against disabled supporters, who were unable to buy accessible tickets online and had to visit the stadium, suffering a severe shortage of disabled parking spaces, and the gradients in the ground mean wheelchairs would roll around. The case action Nevarez v 49er football co (5:16- CV -07013) evidenced that disabled supporters were denied equal access to facilities, services, seating, parking and amenities. The settlement is one of the largest disability discrimination payout with each disabled fan receiving a minimum of $4000 dollars per game (17)

This is not the only case involving the 49ers as they had previously removed a supporter with his service dog and confiscated his ID causing the spectator to be hospitalised after a seizure brought on by his treatment. There was an out of court settlement.(18)

This seemingly antipathy to disability may be an underlying reason behind Leeds United's recent treatment of their disabled supporters throughout last season and particularly at the Play Off final. Perhaps there is an ingrained culture of disability discrimination in the organisation.

However, discrimination and the 49ers did not stop there, another out of court settlement saw them involved an age discrimination case where senior staff had said to older employees 'how long do you intend to work here ' 'lets go with the younger one' and referred to them as 'legacy employees'. (19,20)

Maybe there is no correlation but our disabled supporters saw substantial increases in their ticket prices this season, initial denial of tickets for their Personal Assistants for the Play off final and charging for PAs for an away game when the home club did not charge. Their representative organisation, LUDO, does not even have an elected official on the Supporters Advisory Board.

Supporter Costs

Ominously Lisa Gillmor in her correspondence said that 

'there are thousands of disgruntled fans who are now completely priced out of attending games or events such as football, soccer, or concerts because of their pricing structure' (21)

Indeed, checking the prices for the 49ers opening game of the season, tickets behind the posts are available at $650 (£514) not from the black market but directly from the Club.I  cannot find any disability tickets although these should now be available on line after the Nevarez settlement. Parking is a mere $70 to $140 making the Leeds City Council charges, for once, look reasonable.

An undercover investigation by Gabriel Thompson revealed that many staff were paid less per hour than the cost of a chicken sandwich revealing both the price of food and the low wages paid. (22)

Good Neighbours ?

One of the major attractions for the City and its residents were the promises by the 49ers as to the community benefits. Near to the stadium are 10.8 acres of community football pitches. Jed York said

'we are committed to being a good neighbor to the soccer community' (23)

However the 49ers have spent years trying to gain access to these fields to use as car parking, and made it difficult for players, their families, and supporters to gain access to the site. 

They had also promised to provide a community space in the stadium, initially this was a former storage facility and then a room that lacked windows and capacity. Indeed instead of being free the community is expected to pay for security, guest services, Janitorial services, IT, parking and even rental of the furniture making it inaccessible due to cost.(24)

Virtually all the promises made to attract the funding, according to the Grand Jury report , have been broken and rather than being a partner and friend to the City , they have been 'litigious, fighting the City at every turn'  and with their political majority they have been able to reduce their outgoings to the detriment of Santa Clara and its citizens. The Grand Jury report highlighted how the City of Santa Clara had been outplayed by the 49ers, and this is a salutary warning to Leeds City Council who may also not have the expertise to stand up to the 49ers.

World Cup 2026.

The stadium and the City will play host to several games in the 2026 World Cup bringing revenue to the Cities businesses, and prestige to the City. However, the City was not consulted according to the Grand Jury particularly galling when it is estimated that there could be a loss of $38m or $277 per resident.(25) The 49ers controlled the decision making bodies.

Rather than a clean pair of hands the 49ers have changed the name of their stadium, several times, moved it to a more affluent area from its traditional home, increased prices squeezing out former supporters, discriminated against disabled supporters and older staff, disregarded history when they refused to change their name and indulged in intrigue making some politicians fearful of standing against 49ers candidates. They seem to have little regard for the community, and their promises mean little.

American Investment, Commercialisation, and Bielsa's prophecies.

Amar Singh writing in the Advertising magazine 'The Drum' comments that not only the 49ers, but American investors 'have failed to read the room' when it comes to football 'often leveraging the club for their own benefit' (26) and failing to recognise what is intrinsic to fan culture in the US lacks authenticity in European football. Ironically perhaps having a marketer commenting on football demonstrates itself inauthenticity, but such is the shift in nature of the game that marketing organisations now have more influence than supporters in the running of clubs. Worryingly, for some, he believes that 'fans are changing, football culture is changing'

In distinct contrast, no less than Marcelo Bielsa, believes that this will be short lived, stating '

'this process will be finished' , 'the artificial increase in spectators will end. Football is not just five minutes of highlights. Football is much more than that, it is a cultural expression, it is a way of identification' (27)

But will these deep cultural attachments to football be able to survive the tsunami of the yankee dollar, with some supporters already becoming more receptive to 'brand activity' and commercialisation? (28) Bielsa believes that it is unlikely for the Press to expose any rabid corporatism as Journalists 

' respond to economic interests and protect power ' and protect those ' interests who administer power and distribute the money' 

He directly addressed Journalists ' you keep your mouths shut depending on the power you want to protect'(29)

 Perhaps given the lack of journalistic investigative integrity that Bielsa was highlighting it is not surprising the amount of positive social media activity that was generated following the 49ers simply transferring an asset, in part, to reduce the Corporation Tax bill shows a creeping acceptance without questioning other possible motives. 

The Mayor of Santa Clara gave a salutary warning to the Leeds United Supporters Network that the Bartolo York family made ' a lot of money in real estate' and development of property 'would be of great interest to them' (30) 

Perhaps the adage is true , never trust an owner of a football club.

In contrast, however, the 49ers have brought success on the pitch, reaching the Super Bowl for the first time this year since 2013 before losing narrowly last season. Indeed since the family bought the 49ers they have won the Super Bowl 5 times and lost on 3 further occasions. They have brought substantial income and international recognition to Santa Clara from their state of the art stadium, hosting the 50th Super Bowl in 2016 with an average 112m viewers and they are due to host it again in 2026 bringing prestige, exposure, and income to the City. The Stadium has held concerts by the Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift, and Ed Shereen. It will host games for the 2026 World Cup although it will not be known as the Levi stadium, but the San Francisco Stadium despite not being in San Francisco.

They are the 13th most valuable sporting club in the world, worth $6b which the family bought for only $13m in 1977.(31) They are however trying to inflate that valuation to $9b with the sale of shares.

Indeed they have increased the value of the club by 97% in just 5 years. 

Will they be true to their word about Leeds United? In the midst of the largest public health emergency in a century when partly owned by the 49ers, the Clubs CEO made a pledge after winning the Championship 

'I promise when the time is right we will celebrate in style' 

We are still waiting.

 We have already seen ticket prices increase, difficulties with disabled fans , cancellations of under 11 discounts, some of the Club's operations moving to the affluent suburbs, no spades in the ground at Elland Road or even ownership of the land for the expansion. Worryingly David Lombardi, a reporter with the New York Times and close to the 49ers executive, visited Elland Road and drew comparisons to Candlestick Park (32). With the two new members of the Board coming from a Real Estate Background, the Leeds United Board is now dominated by property developers which may lead question marks over the future of Elland Road particularly with the restrictive covenant of the land behind the Gelderd End.

One of the criticisms levelled at the York family ownership of the 49ers is 'they dial back spending' which seemingly happened with the sale of players at Leeds and little expenditure on inward transfers in the last close season which has been largely forgotten with the success of the signings. An explanation of this is given by two writers Pavlovic and Roche, who say the Yorks view themselves as Venture Capitalists with a portfolio of over 40 companies and having a primary goal centred on the overall growth of this portfolio rather than winning in the sporting arena.(33) This is not a strategy that will ensure survival in Premier League. Our promotion would see a substantial increase in the Club's value which would be a tidy return for their investors and a good recruitment message for future speculations, but a mirror of the NFL strategy would be likely to ensure relegation.

Time will tell .

 1. Santa Clara, California (CA) income map, earnings map, and wages data (city-data.com)

 2. When Is a 49er Not a 49er? Team’s Plans Stir an Outcry - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

 3. Sports stadiums don't spur economic growth, Stanford expert says | Stanford Report

 4. Direct message on Linkedin Dated June 14 from the Mayor of Santa Clara.

 5. Ibid

 6. Ibid

 7. OUTPLAYED (ca.gov) Grand Jury Report on the 49ers

 8. 49er Five Fire Santa Clara City Attorney Brian Doyle — A First in the City’s History; He’s Dismissed for “No Cause” – Santa Clara News Online

 9.49ers Settle Ongoing Lawsuits Against Santa Clara, But Santa Clara’s Mayor Says It’s ‘a Loan-Shark Type Deal’ (sfist.com)

 10.Direct message on Linkedin Dated June 14 from the Mayor of Santa Clara

 11.49ers spend millions to sack Santa Clara mayor - San José Spotlight (sanjosespotlight.com)

 12.49ers paid big money to become political player in Santa Clara: reports Mercury News Grace Hase

 13 49ers spend millions to sack Santa Clara mayor - San José Spotlight (sanjosespotlight.com)

 15.  OUTPLAYED (ca.gov) 

 16.49ers CEO Jed York accused of insider trading (sportsbusinessjournal.com)

 17.Paradise Papers: Secrets of the Global Elite - ICIJ

 18.$24M 49ers Football Stadium Class Action Settlement Gets Final Approval - Top Class Actions

 19.Disabled Man Sues 49ers For Allegedly Barring Service Dog From Stadium - CBS San Francisco (cbsnews.com)

 20.49ers Sued for Age Discrimination | Robert Abell Law

 21.Managers & 49ers Settle Age Discrimination Suit | Courthouse News Service

 22.Direct message on Linkedin Dated June 14 from the Mayor of Santa Clara

 23. I sold beer and hot dogs at the Super Bowl and got paid a pittance. (slate.com)

 24.How Santa Clara’s 49ers honeymoon turned into a poisoned relationship between team and town (sfchronicle.com)

 25. OUTPLAYED (ca.gov) Grand Jury verdict

 25. Ibid

26.Terraces not tailgates: US owners desperately need a new playbook for UK football fans | The Drum

27. Marcelo Bielsa Press Conference July 6 2024

28 .Terraces not tailgates: US owners desperately need a new playbook for UK football fans | The Drum

Hatchet job': 49ers rip Santa Clara County grand jury report on political influence - San José Spotlight (sanjosespotlight.com)

29. Bielsa press conference 13/07/24

30. Direct message on Linkedin Dated June 14 from the Mayor of Santa Clara.

31.. Ranked: The World's Most Valuable Sports Teams in 2024 (visualcapitalist.com)

32. (3) David Lombardi on X: "The 49ers are now full owners of Leeds United, a legendary English soccer club and sleeping giant. On my free time this offseason, @LombardiHerself and I went out to the UK to check out Elland Road, Leeds' version of Candlestick Park: https://t.co/khOgqtUWSH" / X

33. 'How did DeBartolo York Family make its fortune' en.es.com 11th Feb 2024 Calum Roche and Svetozar Pavlovic

a - Oliver Kay New York Times 19/03/2023.