Leeds United Foundation Ups and Downs Café at Elland Road 2026

Key points

• The Leeds United Foundation continues its Ups and Downs Café, a weekly drop‑in session at Elland Road for supporters aged 18 and over.​
• The café runs every Wednesday from 2 pm to 4 pm and is free to attend, offering a safe, welcoming environment to discuss the emotional highs and lows of being a Leeds United fan.​
• The project is funded through the Premier League and PFA Players’ Fund, which supports club charities across England and Wales in tackling social isolation and improving wellbeing.​
• Sessions combine light‑hearted activities such as quizzes, supporter‑led discussions about Leeds United’s past and present, and occasional visits from former and current players.​
• Leeds legend Lucas Radebe recently attended a session, sharing stories from his time captaining the club and reinforcing how football can act as a “lifeline against loneliness and social isolation,” according to the Foundation’s coverage.​
• Attendees report reduced loneliness, stronger social connections, improved mental wellbeing, and greater physical activity via wider Leeds United Foundation programmes.​
• The café is presented as an inclusive space for all adult supporters, whether lifelong fans or relatively new to the club, and is overseen by the Leeds United Foundation’s wider health and wellbeing team.

Leeds (The Leeds Times) March 17, 2026 – A weekly drop‑in café at Elland Road continues to offer a lifeline for Leeds United supporters battling loneliness and emotional strain, as the Leeds United Foundation extends its run of the Ups and Downs Café.​

Open every Wednesday from 2 pm to 4 pm, the café provides a free, informal space for adults aged 18 and over to meet fellow fans, share stories, and find support through the shared emotional rollercoaster of following the club. Sessions are held at the Leeds United Foundation’s base at Elland Road and are described by the Foundation as part of its wider mission to enhance mental and physical wellbeing and reduce social isolation across the local community.

What is the Ups and Downs Café?

The Ups and Downs Café is a weekly social group run by the Leeds United Foundation, the official charity of Leeds United Football Club. It is designed specifically around the experiences of supporters, using the club’s highs and lows as a talking point to encourage connection rather than isolation.

As reported by the Leeds United Foundation’s own news team, the café is “free for anyone aged 18 or above” and aims to create

“a warm space for people to connect over the shared highs and lows of being a Leeds United supporter.”

The Foundation emphasises that the space is safe and welcoming, explicitly inviting both long‑standing supporters and newer fans to attend.​

How does the café help mental health and wellbeing?

The Leeds United Foundation frames the Ups and Downs Café within its broader health and wellbeing remit, which includes tackling loneliness and sadness across all age groups.

The Foundation notes that the café complements other initiatives such as the Corner Flag Café, Veterans’ Extra Time Café and an over‑50s social club, all of which seek to provide social anchors for people who might otherwise feel isolated.

According to the Foundation’s coverage, feedback from attendees highlights several benefits: reduced loneliness, stronger social connections, improved mental wellbeing, and increased physical activity through engagement with other Foundation‑run programmes. The organisation treats these outcomes as evidence that football can be more than a sport; it can become a “bridge to new connections” and a practical tool for community care.

Who funds and supports the café?

The Ups and Downs Café is funded through the Premier League and PFA Players’ Fund, which supports club charities across England and Wales in delivering wellbeing‑focused projects. As described in the Foundation’s article, this national fund has backed “hundreds of thousands of participants nationwide” by targeting mental and physical wellbeing and reducing loneliness, aims that directly mirror the ethos of the Ups and Downs sessions.​

The Leeds United Foundation is incorporated as a charity and has existed in some form since 2010, evolving from an earlier “Football in the Community” initiative into a full‑scale community organisation.

The Foundation states that its work is organised under three main themes—health, education, and participation—each responding to needs identified within the local community.​

What happens at the Wednesday sessions?

Each Wednesday session at the Ups and Downs Café blends informal socialising with structured activities. As outlined by the Foundation’s news team, typical elements include quizzes and supporter‑led activities, discussions themed around Leeds United’s past and present, and occasional appearances by former or current players.​

One of the recent highlights, according to the Foundation’s coverage, was a visit from club legend Lucas Radebe, who shared personal stories from his time as captain of Leeds United. The Foundation writes that his appearance “resonated strongly with the group” and reinforced how football can act as a “lifeline against loneliness and social isolation,” linking the star’s experience to the everyday supporters in the room.​

How does the café fit into the Foundation’s wider work?

The Leeds United Foundation presents the Ups and Downs Café as one pillar of a broader network of mental‑health and social‑inclusion initiatives.

These include the Corner Flag Café—run at Leeds Playhouse in partnership with Leeds City Council’s Peer Support Service—as well as the Veterans’ Extra Time Café and an over‑50s social club, all of which address loneliness in different demographics.

In a separate profile of the Corner Flag Café, journalists at Leeds Playhouse noted that Rachel Newman, Simon Wood and Sophie Dales lead that project at Leeds United Foundation, highlighting the role of peer support and local authority partnership in the charity’s approach.

The Playhouse piece describes how the Corner Flag Café aims to create a “conversational space” around football and community, echoing the kind of work the Foundation attributes to the Ups and Downs Café.​

Why is a club‑based café important for fans?

Localized reporting and Foundation statements both stress that following a football club can be emotionally intense, particularly for lifelong supporters who have experienced years of on‑pitch ups and downs. The Ups and Downs Café is designed to acknowledge those emotional swings not as a weakness, but as a shared experience that can be discussed openly.

As the Leeds United Foundation’s article notes, the café is open to people who attend “on their own or with a friend,” and does not require fans to be “lifelong” supporters. This inclusivity is framed as central to the project’s success, enabling newer fans and those who may feel disconnected from traditional supporter networks to find a foothold within the club’s community.​

How can people join or find out more?

Anyone interested in attending the Ups and Downs Café can do so without charge by turning up to Elland Road on a Wednesday afternoon, as the sessions are open to all adults aged 18 and over. The Foundation also provides contact details for those who want to learn more or refer others, advising people to call 0113 367 6014 or email the Foundation’s general contact address.​

The Foundation’s coverage stresses that the café is not a formal therapy group but a community‑led space where people can

“chat, laugh and share their thoughts”

in a low‑pressure environment. By keeping the tone informal and the barrier to entry low, the club‑run charity aims to reach supporters who might otherwise avoid more clinical or structured support services.

What does this mean for Leeds and fan culture?

Several local and club‑focused outlets have highlighted how initiatives such as the Ups and Downs Café reflect a growing recognition of the emotional toll that modern football fandom can take. The Leeds United Foundation’s emphasis on wellbeing, combined with funding from the Premier League and PFA Players’ Fund, suggests that clubs are increasingly expected to respond to community needs beyond match‑day performances.

At the same time, community‑based cultural organisations such as Leeds Playhouse note that stories about Leeds United and its supporters often foreground resilience and collective bonding, themes that the café’s title—“Ups and Downs”—directly echoes.

Taken together, these strands indicate that the Ups and Downs Café is not only a practical support measure, but also a symbolic gesture linking the club’s history to the everyday lives of its supporters.

Write‑ups by the Leeds United Foundation’s own news team portray the café as a simple yet effective way to “inspire and support” those who live in the club’s catchment area, using the common language of football to break down social barriers. In doing so, the project underscores a wider trend where football clubs are increasingly seen as community hubs, not just entertainment venues.

How has reaction been among attendees and partners?

While the main coverage comes from the club’s own channels, the Foundation’s article includes anonymised feedback from participants that points to tangible personal benefits.

As reported in the Foundation’s write‑up, attendees describe reduced loneliness, stronger social ties and improved mental wellbeing, alongside greater participation in physical‑activity programmes run by the charity.​

The Premier League and PFA Players’ Fund, which backs projects like this across the country, is cited by the Foundation as a key enabler of this kind of community work.

A broader explainer on the Fund’s role, as noted in related coverage, shows that it has supported hundreds of thousands of people nationwide through club‑based wellbeing initiatives, reinforcing the idea that the Ups and Downs Café sits within a much larger national effort.

What might the future hold for the café?

The Foundation’s current article makes clear that the Ups and Downs Café is not a one‑off pilot but an ongoing weekly offer, suggesting that the project is regarded as a stable part of the charity’s portfolio. The wider Leeds United Foundation website indicates that the charity continually adapts its activities to local need, implying that the café could evolve in format or reach if evidence supports expansion.