Designing Yorkshire’s stadiums | Q&A with Amanda Cook
Place Yorkshire caught up with the founder of Design Tonic to discuss the company’s launch of its DT Sports brand and the work it’s carried out at the Headingley and Elland Road stadiums.
When and why did you decide to launch DT Sports as a separate arm to Design Tonic?
When we started Design Tonic we won projects with local clubs Leeds United Football Club and Yorkshire County Cricket Club, and this allowed us to start to target other sporting clubs. We quickly built up a portfolio of clients including Manchester United and Nottingham Forest. In 2024, we saw that this was a growth market for us so decided to launch DT sports, which allowed us to have a dedicated resource supporting the clubs.
Our ROI model offers clubs a fully costed design and a pay-back period, which helps with future planning.
Which sports-led projects have stood out the most for you so far and what have you worked on in Yorkshire, specifically?
LUFC will always be stand out due to the passion we see throughout the club and supporters, and the great feedback we get. The relationship now spans more than 10 years.
We have completed multiple projects, notably the Eddie Gray and Peacock suites which opened last year and provide a silver service open-pass cooking experience.
Last summer we completed £2m of work for Nottingham Forest in a very tight window – it was a huge undertaking but we opened on time and on budget.
So far, what elements of the stadiums have you worked on?
We have worked on a range of areas, from changing rooms to boxes to offices to gyms and bespoke hospitality areas.
What are the main differences that come into play when designing a space in a sports venue compared to offices or retail spaces?
When working with sports clubs it’s a multi-tiered design approach, where we are not just looking at what the spaces looks like but importantly how it functions on a match day, conference, and private hire day.
We consider how the waiting staff will serve, the journey of the food, the bar set up, the AV set up. We make every space multi-functional so as to catch match and non-match day settings. We even look after the catering facilities, installing professional kitchens. At LUFC last season we installed dry-aging chambers and micro-herb growing cabinets.
Whilst there are many similarities with office design in terms of meeting all technical and regulatory specifications, we have an extra level of detail around making sure the operations on the day work efficiently.
DTS has worked with Leeds United for a decade now. Will you be designing any more spaces for the club during its upcoming stadium expansion? If so, what can you tell us about it?
We are working with the club again this season on multiple projects across Elland Road and the training ground, all of which will be revealed for the first game of the season. LUFC love a grand reveal, as do we!
Click on any image to launch gallery
- A glimpse into the Peacock and Eddie Gray Suites at Elland Road. All images credited to Design Tonic/LUFC
What are the main challenges involved when working on a stadium project? And on the flip side, what are the ‘best bits’?
As we are beholden to the closed-season window and any other friendly’s or bookings the club may have, the on-site window is really short and we have to be open for the first game.
It’s a massive management piece, from design to materials to furnishings, and there are lots of bodies on site! Our team excels at this, but we all breathe a sigh of relief once the season begins again.
The best bits are seeing the spaces in use; its fantastic to see people enjoying what we have done, and hearing all the positive feedback. Its also great to hear how the clubs often sell out the spaces making that ROI model effective.
What are the main trends in sports-led interior design at the moment?
We are moving into softer materials and styles – stadiums are not just match day venues anymore. They need to pick up conference, concert, and other non-match day trade, so we look to make spaces more attractive to things such as wedding bookings.
We do this by using softer colour pallets, nodding to club colours rather than shouting them. We ensure that they have cutting edge AV facilities, while lighting plays a key part in being able to adjust to different settings and moods. Greenery is still a key trend as its can really lift and soften a space.
And what trends do you think are on the horizon in the next few years?
Sustainability and organic materials will be a key trend using recycled and trace source products, where possible working with the existing building fabric.
Curves are sexy! The addition of softer curved lines through furniture or bespoke joinery really soften a space. Timeless neutral pallets are back, rather than industrial tones – walnuts and oaks play a big part, as do soft texture wall coverings and soft dressing like rugs and wool based additions.
And looking to the future – what is DT Sports looking to target?
We will continue to grow not just the sports market but the venue market. We have recently completed the Seat Unique VIP club at the Co-op Live, which has been received incredibly well. Lots of racecourses need our help too!
The ‘experience’ market is fast overtaking the luxury goods market, where people want to experience things with their friends, clients and families, creating lasting memories.
