Huddersfield Town - Galpharm StadiumHUDDERSFIELD TOWN'S stadium was considered a structure of architectural splendour when the doors to the McAlpine Stadium were opened in 1994.
The novel design of the arena was rewarded with the Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize in 1995, an accolade which has since been won by the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh.
* Name: Galpharm Stadium
* Capacity: 24,500
* Record Attendance: 23,678 v Liverpool in December 1999
* Distance from Elland Road: 16 miles
* Year ground opened: 1994
* United's last visit: Never visitedAttractive stadiums are now a familiar site at all levels of professional English football, but Huddersfield's ground was ahead of its time and still retains a unique feel with semi-circular stands surrounding the pitch.
Alfred McAlpine were the main contractors behind the venue's construction, and a deal struck by the company saw the ground named the McAlpine Stadium for 10 years.
In 2004, McAlpine relinquished their sponsorship and allowed Galpharm Healthcare to fill their shoes, providing the stadium with its present name.
The cost of the project was around £40million, although close to £10million was provided by the English Sports Council, English Partnerships, the Football Trust and the Foundation for Sports and Arts. The result was an arena with a capacity of 24,500 which Leeds United will visit for the first time next season.
On the last occasion that United travelled to Huddersfield, in the autumn of 1987, a meagre crowd of 9,085 turned out at Town's former stadium Leeds Road.
That attendance will be easily surpassed on March 25 when the clubs clash at the Galpharm, their first league meeting for 20 years.
The game has already been put back by 24 hours after the Football League's original schedule pencilled the match in for Easter Monday.
United can expect to receive around 4,000 tickets for the Pink Lane Stand, one of the largest allocations likely to come their way next season. Town's match-day prices peak at £22 for adults and £10 for children.
A mere 16 miles from Leeds, the forthcoming trip to the Galpharm Stadium is a welcome contrast to the string of long and demanding journeys forced upon United by their relegation to League One.
The Galpharm is surrounded by a number of low-cost car parks, and a train journey from Leeds is a 20-minute affair. Coming ahead of visits to Leyton Orient, Millwall and Yeovil, the trip to the Galpharm will be light relief for United's regular away followers.
YEP