A Leeds landlady has revealed what it’s like to run a “hidden gem” Leeds United fan’s pub in the city centre.
The landlady, who did not want to be named for privacy reasons, took charge of the Moot Hall Arms on Mill Hill almost 18 months ago. She overhauled the pub and made it the fan pub it is today.
It’s covered wall to wall in LUFC memorabilia. There’s scarves all over pub and even a custom made one behind the bar which says ‘The Moot LS1 5DQ’.
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Then there’s various versions of the Leeds crest plastered across the venue. The 1970s Smiley badge is coloured in rainbow colours forming the words ‘Marching out Together’ – which the landlady is very proud of as she sees the pub as an inclusive space.
There’s a mural in the smoking area painted by Leeds-fan legend Burley Banksy, with the words ‘Marching on together. Dirty Leeds. All Leeds aren’t we’ and featuring the Smiley badges and the current crest.
“We are a hidden gem,” says the landlady, who became a Leeds fan in her teens after “falling in love watching Gary Speed.” She’s overjoyed with how her pub has gained a good reputation and a strong following in her short tenure there.
She said: “We had four young boys come in and they said ‘We got in the Moot!’ We’re not a cult but it’s ‘The Moot’. Fans on Leeds United pages are always saying to go to The Moot.”
The woman says that fans have come from far and wide to visit the pub, including Australian die-hards the Perth Whites, Texan Leeds fan and she even has a Norwegian as a regular who flies for ever home game and pops in to The Moot every visit.
The landlady said: “We’re very personal on here and I think that’s a good thing. I work with the Leeds United community. You hear all the bad press about football fans but if you came in here on matchday and saw what a real Leeds pub is like, you’d get an idea then of what it’s actually like.”
She’s said they get very little trouble and claims to have never witnessed a physical altercation in the pub. The landlady added the most they ever get are arguments.
She said: “In here we get very little trouble, we have an excellent door security team and even though we’re a pub in town, we have a regular client base. We’re very much a community pub.
“My staff and I are very good at noticing when something is not quite right. The only thing we ever get issues with is handbags – arguing. Not actual physical fights. I can’t actually remember the last time we had any altercations in here to be fair. It’s usually people who’ve had too much to drink!”
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