WREXHAM owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds plan to develop the club’s SToK Racecourse home in to a stadium with up to 55,000 seats.
The Red Dragons will be playing in League One next season after back-to-back promotions and attracting a worldwide fan-base following the success of the FX docuseries ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ and the presence of their Hollywood A-listers.
But Wrexham’s historic ground only holds around 12,600 fans at present, with a temporary stand currently standing on the derelict Kop end behind one goal.
“We have a plan in place right now that would work from stand to stand so eventually you get all four sides,” McElhenney said in an interview with entertainment website Collider.
“It’s hard to say for sure, but we think we could get between 45,000 and 55,000 people in there.”
To which Reynolds added: “Like the whole town could come to a game.”
McElhenney and Reynolds, however, expressed frustration with “bureaucratic red tape” over UK building regulations.
“Of course safety concerns and all those regulations are in place for a reason, but then some things just seem hurdles for hurdles’ sake,” McElhenney said.
“It’s a lot harder to build in the UK than I have found almost anywhere else in the world.
“Getting to the Premier League is the ultimate goal – and staying in the Premier League so it’s sustainable.
“But only doing it in a fashion that the community supports because there are all sorts of ways to succeed.
“We feel that there are only a few paths to be ethically viable to do so.”
Issues have delayed the pairs plans to redevelop the Kop stand into a new 5,500 seater stand.
MOST READ:
- Rolling roadblock planned on A483 this evening - here's when and where it starts
- Wrexham McDonald's drive-thru plans could go ahead despite traffic concerns
- Road to remain closed 'for the foreseeable future' following fire at chemical plant
The new Kop was meant to be in place for the start of the 2024/25 season but there is no current timeline on when work will start.
The temporary Kop was put in place following the confirmation of delays to the development of the new stand.
Wrexham’s Racecourse ground is the world’s oldest international football stadium that still hosts matches, having staged its first Wales home game in 1877.
Developing the stadium significantly would almost certainly result in Wales returning to Wrexham on a more regular basis.
Wales’ senior men’s team have only played at the Racecourse twice since 2009, low-profile friendlies against Trinidad & Tobago and Gibraltar.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here