Rethink for Wrexham AFC’s stadium redevelopment

The Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney-owned football club has said that, alongside the council, it is reimagining plans to build a new Kop for the Racecourse Ground in order to make the stadium a “year-round destination”.

Wrexham AFC had meant to complete a 5,500-seat stand for the stadium, now known as StōK Cae Ras through a sponsorship deal, in time for the 2024-2025 season. The club had even appointed Morgan Sindall Construction as the main contractor for the scheme. However, work has yet to begin.

Instead, the club released a statement saying that it would extend the existing temporary stand to accommodate roughly 700 more seats – allowing 3,000 fans to cheer on the football team from there.

As for the Kop plans, which were drawn up by AFL Architects – those are getting a pause for now. However, the club did state that it has agreements in principle to purchase the land needed for the project.

“The club and Wrexham Council have also reassessed the stadium development plans, particularly the new Kop, to ensure they deliver the best possible fan experience and provide the most value to the community,” the club said.

“We plan to focus on making the stadium a year-round destination, not just a match-day venue, which will drive significant economic impact for the city of Wrexham.”

Wrexham Council Leader Cllr Mark Pritchard said: “The football club’s ambition and continued commitment to its fans and the wider community – driven by the passion of Rob and Ryan – is inspiring and we welcome their statement about continued progress on the redevelopment of the StōK Cae Ras.

“We’re delighted to be working with Wrexham AFC and key partners to help the StōK Cae Ras become a year-round destination that will bring significant benefits to the local economy,” Pritchard continued.

“These are exciting times for Wrexham and we look forward to working with the club to further develop proposals for the stadium.”

A new Kop had been part of a wider Wrexham Gateway development, which would see the building of a 400-space multi-storey car park, a convention centre, and a hotel.

Wrexham Gateway is being delivered in partnership between Wrexham AFC, the Welsh Government, Glyndwr University, Wrexham County Council, Transport for Wales, and the Football Association for Wales.

The project won a £25m grant from the Welsh government last year.

You can learn more about the old plans for the stadium – which had been set to include a 500-seat hospitality space, exhibition area, club shop, and club offices – by searching application reference number 2022/0725 on Wrexham’s planning portal.