Wrexham FC completes stadium buy-back, launches Kop consultation
The club has bought the Racecourse Ground back from Wrexham Glyndwr University ahead of the proposed redevelopment of the stadium’s decommissioned Kop.
The university bought the stadium in 2011 when Wrexham was facing financial difficulty. The deal was struck in a bid to “keep the club alive”, according to Wrexham Glyndwr’s executive director of finance, David Elcock.
“When the university purchased the stadium, it was not only for the benefit of our students and staff but also the wider community,” he said. “It was imperative that the football ground was preserved for the people of Wrexham and further afield.”
Having now bought the stadium back more than a decade later, Wrexham FC, which is owned by Hollywood actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, has today opened a 28-day consultation on plans to replace the defunct Kop with a 5,500-capacity stand.
Plans for the new stand also feature a 500-capacity hospitality area, with a non-matchday exhibition space that could fit 600 people.
The existing terrace was last used in 2010 and the new stand will see the Racecourse become a four-stand stadium once more and increase the ground’s capacity from 10,000 to 15,000 fans.
It is also hoped the improvements to the Racecourse will see international football return to North Wales. At present, the Wales national team plays its home games in Cardiff.
The project is part of the wider Wrexham Gateway development, for which Levelling Up Fund support is being sought.
As well as a new Kop, the Gateway scheme features plans for a 400-space multistorey car park and a convention centre and hotel.
AFL Architects is leading on design and Savills is advising on planning.