Wrexham's new Kop is going up faster than the club's results have climbed. The £70m stand at the Racecourse, built on ground that sat derelict for years, has been described as a real symbol of hope, and BBC Sport Wales has spoken to the man who is running the project.
It matters because of where Wrexham want to go. Under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, the club is aiming for the Premier League, and the Racecourse, the oldest international football ground still in use, has to be ready if that day comes.
What the new Kop will look like
The stand will hold 7,500 seats, taking the ground's capacity beyond 18,000. Wrexham County Borough Council officially approved the club's application this week. The plans include dressing room areas, media facilities and hospitality, and the stand is due to be fully operational for the start of next season, which the BBC reports as 2027-28.
For a ground that has been home to the club since it formed in 1864, it is a significant change. The Kop stood dormant for years as a reminder of how bad things once were for the north Wales club. Now it is the centrepiece of the club's building work.
A club trying to get ready for what comes next
Aidan Miller, Wrexham's chief strategy officer, is in charge. He spent seven years working on Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock before moving to north Wales, so he knows how hard such projects are to deliver. He told BBC Sport Wales that Wrexham got through the leagues so fast that the club has been playing catch-up, and that it is now trying to prepare for the next level in advance rather than only reacting to it.
The speed is hard to argue with. Reynolds and Rob Mac completed their takeover of what was then a National League club, owned by the Wrexham Supporters' Trust, in February 2022. Three years ago Wrexham were a non-league side. They won three successive promotions to reach the Championship, backed manager Phil Parkinson, and finished seventh in 2025-26, narrowly missing out on the play-offs.
The Kop is only one of several projects
Miller was keen to point out that the stand is not the only job. There has been significant work at the academy site at Darland High School in Rossett, where new pitches have been laid. The women's team base at The Rock in Rhosymedre, bought in 2025, has had a new pitch and gym facilities, and a new pavilion for the first team has been built at Colliers Park, the complex run by the Football Association of Wales.
Chief executive Michael Williamson has said the ideal capacity at the Racecourse would be between 26,000 and 29,000. The club recently bought The Turf, the historic pub next to the ground, to protect the future of the club, along with land that was occupied by the former Dickens car showroom. Miller summed up the approach as continuing to take steps forward and making the place bigger and better.
Club business context: New Kop stand at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground, 7,500 seats, £70m, capacity to rise above 18,000. Approved by Wrexham County Borough Council this week. Owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac completed their takeover in February 2022. Wrexham finished seventh in the 2025-26 Championship. Source: BBC Sport Wales.
0 Comments