Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's ambitious Wrexham stadium expansion plans made clear
The Red Dragons have grown significantly in recent years and extra capacity is required at the Racecourse Ground
Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have big plans for the future of the club’s stadium.
The Red Dragons have grown significantly since the Hollywood duo bought the club in February 2021.
The global publicity attracted by the takeover and the popularity of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary charting their journey means home games at the Racecourse Ground often sell out.
READ MORE: Ryan Reynolds' stunning net worth emerges as he makes big Welsh announcement
READ MORE: Who are the Allyn family? Wrexham's new US investors profiled after big announcement
The stadium's redevelopment is therefore a key priority for Reynolds and McElhenney.
Significant progress has been made in boosting the ground's capacity in the last few years, but there have also been difficulties and delays.
Here, WalesOnline explains the current state of the plans, as well as the capacity, costs and main issues.
What's the background to the stadium plans?
A new 5,500-capacity stand at the Kop end of the stadium has been mooted since before the new owners arrived.
The original stand was closed in 2008 for safety reasons, leaving Wrexham with a three-sided ground and posing a major barrier to accommodating more fans.
The scheme to replace it was first announced in 2019 as part of the Wrexham Gateway project to transform the Mold Road corridor into the city.
The plans accelerated significantly once Reynolds and McElhenney took over, with the first design images of the new stand shared in June 2022.
Planning permission was given by Wrexham Council in November of the same year, and the derelict structure was demolished in January 2023.
What have been the main setbacks?
The proposals hit a big snag during the same month as the demolition when the UK Government rejected a bid of up to £20m to pay for the scheme for the second time.
There were concerns that it could derail the project entirely, but the council later revealed it would be reallocating more than £17 million of Welsh Government money to fund the proposals instead. The club is also expected to make a sizeable contribution towards the development.
With funding in place, new floodlights were installed in the summer of 2023 in anticipation of work on the stand starting imminently.
It was hoped that the new Kop would be built in time for the start of the 2024/25 season, with an expected build time of 12 months.
However, the summer passed without further progress, and it was announced by the club in September 2023 that the scheme had been placed on hold for several reasons.
The main issues included satisfying Uefa regulations, diverting a sewer and removing an electricity cable from across the land.
Wrexham also said a lease held by former owners, the Wrexham Supporters' Trust, needed to be surrendered.
What's happened since and what is the current status?
The club built a temporary stand at the Kop end in December 2023 to accommodate 2,309 supporters.
A further update was provided in June this year stating that proposals for the permanent stand were to be reassessed to "deliver the best possible fan experience".
Work was also carried out to increase the capacity of the temporary stand to approximately 3,000 seats.
While fresh proposals for the Kop have yet to be revealed, new architects were appointed to redesign the project in October.
Populous, which was involved with the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, will also be creating a masterplan for the rest of the Racecourse Ground. The new stand will include safe standing, hospitality and accessible seating.
A statement also confirmed the stand will be built in time for the summer of 2026 to host part of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals.
What will the future capacity of the Racecourse be?
Once finally complete, the Kop development will increase Wrexham's home capacity from just over 13,000 to around 15,000.
McElhenney has expressed his long-term ambition to increase the stadium's seats to as many as 55,000.
However, reports suggest the actual figure will be closer to between 36,000 to 38,000 once other stands have been revamped, with the project expected to progress in stages.
What has the club said?
Discussing the latest steps, Michael Williamson, Wrexham’s chief executive, said: “We are determined to ensure the new Kop stand and the future vision of the STōK Cae Ras satisfies the needs and expectations of our fans and the local community, and the appointment of Populous as architect for the redesign reflects that.
“We appreciate the efforts of those who have worked on this project to date, allowing us to now focus our attention on the activation of areas within the new stand while remaining consistent with the capacity and volume that was previously presented.
“We look forward to engaging with fans and the local community as plans and designs for the stand take shape, along with other stakeholders and strategic partners, including Wrexham County Borough Council, our Wrexham Gateway partners, Wrexham University, the Welsh Government, and the FA of Wales. This is an exciting time for the club, our supporters, and the city as we continue our upward momentum.”