Council hails improved relations with Wrexham AFC

Liam Randall Local Democracy Reporter

Improved relations between Hollywood-owned Wrexham AFC and Wrexham Council have been hailed following the appointment of a new chief executive.

Michael Williamson took up his role as the League One club’s CEO ahead of the start of the new season after previously being involved at Inter Milan, DC United and most recently Miami FC.

He took over the reins from Fleur Robinson, whose departure was announced in May shortly after Wrexham clinched successive promotions following three years at the helm.

Deputy council leader David A Bithell (Ind) said connections between the local authority and the club had changed for the better since Williamson’s arrival.

Projects

It comes as the two parties are working together on a number of projects, including the proposed new Kop stand at the Racecourse Ground and the creation of a new academy training facility at Darland High School in Rossett.

Speaking at a media briefing held today (Tuesday, 10 September), Cllr Bithell said: “The liaison between the football club and council is really good.

“It’s better now since the new CEO, Michael Williamson, has come in.

“Myself and Mark (Pritchard, council leader) have had meetings with Michael a couple of times.

“There is also now a regular bi-monthly meeting with Rob McElhenney, the football club and the council.

“We’ve had good discussions with Michael and he’s really positive.”

Robinson, Wrexham’s former CEO, was praised by owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney following her departure earlier this year.

In a statement on the club’s official website, they said: “We are extremely grateful for all that Fleur has done in transforming the club over the past couple of years and we wish her every success with her future plans.”

It was later announced that she had been appointed as chief executive of fellow League One club Burton Albion, which was owned until recently by her father, Ben Robinson.

The owners said Williamson would be tasked with the growth of the “club operations” after he was named as Robinson’s successor.

Dialogue

Phil Wynn, who sits on the council’s executive board, also praised the new chief executive’s proactive approach.

The independent councillor, who represents the area around the Racecourse, said he had already been in dialogue with Williamson over longstanding issues with traffic and parking on matchdays.

It follows clashes between fans and residents over driveways being blocked and concerns over the closure of a section of Crispin Lane before and after kick off which was introduced at the start of the current season.

Cllr Wynn said: “Michael has agreed to meet with me and another two ward members to start a dialogue about issues that impact on local residents on matchdays.

“I know officers from North Wales Police are keen to progress that because more and more people are attending matches, which is fabulous news for the football club and for the city, but it does bring certain tensions with it.”

The club announced in June that proposals for a new permanent Kop stand were to be “reassessed” despite planning permission previously being approved by the council.

More than £17m worth of public funding has already been allocated to the development as part of the Wrexham Gateway project – a scheme backed by the council, football club, Welsh Government and Wrexham University.

Meanwhile, retrospective plans were recently submitted by the club to increase the capacity of a temporary stand currently located at the Kop end to approximately 3,000 seats.

It comes after work to expand it from 2,289 was carried out during the summer without formal backing from the authority.