Wrexham looking to host Wales fixtures as Kop plans unveiled

Wrexham have unveiled plans for a new Kop Stand at their SToK Racecourse home and believe its construction will lead to them staging regular Wales matches again.

The Racecourse is the world’s oldest international football stadium that still hosts matches, having staged its first Wales home game in 1877, but the men’s national team have only played two low-profile friendlies there since 2009.

Wrexham’s historic ground only holds around 12,600 fans at present, with a temporary stand currently standing on the derelict Kop end behind one goal.

“A special moment”

A 5,500-capacity new Kop Stand, designed by sports and entertainment architects Populous, was unveiled on Monday by the ambitious Sky Bet League One club owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Wrexham chief executive Michael Williamson told the club website: “The new Kop Stand marks a special moment in the history of the SToK Cae Ras, allowing us to restore the traditional four-sided enclosure of the stadium, providing new and improved facilities and experiences for our fans and visitors to the stadium alike.

“The distinctive design of the new Kop Stand embodies the history and heritage of Wrexham – rooted in the local community creating a timeless, authentic piece of civic architecture that complements other landmarks.

“It will provide an iconic landmark standing at the gateway to the city giving it a true sense of place.

“The stand reflects the key role the football club can play in the rejuvenation and redevelopment of the city through its role in the Wrexham Gateway Project.

“The upgrading of facilities to meet UEFA Category 4 specifications are central to our wider vision of bringing international sport back to Wrexham and the benefit this will bring to the local community of hosting these events in North Wales.”

Revised designs

The original standing Kop terrace was abandoned in 2007 and was unused until its demolition in January 2023.

Revised designs for the new 5,500-capacity Kop Stand have been presented to Wrexham County Borough Council.

The new Kop stand will include safe standing, hospitality and accessible seating and could support an increase in capacity, subject to a separate planning application.

Reynolds and McElhenney, who bought the North Wales club in February 2021 and have overseen back-to-back promotions, said nine months ago that the capacity of the stadium could be increased to between 45,000 and 55,000.

Declan Sharkey, global director and senior principal at Populous, said: “We have designed the new Kop Stand to be both authentic and unique in its approach to hosting Wrexham’s passionate fans.

“To do that we involved our team of audio consultants to maximise atmosphere, while the physical design of the facade at the back of the stand takes inspiration from the local brickwork and the city’s ‘Terracottapolis’ nickname, to link it to the generations of fans that have visited the ground in the past.”

Two dragons from the club’s crest are prominently embossed into the brick facade at one corner of the stand.