Featured image credit: Wrexham AFC
League Two football club Wrexham AFC has announced work will commence on a temporary stand at its STōK Cae Ras | STōK Racecourse stadium to boost capacity amid ongoing efforts to deliver a new Kop End.
Wrexham said the temporary stand will have a capacity of 2,289 and accommodation for an additional 20 wheelchairs. It is hoped the stand will be ready in time for the Welsh derby against Newport County on December 23. The stand will be for home fans only.
Applications for the relevant permissions and licences are being made simultaneously with the construction. A club spokesman said: “We are making good progress resolving the outstanding matters before the Kop Development can commence, but with a minimum of three months mobilisation period before work can start on site, we can now install a temporary stand without negatively impacting the construction programme for the Kop.
“The costs of the temporary stand will be greater than generated from ticket sales, but the board felt the priority was to enable more fans to see the team live and address the frustration felt by some that they can’t get a ticket for games.”
The temporary stand will be priced at £20 (€23/$25) for adults, £15 for Over-65s/Under-21s, £9 for Under-18s and £6 for Under-11s. Wrexham said this pricing reflects that the stand will not have a roof and fans will be exposed to any inclement weather.
The latest news comes after Wrexham in September conceded that the new Kop stand would not be open for the start of the 2024-25 season, as originally planned. Wrexham said there was no date for starting on site, adding that several matters needed to be resolved before this could be confirmed.
Wrexham in January maintained that it was progressing with plans to redevelop the Kop end at the Racecourse Ground after missing out on Levelling Up funding, with construction company Morgan Sindall appointed as the preferred contractor for the project.
The Wrexham Gateway project, which includes redevelopment of the Racecourse Ground, was not among the 11 Welsh projects to receive Government funding earlier in the month. The grant application to the Levelling Up Fund was for financial support towards the proposed Kop development, with Wrexham hoping to transform the Racecourse Ground, renamed in May through a sponsorship deal, into a stadium capable of hosting senior Wales internationals.
In November 2022, the club was granted permission to construct a new 5,500-capacity stand at the stadium to replace the Kop end. The old stand has already been demolished. The new stand, which will revert the Racecourse Ground to a four-sided stadium, has been a priority for co-chairmen Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds since they became owners of the club in February 2021.
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