We all know Wrexham are massive, but they’ll be in a whole different ball game in the Championship, and we’ve taken a look at how their attendance figures shape up in the second tier.
In the last three years, Wrexham have risen rapidly from the National League to now having the prospect of playing Championship football next season.
Phil Parkinson’s main task this summer now is to determine which of his players are up to the task of making that jump, while also finding new players he can bring in to help Wrexham survive (or thrive) at the next level.
The Racecourse Ground is being changed to make it more suitable for the Championship, too, but there’s still a long way to go for Wrexham in terms of quality and quantity when it comes to how things work in their stadium.
Wrexham’s attendance figures compared to Championship averages
Looking at the kinds of numbers Wrexham were pulling through the gate in 2024/25, the Red Dragons ranked fifth in League One for average attendance with 12,757 fans per game.
That’s pretty good going against a capacity of just 13,341 (a phenomenal 95.62% ratio, actually), with the four teams above them (Charlton, Huddersfield, Bolton, and Birmingham) all boasting capacities of between 24,000-29,000 apiece.
Of course, this is all based on a Wrexham ground that’s missing one stand. The Kop has been under construction for some time now, and will increase that capacity by another 5,500 when it’s completed.
Based on how dedicated the Wrexham fanbase is, we’ve no doubt that stand will be pretty much full every week, so let’s assume the Red Dragons can bring in roughly 19,000 as an average.
Still, even that figure is only enough to put Wrexham around the lower side of the mid-range in the Championship.
That average would have had Wrexham rubbing shoulders with the likes of Watford, Cardiff, and Burnley this season. Meanwhile, the 12,757 average would have had the Red Dragons in the relegation zone (in terms of attendance), with only Oxford and Luton being lower.
Of course, attendance figures are not the be-all-and-end-all, but it’s undeniably advantageous to have more fans in the ground.
Financially, the revenue generated on matchdays could be huge for Wrexham if they were given more space to let more fans in, and we know that money would help the club compete in the second tier.
Then, of course, there’s the psychological aspect of having more fans behind the team for the games. That mythical 12th man has helped Wrexham throughout the last few years, and could be crucial to the team’s success next season and beyond.
Interestingly, there’s also the added incentive that this coming season we could see Wrexham become the biggest club in Wales, and they’ll have the facts and figures to prove it (assuming Cardiff’s attendances drop while they’re in League One).
If Wrexham want Premier League football they need to scale up fast
While Rob McElhenney is happy to enjoy the Championship for now, and Ryan Reynolds has a ten-year timeline for Wrexham in terms of getting to the Premier League, the fact of the matter is that top flight football is the ultimate goal for the club now.
To do so, however, Wrexham will drastically need to upgrade their facilities across the board. In its current state, the Racecourse Ground would likely be rejected as a Premier League ground.
However, if there’s one thing we know about the Wrexham owners and the project they’re building here, they are not willing to be left behind or to allow any bureaucracy to hold them back. If something needs fixing, they will make it happen.
The ambitious designs for the new Kop are just the start, and we firmly expect the Racecourse to look very different in the next five to ten years.