Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds has now admitted how huge it is for the club to improve their training ground.
Since the arrival of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, the two global superstars have helped Wrexham improve rapidly in most areas, on and off the pitch.
The Red Dragons have seen a major increase in their ticket sales and now their average attendance is 10,500 every home match.
Plans are also currently underway to demolish the old Kop Stand and then build a new one that will accommodate 5,000 spectators.
Meanwhile, Wrexham’s social media growth has skyrocketed with 1.5 million followers on TikTok, 1.2 million on Instagram and almost 600,000 on Twitter.
During their final season in the National League, ESPN revealed that match viewing figures increased by a whopping 858% as a direct result of showing Wrexham, which meant around 100 million households will have watched Phil Parkinson’s side last term.
That isn’t to mention the growth they’ve seen on the pitch having secured promotion out of the National League last term and are now serious contenders to reach League One.
Unfortunately, while unimaginable growth has been achieved in most departments, Wrexham have still encountered a huge stumbling block in their attempts to improve their training ground.
Ryan Reynolds reveals why Wrexham need a new training ground
Speaking on the Yours, Mine, Away Podcast, hosted by Wrexham goalkeeper Mark Howard, Reynolds revealed the difficult process behind improving the club’s training facilities.
He said: “We need a training ground badly.
“There’s a bunch of different options we’re looking at but yeah it is huge, not just huge for the club but huge for everybody.
“We want it to be something that is experienced by everyone who lives in Wrexham as well so there’s a lot of careful planning going into it.
“It’s the same where I grew up in Canada, there’s a lot of bureaucracy, it’s not just as easy as saying let’s build this thing or grow this thing you have to get 800 permits before you’re allowed to.”
The next step for Wrexham
After seeing exponential growth as a club, the next step is to improve the training ground and while it has proven difficult to receive planning permission, it would open up more avenues for further growth.
Parkinson and his staff make use of several facilities for training during the week, varying from Colliers Park, Carden Park, the SToK Cae Ras and the Rock, but they just aren’t good enough for the level they are aiming to reach and an improved modern-day facility would be beneficial for all parties.
Not only would it offer the public a place to keep active, but it would make the club a more attractive proposition while offering a platform for youngsters to begin their development.
As a result, Wrexham would begin to see improvements to their youth team, which would offer a path to a sustainable future.