Wrexham have given an update on the development of their new Kop stand.
It’s mightily difficult to get a ticket for a Wrexham game nowadays, what with the club quickly becoming a household name thanks to the Hollywood owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds – combined with the hit Disney+ series.
Alongside this, the Red Dragons also have a dedicated fanbase that travel week in, week out. It seems that everyone wants a slice of the little Welsh town at the moment.
The ability to get a ticket is only being made harder by the development of a new Kop stand, which has been under construction since June 2023. There has been an update on the development – which won’t exactly delight fans who are desperate to get a ticket.
Kop Development Update
Wrexham’s official website released a statement today which stated the following:
‘The new Kop will not be open for the start of the 2024/25 season with a projected build period of 12 months from commencement on site.’
‘There is no date for starting on site, as several matters need to be resolved before that can be confirmed.’
This is disappointing news, as they were meant to be finished by then according to an update from Wrexham back in January 2023.
The statement continued and gave the reasons as to why the completion of the stand has been delayed.
- The collapse of the existing lease structure at the STōK Cae Ras. Good progress has been made with the WST in this regard, with an update on the position due to be announced soon by the WST.
- Confirmation of the requirements to meet UEFA’s Category 4 stadium status and that these can be achieved. A report is awaited from UEFA after a stadium visit.
From a practical perspective, to allow a contractor to commence, the following works also needs to be completed:
- Permanent diversion of existing sewer away from the land required for the Kop with Welsh Water and Admiral Taverns (owners of The Turf).
- Removal of a low voltage cable and substation that serves the student accommodation that runs across the land required for the Kop with SPEN and Wrexham University. Power needs to be always retained in the student accommodation and the University now have planning permission to build a new substation to facilitate this.
They finished by stating that further updates will be issued in due course when progress is made.
Not good news, but nothing can be done really from the club’s perspective. It simply is a waiting game.