Wrexham’s plans to redevelop their iconic Racecourse Ground have moved forward with another huge leap.
Wrexham are rapidly playing catch up with the teams around them in the Championship, both in terms of playing squad and in terms of infrastructure.
In the summer transfer window, Wrexham spent £33million on new players and now they finally have a team capable of competing in the second tier, and potentially challenging for promotion under Phil Parkinson.
Off the pitch, Wrexham are making improvements to their youth academy all the time, whilst also investing in new staff members, new revenue teams, and of course, a new stand at the Racecourse Ground.
Right now, Wrexham are playing with limited seating at the Racecourse as the Kop stand is redeveloped.
- READ MORE: Pundit hails Phil Parkinson for difficult Wrexham decision vs Norwich, he got it absolutely right
Wrexham secure £25m in public funding for new Kop stand
Last season, the Dragons played with a temporary stand. But this season it’s just three stands as the Kop is finally built up. And on Tuesday it was revealed by journalist Liam Randall on X that public funding for Wrexham’s stadium redevelopment has ‘been formally agreed’ with the local council, and that Wrexham council have ‘have registered a charge on the Racecourse Ground’.
Speaking to The Wrexham Insider, football finance expert Adam Williams explained exactly what that means. Williams said: “This filing is almost certainly connected to the stadium redevelopment, focusing on the Kop Stand. They got planning permission from the council back in March, but they have amended the plans slightly so have reapplied. There won’t be any issues there, I don’t think.
“The council is keen to back the football club given the benefits it is providing for the local economy. Specifically, as Liam Randall details, this new document is effectively confirming that Wrexham have got access to £25m in public funding to help redevelop the stadium. More accurately, it’s probably ringfenced to help redevelop the infrastructure around the stadium. That tends to be how public money is allocated.
“The charge itself is sort of like a mortgage, with the stadium itself being used as security. Basically, it is taking the Racecourse Ground as collateral to ensure that conditions of the grant are met.”
- READ MORE: Wrexham star needs to demand pay rise if his alleged £900 wage is correct, he deserves way more
What will Wrexham’s new stadium capacity be?
It may be way down the line that Wrexham have a 30,000-seater stadium, or even more. But for the meantime, they simply need something bigger than the current capacity of roughly 12,000.
And when the new Kop stand is finished, hopefully in time for next season, Wrexham’s new stadium capacity will be closer to 18,000, with the Kop holding 8,000 fans alone.
That will bump Wrexham’s stadium capacity from the second-lowest in the Championship (current roster) to the third-lowest – a small gap, but it’s a gap bridged nonetheless.
And it would also mean that Wrexham have a bigger stadium than two current Premier League teams in Bournemouth and Brentford, so there’s certainly reason to be excited about this new stand and what it could mean for the future of the club.