Wrexham kick off the pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand as Phil Parkinson’s side battle Melbourne Victory on Friday morning.
Wrexham’s Championship fixture list was released two weeks ago, with Phil Parkinson now gearing up for something of a baptism of fire.
Southampton will be Wrexham’s first opponents in the Championship, with Parkinson returning to where he started his playing career.
Parkinson is now ramping up his pre-season preparations, and Friday will see Wrexham take on Melbourne Victory.
Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix follow, with Wrexham players and staff preparing for Friday’s kick-off.
Parkinson has named his travelling Wrexham squad, so let’s take a look at some of the stadiums Wrexham will be stepping into over the next 10 days – and how they compare to the STōK Cae Ras.
Stadiums set to host Wrexham clashes in Australia and New Zealand
Wrexham take on Melbourne Victory on Friday, which will see Parkinson’s side walk out at the huge Marvel Stadium.
Opened in 2000, Docklands Stadium holds a capacity of 56,347 and has been predominantly used by Aussie rules clubs, but also for cricket and rugby.
The stadium cost around A$460million to build, as noted by StadiumDB.
Melbourne Victory relocated to Docklands Stadium in 2006, but made AAMI Park their permanent home in 2021.
September 2018 saw the stadium renamed ‘Marvel Stadium’, as an eight-year naming rights deal was struck with the Walt Disney Company.
Not only does the stadium carry the Marvel name, but it also boasts a Marvel retail store on-site, meaning any big Ryan Reynolds fans will be able to secure some Deadpool merchandise.
Game number two takes Wrexham to Sydney and the Allianz Stadium, which can hold around 42,500 fans.
Opened in 2022, the Allianz Stadium hosts three teams: Sydney FC, rugby league team the Sydney Roosters and rugby union team the New South Wales Waratahs.
This stadium was originally the old Sydney Football Stadium, but was rebuilt at a huge cost of around A$828million, according to Infrastructure New South Wales, which works out to around £400million.
Located just yards from the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground, Allianz Stadium has endured drainage issues of late and could be shut down later this year for repairs, as reported by 7News.
The final stadium is the Wellington Regional Stadium, known as Sky Stadium commercially.
This is the smallest stadium of the tour, but it still hosts around 34,500 fans.
Opened in 2000, Sky Stadium cost NZ$130million to build, as noted on the official Sky Stadium website, which comes out to around £57million at the current exchange rate.
Wellington Phoenix moved in upon their formation in 2007, but a host of other teams have called this stadium home.
The Wellington Firebirds, Wellington Hurricanes and the New Zealand men’s national team have all featured at Sky Stadium since its construction.
How the STōK Cae Ras compares to Wrexham’s pre-season tour stadiums
Wrexham’s STōK Cae Ras home may only hold just short of 11,000 as things stand, but the new Kop will certainly allow for larger crowds in the future.
These venues are much larger, but Wrexham have become used to that in recent pre-season tours.
Wrexham faced Manchester United at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego back in 2023, with more than 34,000 fans in attendance.
That tour of the United States also saw Wrexham take on Chelsea at Kenan Memorial Stadium in front of more than 50,000 fans.
Two of Wrexham’s pre-season games last season were played in front of 30,000-plus crowds, first at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara and then at BC Place in Vancouver.
Ticket sales have been a mixed bag for these games in Australia and New Zealand, but Wrexham players won’t be overawed if big crowds show up.