Wrexham’s new Kop stand has been approved by Wrexham County Borough Council this week, the latest step in a £70m development at the Racecourse. The new stand will have 7,500 seats, taking the ground’s capacity to more than 18,000, and will incorporate dressing room areas, media provision and hospitality. The Racecourse is the oldest international football ground still in use. The stand is scheduled to be fully operational by the start of next season, and is on course to fully open for the 2027-28 season.
The Kop had stood derelict and dormant for years, a stark reminder of the troubled times endured by the north Wales club. The rebuild has been described as a ‘real symbol of hope’. Under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, Wrexham are aiming for the Premier League, with the Kop rebuild central to those ambitions. Reynolds and Mac completed their takeover of the then National League club, owned by Wrexham Supporters’ Trust, in February 2022. They have made no secret of their ambition to see Wrexham in the top flight and have backed manager Phil Parkinson.
The team secured three successive promotions to reach the Championship, then narrowly missed out on the play-offs last season. Wrexham finished seventh in the 2025-26 Championship table. Only three years ago, the club was playing non-league football. Aidan Miller, Wrexham’s chief strategy officer, is overseeing the Kop project and the club’s long-term development. ‘The speed at which we’ve got through the leagues has been incredible,’ Miller said. ‘We are playing catch-up and we’re trying to make ourselves ready for the next level. We’ve always gone to the next level from the footballing side before the rest of the club is necessarily ready to. Now we’re trying to do it a bit more proactively, rather than necessarily just reactively.’
Miller said the owners have delivered optimism and confidence. He added that the optimism and buzz are noticeable around the club and the city, and that staff who have been through thick and thin now have a spring in their step, with that feeling spreading beyond the stadium.
Before joining Wrexham, Miller worked for seven years on Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock on the banks of the River Mersey. He said Premier League clubs do not necessarily build new stadiums and such projects tend to happen at certain intervals. ‘They’re difficult to deliver and therefore when you do deliver them, they’re brilliant,’ Miller said. ‘They’re great to see in action, in operation. It’s a testament to all the people that go into that.’ He added that Everton had a long period of trying to develop a stadium and put various phases to it, and that he is really proud of the result.
The Kop is not the only project Wrexham have undertaken. At the academy site at Darland High School in Rossett, new pitches have been laid. The women’s team base at The Rock in Rhosymedre, which the club purchased in 2025, has seen major upgrades including a new pitch and gym facilities. At Colliers Park, a new pavilion for the first team has been built at the complex operated by the Football Association of Wales. Miller said these are all important and big developments in their own right, and important to the club’s long-term plans. He said the club wants its academy to reach improved levels and statuses and to bring players through, which is needed for long-term sustainability. He added that the owners have been clear about their appetite to invest in the women’s team, and that buying The Rock just over a year ago was an important step to continue refurbishing it.
While the aim on the pitch is the Premier League, the new Kop is only the beginning of work to further develop the Racecourse. Chief executive Michael Williamson described the new Kop as a ‘real symbol of hope ahead’ and said the ground’s ideal capacity would be between 26,000 and 29,000. Wrexham recently announced they had purchased The Turf, the historic pub next door to the ground, in order to ‘protect the future of the club’, as well as land occupied by the former Dickens Car showroom. Miller said the club is continuing to take steps forward, making the Racecourse bigger, larger and better, and continuing to improve the experience.