Wrexham announces plans for new stand to allow club to host international soccer matches
Published
WREXHAM, Wales (AP) — Wrexham has announced plans for a new 5,500-capacity Kop Stand at its Racecourse ground, a key stadium renovation project under celebrity owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The club said Monday that the stand will be compliant with UEFA requirements, enabling Wrexham to host matches in the European Under-19 Championship in 2026 and other international fixtures in the future.
The Racecourse is the world’s oldest soccer stadium hosting international matches that is still in use, staging its first in 1877.
The once-imposing Kop has been unused since 2007, though a temporary stand for more than 2,000 seats was erected midway through last season.
Reynolds and McElhenney, who bought the Welsh club in 2021 and made it the subject of a TV documentary “Welcome to Wrexham,” have been working hard to secure plans for a new Kop stand to restore the four sides to the Racecourse.
Wrexham said the design of the stand will include a tunnel through which players would come onto the field.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer