Wrexham announce stadium plans as Reynolds and McElhenney can't fulfill promise

05 December 2023 , 05:11

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Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are adding extra seats to Wrexham's stadium until their construction of permanent stands is complete

Wrexham will construct a 2,289-seater temporary stand with plans for a 5,500 end delayed.

Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney promised to deliver a new stand at the Racecourse Ground before the start of next season but it will not be ready. Construction on Wrexham's new 5,500-seater Kop stand began in July.

The project taking place at the vacant Kop end of the stadium was due to be completed before the 2024-25 season. In September, Wrexham announced they would need more time than expected to complete the construction.

The club faced issues with Buckingham Construction Group, the company contracted to complete the renovations. They had to pause their work due to losing several contracts quickly, placing them in financial difficulty. The Buckingham Construction Group was also involved in renovating Liverpool's Anfield Stadium.

"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," Wrexham announced. "There is no date for starting on site. Several matters need to be resolved before that can be confirmed.

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As a result, a temporary stand is being erected to increase capacity. The makeshift stand will add an additional 2,289 seats and is expected to be ready by the time the club faces Newport County on December 23

In a statement that also addressed Kop stand developments, Wrexham said: "We are making good progress resolving the outstanding matters before the Kop Development can commence, but with a minimum of three months mobilisation period before work can start on site, we can now install a temporary stand without negatively impacting the construction programme for the Kop.

"The costs of the temporary stand will be greater than generated from ticket sales, but the Board felt the priority was to enable more fans to see the team live and address the frustration felt by some that they can’t get a ticket for games. The temporary stand will be priced at £20 for adults, £15 for Over-65s/Under-21s, £9 for Under-18s and £6 for Under-11s.

Aerial view of the Racecourse Ground where the temporary stands will be built

"This pricing reflects that the stand will not have a roof and fans will be exposed to any inclement weather. The tickets will be made available to members in the first instance via the normal sales process once the required licences to use it are in place."

Reynolds and McElhenney's promise to build a new stand in time for the next season was seen during an episode of "Welcome to Wrexham" in season two. The pair revealed they would need approximately $26 million to complete their construction project.

Rory Robinson