Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds reveal Wrexham's plans for a 55,000-capacity stadium.

Wrexham owner Rob McElhenney has shared the club's desire to make their historic Racecourse Ground one of the biggest venues in British football.

The venue dates back to 1807 and was first used for football in 1864 when Wrexham was founded in the pub, which became world famous in recent years for playing Welcome to Wrexham.

After financial uncertainty in the first two decades of the 21st century, Wrexham bought the Racecourse freehold from the local university in 2022 following a takeover by McElhenney and fellow actor and co-owner Ryan Reynolds.

It marked a bright new era for the club, who recently enjoyed a second successive promotion, jumping from the fifth tier of the National League to the third tier of League One in the space of two years. But the Racecourse has always been a relic of the past, where the famous Kop, which has been out of action since 2008 for security reasons, was demolished in January 2023 after plans were approved to build a new stand with a capacity of 5,500, a hospitality area. , office and retail space.

Delays in that work led to a temporary stand being built this season, which opened in December. But the club's overall ambitions are skyrocketing as McElhenney heads into a long-term stand renovation project.

“We have a plan that we have right now that will work from each other so that you can finally get four sides,” said Ms It's always sunny in Philadelphia told the star entertainment website Collider

“It's hard to say for sure, but we think we can get between 45,000 and 55,000 people there.”

Reynolds even quipped in the same interview: “The whole town can come to the game,” referring to Wrexham's current population of just under 45,000.

The 55,000-capacity stadium is larger than Premier League venues such as St James' Park, Stamford Bridge and Villa Park, as well as matching the current size of the Etihad Stadium.

Despite playing part of the season with only three stages running at the Racecourse, Wrexham enjoyed a healthy attendance. Their average crowd for 23 home games was 11,210, the second biggest in League Two behind only Bradford City's 17,547. It was also more than 18 clubs in League One, one in the Championship and two (Luton and Bournemouth) in the Premier League.

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