Championship club confirm immediate work on stadium change to occur after controversial £18m grant

Wrexham have announced their intention to have rail seating installed in February.

In a club statement, the Championship side revealed work on the major change, which will be brought in to the StoK Cold Brew Coffee Stand, will take place straight after they host Leicester City in a league fixture on January 20.

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Despite the introduction of rail seating, Wrexham supporters won’t be able to take full advantage just yet.

Instead, they will only be permitted to stand during ‘goal celebrations and significant match incidents.’

“The project has been developed in consultation with the Club’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which includes representatives from the local authority, emergency services and other key stakeholders,” the statement read.

“It is important to note that, at least until the end of the 2025/26 season, the Club’s stadium license will continue to be for an all-seater stadium.

“This means supporters will still be expected to remain seated for the majority of the match, with standing only anticipated at key moments such as goal celebrations and significant match incidents.

“This should be consistent with how supporters already experience matches, but allows those moments to take place in a safer and more controlled way.

“All installation work and matchday operation will be delivered in line with governing bodies to ensure the highest standards of spectator safety are met.”

The club intends to have the rail seating installed for their first home game after the Leicester clash, which falls on February 7 when they welcome Millwall.

News of Wrexham’s latest stadium development comes a month after they received an £18million grant to assist upgrading the Racecourse.

The club was awarded £3.8m in 2020 by the Wrexham county borough council following Hollywood duo Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds’ purchase of the club.

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That figure rose to £14m last September, as revealed by The Guardian.

But the Championship outfit is set to benefit further courtesy of public funding after the local council and Welsh government jointly backed a £25m regeneration project, dubbed the Wrexham Gateway scheme.

Although the grant represents a major boost for the club, the fact it is non-repayable generated some controversy.

But Welsh Minister for Culture Jack Sargeant defended the finances involved and pointed to how the stadium’s redevelopment would create new jobs in the area.

Sargeant added: “It’s a really big development in the heart of Wrexham, it’s the whole city, it’s the gateway project.”

The headline element of the Racecourse’s renovation will be the construction of a new Kop Stand after the original was demolished in 2023.

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It is anticipated the new-look Kop would boost their total stadium capacity to 18,000.

Along with the new stand, Wrexham are keen to upgrade the floodlights, pitch and other stadium infrastructure at the ground they have called home since 1864.

The Championship outfit broke ground on the redeveloped Kop Stand on December 3, with the objective to have work completed by this summer.

Once the works are finished, it would bring the Racecourse in line with UEFA Category 4 regulations, the highest classification possible for stadiums.

That would mean the stadium will become eligible to potentially host Champions League fixtures should Wrexham ever qualify for Europe’s most elite club competition.