After Wrexham secured a huge 2-0 victory over Swansea City, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney offered an update on the development of the Racecourse Ground
Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have made it clear the development of the Kop Stand is expected to finish in 2027. When the work is complete, the capacity of the Racecourse Ground is expected to rise to around 18,000 spectators.
Right now, there is only three stands at the home of the Red Dragons, but the huge 7,750 seater Kop Stand will be enormous when it’s complete. And according to Reynolds, everything is going according to plan, with initial time frames going as expected.
The Hollywood duo joined Sky Sports News’ commentary team for their side’s 2-0 Championship home victory over Welsh rivals Swansea City. After the match, Reynolds was asked about the development of the stand.
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When asked if 2027 was still realistic, Reynolds replied: “That’s what we are thinking. That’s the idea. They usually say it takes twice as much time for any construction job, but I think we’ll get this on time. We’re going to get this on time and on budget.”
The construction of the Kop Stand is being funded through a mixture of public and private investment. It has received heavy backing from the Wrexham council, with reports from 2023 revealing a significant portion of a £25m Welsh Government grant was directed to the Kop Stand.
However, the fact public money has been put towards its construction through a non-repayable grant, despite the fact it will help the stadium host football and rugby internationals as well as concerts, was criticised by football finance expert Stefan Borson.
In the Guardian, he expressed concern about the fact taxpayer money was being put towards the stadium despite McElhenney and Reynolds, whom he described as being “very wealthy and liquid,” being so invested in the club. Nevertheless, host of the Price of Football podcast Kieran Maguire explained this kind of arrangement was not unusual when it comes to stadium developments.
He said: “Public-private partnerships are common. I think you’ve got to look at where the rewards are going. Will the owners of Wrexham benefit from this? Yes. Will the community benefit from this?
“That’s where the people making the decision in terms of the grant need to look and they will have assessed it. They will feel that the increased profile it could potentially bring to Wrexham as a town, if the ground is going to host international matches, outweighs the costs. West Ham play at a former municipal stadium and Manchester City do the same. I don’t see any fuss about those clubs.”
Reynolds and McElhenney celebrated on the television as Nathan Broadhead’s first half strike and an own goal from Swansea’s Liam Cullen moved them into the play-off places. Phil Parkinson’s side are still battling to get into the top six.
Their triumph over the Swans means they are now six points clear of seventh placed Southampton, who hold a game in hand over the Red Dragons. With nine games to go, every victory is precious for Parkinson’s team, who face Watford next Tuesday and Sheffield United the following Saturday.
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