Following Welsh club AFC Wrexham’s second consecutive promotion, owners US actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds are planning to significantly expand the stadium. “It’s hard to say for sure, but we think we could accommodate between 45,000 and 55,000 people there,” McElhenney told online industry magazine Collider.
IMAGO/Pro Sports Images/Manjit Narotra
They have a plan for expansion. According to the operator, the Racecourse Ground, which is considered the oldest international football stadium in the world, currently offers around 12,600 seats. The club, which became world-famous through the documentary “Welcome to Wrexham” and its Hollywood owners, managed to move from the fifth division into the third division (League One) of English professional football this season.
The whole city in the stadium
Reynolds added that after an expansion, the entire city would be able to come to home games. Wrexham, on the border with England, has a population of around 45,000. In addition, more international matches could take place there again. Since 2009, Wales have only played two games in Wrexham, against Trinidad and Tobago and against Gibraltar.
However, the film stars were disappointed about bureaucratic hurdles. “It’s much harder to build in Britain than anywhere else in the world,” McElhenney said. “The ultimate goal is to get into the Premier League – and stay in the Premier League so it’s sustainable.”
