Wrexham has announced that they are constructing a temporary stand at the Kop end of Racecourse Ground stadium. The stand will have a capacity of 2,289 and is set to properly accommodate 20 wheelchairs as well. Construction will begin this week. The club is planning on the new stand being completed before Christmas. Wrexham is scheduled to host Newport County on Saturday, December 23rd.
The move is somewhat similar to what Inter Miami did to their arena ahead of Lionel Messi’s debut. Miami previously added thousands of new seats to DRV PNK Stadium back in July.
Messi made his first appearance for the Major League Soccer side against Cruz Azul in a Leagues Cup fixture on July 21st. The club previously averaged around 15,000 fans during home matches. However, thanks to the addition of the seats, as well as Messi’s arrival, Miami regularly reached 20,000 fans.
Temporary stand erected as permanent Kop construction stalls
Wrexham unveiled the news as plans for a permanent addition to the Kop have hit snags. It was previously reported that the construction company that was working on the stand went bust. As a result, the Welsh club announced that there are significant delays in building the permanent stand. It was formerly expected that the new improvements would be ready ahead of the 2024/25 season. This, however, will now not be the case.
Despite the stalls in expansion, Wrexham still ranks third in attendance in League Two this season.
Nevertheless, Wrexham is claiming that the temporary stand will not affect construction on the Kop end. “We are making good progress resolving the outstanding matters before the Kop Development can commence, but with a minimum of three months mobilization period before work can start on site, we can now install a temporary stand without negatively impacting the construction program for the Kop,” a statement from the club read.
Tickets will be cheaper in new makeshift stand
Along with announcing the new stand, the club also revealed that ticket sales will not cover the construction costs. Wrexham, however, believed that the extra price is worth the move. “The costs of the temporary stand will be greater than generated from ticket sales,” continued the club.
“[However], 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.”
Fans are set to get a discount on seats in the new temporary stand. The club claims that adults will pay $25 per seat to sit in the area. People over 65 and under 21 will be charged $19. Children are set to watch Wrexham matches in the stand for between $7.50 and $11 depending on their age.
Ticketing will be cheaper in the Kop stand essentially due to the lack of a roof over the area. Fans may face the poor weather in these seats.
The capacity inside Racecourse Ground is currently around 10,000. However, the new stand will increase the number of fans in the arena to just over 12,000. Once the new permanent stand is completed, the stadium can then fit 16,000 supporters.
PHOTOS: IMAGO.
