Wrexham's Kop: The project matching the club's rise

Wrexham's new Kop stand is rising even quicker than the football club's fortunes have soared in recent years.

The £70m development at the Racecourse - the oldest international football ground still in use - has been described as a "real symbol of hope".

The Kop stood derelict and dormant for years, a stark reminder of the troubled times endured by the north Wales club.

But under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac the club are aiming for the Premier League, with the Kop rebuild central to those ambitions.

The stand is scheduled to be fully operational by the start of next season.

The man overseeing the project is Aidan Miller, Wrexham's chief strategy officer.

He is responsible for the long-term development of the Championship club, which only three years ago was playing non-league football.

"The speed at which we've got through the leagues has been incredible," Miller told BBC Sport Wales.

"We are playing catch-up and we're trying to make ourselves ready for the next level.

"We've always gone to the next level from the footballing side before the rest of the club is necessarily ready to.

"Now we're trying to do it a bit more proactively, rather than necessarily just reactively."

The new Kop stand will have 7,500 seats to take the ground's capacity to more than 18,000, the club's application having been officially approved by Wrexham County Borough Council this week.

It will incorporate facilities such as dressing room areas, media provision and hospitality.

In addition to improvements that have already been made, it will make the Racecourse fit for the Premier League - should the team achieve promotion.

Reynolds and Mac completed their takeover of the then National League club, owned by Wrexham Supporters' Trust, in February 2022.

The pair have made no secret of their ambition to see Wrexham in the top flight and have backed manager Phil Parkinson.

The team secured three successive promotions to reach the Championship, then narrowly missed out on the play-offs last season.

But Reynolds and Mac have also supported and championed local community projects and ensured the football club's impact is felt beyond the pitch.

"They've delivered in terms of the optimism, the confidence," Miller said.

"You notice it as soon as you walk around the place - the optimism, the buzz.

"There are people who've worked here that been through thick and thin for several years and you can see that they've got a spring in their step.

"You can see that as you go around the city as well. It's great to see it flooding out of this stadium to other elements."

Before joining Wrexham, Miller worked for seven years on Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock on the banks of the River Mersey.

"Premier League clubs don't necessarily build new stadiums and they tend to happen in certain intervals," Miller said.

"They're difficult to deliver and therefore when you do deliver them, they're brilliant.

"They're great to see in action, in operation. It's a testament to all the people that go into that.

"That club had a long period of trying to develop a stadium and put various phases to it.

"Eventually we managed to do it. A lot of people put so much into that making that happen and making it work.

"I am really proud of that - it's a brilliant stadium."

If rebuilding the Kop was not enough of a project to get on with, Wrexham have also undertaken work at three other sites.

There has been significant developments at the academy site located at Darland High School in Rossett with the laying of new pitches.

The women's team base at The Rock in Rhosymedre - which the club purchased in 2025 - has seen major upgrades such as a new pitch and gym facilities.

At Colliers Park, a new pavilion for the first team has been built at the complex operated by the Football Association of Wales (FAW).

"They're all important and big developments in their own right," Miller added.

"They're all important from a club perspective in terms of this long-term piece that we're talking about.

"The club wants to be in a position where its academy is reaching improved levels, improved statuses and we get the players coming through that.

"That's what's needed for this club to be sustainable in the long term.

"The owners have been really clear about their appetite to invest in the women's team and how they're going about doing that.

"We bought The Rock just over a year ago, so it is a really important step to continue to refurbish that and make changes to it."

While the aim on the pitch is to reach the Premier League, the new Kop is merely the beginning of the work to further develop the Racecourse.

Having described the new Kop as a "real symbol of hope ahead", chief executive Michael Williamson has said the ground's ideal capacity would be between 26,000 and 29,000.

Wrexham recently announced it had purchased The Turf, the historic pub located next door to the ground, in order to "protect the future of the club" and land which was occupied by the former Dickens Car showroom.

"It's just continuing to take those steps forward," Miller said of the Racecourse's future.

"It's continuing to make it bigger, larger, better and just continuing to improve the experience."