Ryan Reynolds confirmed spot on as Rob McElhenney hit by actuality test over Wrexham stadium
Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney last year outlined his ambition to increase the stadium capacity at the Racecourse to as much as 55,000 – but has now been handed a reality check
Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney has been hit with a reality check regarding a proposed capacity boost for the club’s historic stadium.
The star of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ previously shared lofty ambitions in an interview with fellow co-owner Ryan Reynolds, talking up plans to enlarge the Racecourse Ground – built back in 1877 – from its current capacity to a whopping 45,000 to 55,000.
Chatting to Collider, McElhenney said: “We have a plan in place right now that would eventually work from stand to stand, so eventually you get all four sides. It’s hard to say for sure, but we think we could get between 45 and 55,000 people in there.”
It seems his grand vision has been dialled down a notch; the new targeted capacity is now 28,000 to 32,000. This change comes after Wrexham‘s new CEO, Michael Williamson—who previously worked at Inter Milan managing the San Siro’s redevelopment—stepped in during August 2024, accompanied by the arrival of new architects tasked with the Racecourse makeover.
Populous, the brains behind dazzling venues such as the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and The Sphere in Las Vegas, have been snapped up to revamp Wrexham’s new Kop Stand. The new design is set for an early February reveal and comes with plans to potentially hoist a further 2,000 seats onto the blueprint down the line, reports the Mirror.
Williamson spilled the beans on the revised stadium capacity targets during an event held by the Wrexham fan podcast ‘Fearless in Devotion‘. The football exec said: “I know Rob McElhenney said at one point that (capacity could be) something like 55,000. That was before I started, just to be very clear.”
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“I don’t know what the ideal or the perfect scenario is as we evolve as a club. But if you ask me today, where do you think we need to be, my guess is that somewhere in the next 10 to 15 years, probably between 28,000 and 32,000.”
Outlining the near-term vision, he said: “If we can get to 18,000 in the very medium term, that’s where we need to start. That’s what I’m talking about for the next three to five years. If we can get to that number, that’s a good start now. Between 28,000 and 32,000, that’s when we’re playing in that top league.”
The recent adjustments in the redevelopment plans for Wrexham’s stadium have been pinned down to the scarcity of land around the Racecourse Ground. Hollywood big shots and club owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney aren’t best pleased with the UK’s snail-paced planning process either.
In a chat with Collider last year, Reynolds didn’t mince his words, saying: “I think the thick buttress of bureaucracy is the biggest f***ing problem. I live in New York, Rob lives in LA, where construction is very different, in as much as they will charge you $10 for every $1 you spend.”
“But in Wales, it really is a lot of red tape, and it’s just sort of figuring out ways to tick all those boxes and make sure that every single bureaucrat is happy.”
Michael Williamson expanded on why they’ve mixed things up with the revamp, citing future-proofing and the club’s stunning climb up the leagues. He said: “What happened was that when we started this project, Rob, Ryan, Shaun Harvey (club director) and everyone else involved looked at the redevelopment of the Kop and no-one knew we would be where we are today.”
“If you’d said two years ago that we’re going to be sitting in League One near the top of the table, and looking to try to get to the Championship, with the growth of the brand and the interest in the city, people would have probably looked at you and said that you’re crazy.”
“But over time, we’ve realised that actually, we need to be thinking about the future here. What does this club look like 10, 15 or even 30 years from now, because the decisions that we make today are generational.”
He continued: “Populous bring that experience and knowledge to say, okay, within the mass and volume that you have planning approval for, what can we actually do? What is in the art of the possible there?
“With that, we looked and said that we can add another 2,000 seats in the future. We’ll have to go through another planning process for that and have all the conversations with the council members again.”
“It’s not as if we’re assuming that we’ll get approval for that, but it’s a lot smarter and a lot more affordable to spend that extra money now, to be able to be ready for it in the future.”
The latest plans for the Kop could be unveiled as early as next week, with construction expected to commence after the current season concludes. The first phase will involve removing a temporary stand currently at the site.
It is anticipated that the new stand will be finished in time for the UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals tournament, scheduled for the summer of 2026.
You can watch or listen to the full interview with Michael Williamson on the new episode of the Fearless in Devotion podcast released next Monday.
