STōK Cae Ras Stadium Kop Stand expansion

Article posted by Coliseum, August 6^th, 2025

Image: Wrexham AFC

The English Football League (EFL) team Wrexham AFC has submitted a planning application to the Wrexham City Borough Council for the installation of up to 2,250 further seats in the new Kop Stand.

‘wrexhamafc.co.uk’ stated that this submission forms part of the planned future-proofing of the STōK Cae Ras in Wrexham, Wales (UK) to host international matches and, together with the 5,500 seats approved by the Wrexham Borough Planning Committee on March 3^rd, 2025 takes the potential capacity of the new Kop Stand to 7,750.

The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales (UK). Founded in 1888 as the Football League it is the oldest football league in the world and was the top-level football league in England from its foundation until 1992 when the top 22 clubs split from it to form the Premier League (the highest level of the English football league system). The Football League was rebranded as the ‘English Football League’ (EFL) starting with the 2016-2017 seasons.

The Wrexham Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wrexham, Wales (UK). Formed in 1864, it is the oldest club in Wales and the third-oldest professional association football team in the world. The club competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.

The 10,771-capacity Racecourse Ground is a football stadium in Wrexham, Wales (UK). It is the home of the Wrexham Association Football Club and is the largest stadium in North Wales and the fifth-largest in Wales.

Once approved, together with the current capacity of the three existing stands, the addition of the extra 2,250 seats in the Kop Stand will take the overall capacity of the STōK Cae Ras to just over 18,000. The additional seats, shown in the new Kop Stand designs which were first unveiled in February 2025, are a second tier of seating that form a key part of the main structural integrity of the new stand.

The new Kop Stand will be fully compliant with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Category 4 stadium requirements and along with adjustment to the pitch and the other technical requirements this will enable the STōK Cae Ras Stadium to host the UEFA European Under-19 Championship Final tournament matches in 2026.

Nyon (Switzerland)-based the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach football in Europe and the transcontinental countries of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan as well as the West Asian countries of Cyprus, Armenia and Israel. The UEFA consists of 55 national association members. Since 2022, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the FIFA and UEFA suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from any FIFA and UEFA competitions.

‘wrexhamafc.co.uk’ further stated that included in the planning application are the updated drawings that include plans for the installation and use of the photovoltaics (PVs) on the roof as a part of the overall sustainable approach that will be taken with the new Kop Stand.

Maintained Michael Williamson, Wrexham AFC head honcho, “When we submitted the revised designs for the new Kop Stand earlier this year the intention was always to future-proof the STōK Cae Ras Stadium so that it could hold international matches for many years to come thus remaining true to its legacy as the oldest international ground still in use. With the additional seats that were planned into the revised designs we intend to maximize the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop a new and iconic Kop Stand that can accommodate a maximum number of fans for years to come.”

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