Wrexham Kop Stand design ‘community-rooted’



Linkedin
Twitter

Wrexham AFC Kop Stand Visuals published Image: Populous

The EFL League One team Wrexham A.F.C. have unveiled plans for the new Kop Stand at the club’s home field – the STōK Cae Ras Stadium in Wrexham, Wales (UK) – featuring a unique design that will create an atmospheric home for the club’s passionate fans and become an iconic destination for the fans, the international visitors and the local community on both matchdays and non-matchdays.

‘POPULOUS’ stated that the 5,500-capacity new Kop Stand designed by the leading sports and entertainment architects Populous includes the provision for safe standing, hospitality and accessible seating and will be a prominent focal point of the area visible from the City Centre.

London (UK)-based the English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. 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. They compete in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.

The Wrexham A.F.C. is owned by Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. The goal of the new owners is to grow the team and establish the Wrexham A.F.C. as a Premier League club in front of increased attendances and in an improved stadium while making a positive difference to the wider community in Wrexham.

Wrexham AFC Kop Stand Visuals publishedImage: Populous

The 13,341-capacity Racecourse Ground, known as the STōK Cae Ras (or STōK Racecourse) for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Wrexham, Wales (UK). It is the home of the Wrexham A.F.C.

The STōK Cae Ras is the world’s oldest international football stadium still in continuous use having hosted Wales’s first ever international home game against Scotland on March 5th, 1877. Wrexham played their first ever match at the ground in October 1864 and the club has played there almost ever since – only moving for a brief two-year period between 1881-1883.

Populous is a global architectural and design practice with regional headquarters in Kansas City (US), London (UK) and Brisbane (Australia) specializing in sports facilities, arenas and convention centers as well as in the planning and design of major special events. It is the leading sport and entertainment architecture and design practice responsible for many of the best-known stadiums and arenas in the world.

Wrexham AFC Kop Stand Visuals publishedImage: Populous

‘POPULOUS’ further stated that the seating bowl has been designed to create a home end for the club’s fans that will reinforce the atmosphere within the STōK Cae Ras Stadium with design of the roof optimized to amplify sound from the spectators towards the pitch.

The new Kop Stand has been future-proofed with the current design capable of supporting an increase in capacity subject to a separate planning application.

The inclusion of the player and officials’ facilities within the new Kop Stand allows the fans to welcome the team onto the pitch through a player tunnel in the stand providing another unique experience at the stadium.

At the rear of the stand an external brick façade pays homage to the City’s ‘Terracottapolis’ nickname and the brick colour and textures are reminiscent of the historic Ruabon red brick from the local area.

Wrexham AFC Kop Stand Visuals publishedImage: Populous

The rear of the stand looks onto a public plaza that will act as a fan space on matchday and a community space and public area throughout the year. Plans for the plaza include the positioning of the sister wheel of the Gresford Colliery wheel in remembrance of the miners who perished in the 1934 mining disaster.

Maintained Michael Williamson, Wrexham A.F.C. Chief Executive Officer (CEO), “The new Kop Stand marks a special moment in the history of the STōK Cae Ras Stadium allowing us to restore the traditional four-sided enclosure of the stadium providing new and improved facilities and experiences for our fans and visitors to the stadium alike. The distinctive design of the new Kop Stand embodies the history and heritage of Wrexham – rooted in the local community creating a timeless, authentic piece of civic architecture that complements the other landmarks. It will provide an iconic landmark standing at the gateway to the City giving it a true sense of place.”

Added Declan Sharkey, Global Director and Senior Principal at Populous, “We have designed the new Kop Stand to be both authentic and unique in its approach to hosting Wrexham’s passionate fans. To do that we involved our team of audio consultants to maximize the atmosphere while the physical design of the façade at the back of the stand takes inspiration from the local brickwork and the City’s ‘Terracottapolis’ nickname to link it to the generations of fans that have visited the ground in the past.”

Commented Councilor Mark Pritchard, Leader of the Wrexham Council, “The development of the new Kop Stand is a key element of the wider Wrexham Gateway project which will transform one of the main corridors into the City of Wrexham. I would like to thank the football club for working in true partnership on this.”

Wrexham AFC Kop Stand Visuals publishedImage: Populous

Put in Professor Joe Yates, Vice-Chancellor of Wrexham University, “We are delighted to hear of the latest progress from our neighbors at the football club who have unveiled the plans for their new Kop Stand which is extremely impressive.”

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 other technical requirements this will enable the STōK Cae Ras Stadium to host the UEFA European Under-19 Championship Final tournament matches in 2026 and other international matches in the future.

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.

The UEFA Category 4 stadiums must meet certain requirements for the field of play, floodlighting, changing rooms, and more.

Wrexham AFC Kop Stand Visuals publishedImage: Populous

The Wrexham Gateway Project is a large-scale regeneration plan focused on the area around the Wrexham General Railway Station in Wales aiming to transform the space into a major transport hub with new office space, improved public areas and redevelopment of the Kop Stand at the STōK Cae Ras Stadium all while boosting business investment and creating a vibrant community area. It is being led by the Transport for Wales in collaboration with the local Council and the other stakeholders.

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

Watch 420 member-exclusive videos with valuable tips for your venue



« Previous News:




Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement