STōK Cae Ras – construction description

The expansion plan for Racecourse Ground (commercially known as STōK Cae Ras), one of the oldest stadiums in the world, involves replacing the stand behind the east goal (known as The Kop), which has been out of use since 2008, with a completely new structure.

The new stand will have a capacity of 7,500 spectators and will be by far the tallest at the stadium. It will also be distinguished by a brick facade – the bricks will reference the local architecture, but the ornamental arrangement of five interconnected segments and the dragon motifs on the walls will give the structure a unique, original character.

The construction of the new stand will increase the stadium’s total capacity to around 18,000 and reinforce its status as the main football venue in North Wales.

Plans for the new stand were developed after Wrexham AFC was taken over by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in early 2021. Thanks to the new owners, the team became a phenomenon, achieving three consecutive promotions between 2023 and 2025, and its story was featured in the popular series Welcome to Wrexham.

The old Kop was demolished between 2022 and 2023, but construction of the new stand did not begin as planned, so a temporary stand was erected on the site at the end of 2023, which remained in place until summer 2025. Actual construction of the new stand only started in December 2025 and is scheduled to be completed in early 2027.

More details about the Racecourse Ground expansion project can be found on a dedicated page