Wrexham Glyndŵr University (WGU) has confirmed it has completed the transfer of the Racecourse Ground stadium freehold to Wrexham AFC.
Only Viable Purchaser In the summer of 2011, WGU stepped forward in the club’s hour of need as the only viable purchaser of the stadium. This enabled the Wrexham Supporters Trust (WST) to concentrate on gaining ownership of the club itself.
For the first five years, the university took responsibility of the facility’s running, maintenance and upkeep before a 99-year lease was agreed with the WST in 2016, with the trust taking on responsibility for the stadium operation. With the club now owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, and its long-term future secure, the university felt it was the right time to facilitate the club taking ownership of the stadium once again.
WGU’s Executive Director of Finance, David Elcock, said: “It was a great honour for us to have been custodians of the oldest international football stadium in the world.
A Huge Commitment
“It was a huge commitment and civic responsibility for us to undertake. The purchase was crucial to keep the football club alive during a summer in which the fans raised more than ￡100,000 in a day to keep the club in existence. “Our previous purchase of the land alongside Crispin Lane behind the Kop also removed potential barriers to developing a new stand in the future.
David added: “After the results of the club’s fans survey in November 2021, it became particularly clear to us at the university that there was a huge appetite to see the football club own the stadium again. We have been working towards this moment since then.
Incredibly Helpful
“I want to thank Shaun Harvey and Executive Director Humphrey Ker, who have been incredibly helpful and instrumental in ensuring this transfer went smoothly. We continue to work with the football club to enable the delivery of a new Kop stand and an extension to our student accommodation as part of our Campus 2025 project. We also remain committed to our role in the Wrexham Gateway Partnership.”
The existing agreement enabling the club to use the university car park on matchdays will remain in place. Campus 2025 is WGU’s ￡80m strategy to ensure students have the best facilities and learning environment. The Wrexham Gateway Partnership is a multi-million pound project to regenerate the Mold Road area. It will develop the railway station leading into the city centre, an integrated transport hub, an international standard football stadium and also conference venues.
The key stakeholders in the project are Wrexham Glyndŵr University, Wrexham Council, Welsh Government, the Football Association for Wales, Transport for Wales, and Wrexham AFC.
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