Wrexham council and the Welsh government have defended their decision to award £18m of public money to Wrexham AFC after the announcement prompted considerable criticism.
The non-repayable grants will contribute to the construction of the new Kop stand at the Stok Cae Ras, the historic home of Wrexham AFC and the oldest stadium in Wales. The ground, also known as the Racecourse, is owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Wrexham council stressed that “there are conditions attached to the funding” and said the investment would safeguard the “unique culture and heritage” of the Racecourse “for generations to come”. The Welsh government echoed this, arguing that “public sector funding will make the crucial difference” in transforming the site into “a venue that can host competitive international football”.
However, the decision has drawn sharp criticism from some observers. Stefan Borson, a football finance expert and head of sport at London law firm McCarthy Denning, described the arrangement as “unusual”, noting that government grants of this nature are typically reserved for projects that would otherwise be commercially unviable.
“That clearly doesn’t apply in this situation,” Mr Borson said. He pointed to the club’s own strategic report from last summer, which acknowledged the importance of developing the Stok Cae Ras. He added: “It’s very unusual that the government would see fit, in a very strained economic environment, to prioritise the funding of a private football club owned by US entrepreneurs who, between them, have literally billions of pounds of liquid assets.”
Mr Borson argued it was “highly likely that the owners would have paid for it themselves” because the redevelopment is “fundamental to the football club”. He said: “Every club in the country has four stands – every club that’s got any ambitions of the Premier League would have four stands.”
He also questioned how frequently the stadium would host international fixtures once upgraded, despite this being one of the reasons cited for public investment. “I would suggest that they will not play more than one game per season at Wrexham for international football – if that – because the capacity of the ground is clearly a fraction of Cardiff,” he said.
In response, Wrexham AFC said the funding forms part of the broader Wrexham Gateway Project, a regeneration scheme intended to revitalise the area. The upgrades include improvements to floodlights, the pitch and wider stadium infrastructure to meet “the required standards” for hosting international sporting events. The club said these developments would support job creation and bring “economic uplift” by attracting visitors.
Wrexham council added that without public funding, the club had planned to redevelop the Kop only to the standard required for its current league, which “would not be to a standard suitable for international matches”. The grant, it said, would “enable the redevelopment plans to be enhanced to a standard to enable international matches to be hosted in Wrexham once again”.
The Welsh government said the club and its owners were “providing the majority of funding”, but insisted that “public sector funding will make the crucial difference” in meeting both league requirements and “more demanding international fixture standards”.
