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Ground Name: Racecourse
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Ground Name: Racecourse
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| Contents |
| What's The
Ground Like? Future Developments Mold Road & Roberts Builders Stands (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Yale Stand & Kop Terrace (photo) Where To Drink? How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train The Kop (photo) Admission Prices Ground Layout Programme Local Rivals Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2009-2010 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Feedback |
| What's The Ground Like? |
| The Racecourse is a classic
looking football ground with four prominent floodlight pylons and a large
home terrace. The stadium also has a great blend of the old and the new,
with the Mold Road Stand, having a modern interesting design. To show how
times have changed and the amount of all seated stadiums that there are
now, Wrexham now boasts the largest terrace in the league, with the Kop
Terrace having a capacity of 4,000. This stand is a throw back to when
every ground had a similar kind of terrace and even the crowd barriers are
painted in the club colours of red & white (rather than those dull
metallic coloured barriers present in modern stands). The terrace which is
located at one end of the ground, is partly covered (to the rear).
At the other end is the Eric Roberts Builders Stand. This stand which was opened in 1978 is a two tiered stand, covered and all seated. It has a couple of supporting pillars, situated between the two tiers. It also has an electric scoreboard on its roof. On one side is the Yale Stand. This stand was opened in 1972 and got its name from the Yale College, which was situated behind this stand. It is a fair sized two tiered covered stand, which is now all seated, having previously had terracing at the front. The team dugouts are located in front of this stand. Opposite is the Mold Road Stand that was opened in 1999. This side of the ground has been unused for a number of years so its construction greatly improved the overall ground appearance. It is semi circular in design with a capacity of 3,500 seats and features an unusual roof design. |
| Future Developments |
| Glyn Davies informs me;
'The Club have received planning permission to re-develop the Kop End
of the ground with a new 5,000 seater stand. The scheme will also involve
a residential development on the surrounding land'. However it is
unclear as to when this will go ahead, although 2014 has been
suggested. |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? |
| Away fans are now housed in the upper tier
of the Yale Stand, at one side of the pitch, towards the
Eric Roberts Builders Stand. On my last visit I found Wrexham to be
relaxed and friendly, with both sets of supporters mixing freely in the
pubs beforehand. The atmosphere was generally good, however there were a
section of Wrexham supporters in the Pryce Griffiths Stand who seemed to
be permanently baiting the away fans. Inside the ground a
range of food is on offer including; Cheese burgers (£3.10),
Hot dogs (£2.90), Burgers (£2.90), Pies/Pasties (£2.50) and Large
Sausage Rolls (£2.30).
Tim Porter a visiting Torquay United supporter adds; 'The signs around the ground directing visiting fans to the appropriate entrance are poor. We followed the signs from the Yale Stand for 'Visiting Supporters' which took us to one end of the ground. There were no signs here and so we paid our £13 /£7 and went in. We were just a bit surprised to walk up the bank and find ourselves on the Wrexham Kop! I explained our mistake to a steward who said it was always happening! He kindly led us through the ground to the away end. It wasn't until I was looking at the notes I'd made from the guide at the services on the way home, that I realised it was £16 for adults and £11 for juniors in the away end, so I'd inadvertently saved £7!'. Of course the Guide doesn't recommend that you do this to save money of course, take time to make sure you are at the proper section first, before parting with your cash'. |
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| Where To Drink? |
| At the back of the Yale Stand is the
Centenary Club which allows in away fans. It is free to enter, has Sky
Sports and also offers food in the form of Pie & Peas (£2), it is
also handy for the away turnstiles. There is also one pub right on the
corner of the ground at the Kop End called 'The Turf'. It is a Marstons
pub which does allow in away supporters, but only in small numbers. It can
get extremely busy, so arrive early. Before the new Pryce
Griffiths stand was built, this pub used to have a balcony that overlooked
the ground. The favoured pub for away fans is the Plas Coch. As
Darren Denby informs me; 'it is a restaurant type pub, with a large beer
garden, that is located past the ground going away from the town centre,
near to the Sainsburys Petrol Station. It is about a five minute walk away
from the stadium'. The pub is on the Plas Coch Retail Park opposite NEWI,
where you can also park for the afternoon, at a cost of
£2. Otherwise the town centre is about a ten minute walk away, where there are some good pubs to be found. Dylan Roberts adds; 'There is an Irish themed pub on the High Street, called Millners, which is interesting to visit. Away supporters should avoid both the Barracuda Bar and Wetherspoons'. Alcohol is also available inside the ground in the form of bottles of Lager (£2.70), Bitter (£2.30) and Cider (£2.60). |
| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park |
| From The
North: Take the A483 towards Wrexham (this is the Wrexham by-pass). Leave the A483 with at the junction of the A541 Mold road. The ground is 300 yards from this junction (on the A541) towards Wrexham town centre. From The
South: If you arrive early (around 1-1.15pm) there
is some street parking to be had, on the other side of the road from the
car showroom by the Turf Pub. Otherwise there a couple of private car
parks, charging in the region of £2, including NEWI on the Plas Coch
Retail Park. |
| By Train |
| Wrexham General train station is located next to the ground. |
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| Admission Prices |
| Home Fans*: Director's Box - Adults £25, No Concessions Yale Stand - Adults £14, OAP's £10, Under 16's £5 Mold Road Stand - Adults £16, OAP's/Under 16's £10 Kop Terrace - Adults £14, OAP's £7, Under 16's £5 Family Tickets (all stands): 1 Adult & 1 Child £21 1 Adult & 2 Children £26 1 Adult & 2 Children £31 2 Adults & 2 Children £42 Away Fans*: Adults £14, OAP's £10, Under 16's £5 * The prices above are for tickets purchased prior to matchday. Tickets bought on the day of the game can cost up to £3 more for adults and £2 for concessions. In addition young adult home supporters under the age of 22, can qualify for the concession prices provided that they first register with the club and buy match tickets in advance. Away supporters must produce proof of age at turnstile. |
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| Programme & Fanzine |
| Official Programme £2.50 Dismal Jimmy £1.50. |
| Local Rivals |
| Chester City, Crewe Alexandra & Shrewsbury Town. |
| Disabled Facilities |
| For details of disabled facilities at the ground please visit the relevant page on the National Association Of Disabled Supporters (NADS) website. |
| Fixtures 2009-2010 |
| For the Wrexham fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website) |
| Record & Average Attendance |
| 34,445 v Manchester United, FA Cup, 4th Round, January 26th, 1957. Average Attendance: 2008-2009: 3,293 (Blue Square Premier) 2007-2008: 4,234 (League Two) 2006-2007: 5,030 (League Two) |
| Fans Reviews Of The Racecourse Ground |
| Jake
Stone (Mansfield Town) 1/3/08 Richard Dewhirst (Northampton Town) 25/2/06 |
| Hotel Accommodation |
| If you require hotel accommodation in the area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Football Hotels who are powered by Activehotels, who specialise in locating accommodation near or within a short travelling distance of the football ground. They also have the added advantage over some other hotel booking services that you pay on departure. Yes this site will earn a small commission if you book through them, but it will go to help with the running costs of keeping the Guide going. To access their Wrexham page click here. |
| Feedback |
| If anything is incorrect or you have
something to add, please e-mail
me and I'll update the guide. *Glyn Davies adds; 'The club have in fact played at the Racecourse since 1872, except for a three year break from 1880 to 1883, due to a dispute over rent with the Wrexham Cricket Club, who were the landlords at the time. During those three years the club played at the Rhosddu Recreation ground in Wrexham, and have played at the Racecourse ever since'. The ground was in use previous to 1872 date with horse racing first taking place there in 1807. The ground is also the oldest surviving football ground to stage internationals. The first was played between Wales and Scotland on March 5th 1877. |
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© Duncan Adams 2010
All rights
reserved
Last Updated: 31 December 2009
