Racecourse Ground

The Racecourse Ground holds the extraordinary distinction of being the oldest international football stadium in the world, with the site first used for sporting purposes in 1807 when it hosted cricket matches on the former racecourse from which it takes its name. Wrexham AFC have called the ground home since the club's formation in 1864, making it one of the longest continuous associations between a football club and its ground anywhere in the world. The Racecourse hosted its first Wales international match in 1877, and for over a century it served as a regular venue for Welsh international football, witnessing some of the most memorable moments in the history of the Welsh national team.

The ground developed gradually through the twentieth century, with the Kop end becoming the spiritual home of Wrexham's supporters and the focal point of the matchday atmosphere. The stadium hosted European football during Wrexham's remarkable cup runs, including the famous victory over FC Porto in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1984, one of the greatest results in Welsh club football history. The Kop, the Yale Stand, the Town End, and the Mold Road Stand created an intimate, occasionally ramshackle environment that reflected the club's position as a proud community institution in north-east Wales, beloved by its supporters but perennially short of resources.

The club's fortunes were transformed in 2020 by the takeover by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, an improbable partnership that has brought global attention and significant investment to this historic ground. Under the new ownership, the Racecourse has undergone substantial modernisation and expansion, with increased capacity to meet the extraordinary demand generated by the club's newfound celebrity and on-pitch success. Every home match has become a sell-out, with supporters travelling from around the world to experience the unique atmosphere of a ground that has become one of the most famous in football, thanks largely to the FX documentary series Welcome to Wrexham.

The Racecourse Ground sits in the heart of Wrexham town centre, its presence a constant reminder of the club's deep roots in the local community. The Kop remains the beating heart of the atmosphere, and the passion of the home support has only intensified as the club has climbed through the football pyramid under Reynolds and McElhenney's stewardship. Plans for further expansion and modernisation reflect the ambition of the ownership, but the essential character of the ground — intimate, atmospheric, and steeped in over two centuries of sporting history — remains gloriously intact. The Racecourse is a living monument to the enduring power of football to bind a community together.