Wrexham’s near-miss eases Premier League compliance rush at the Racecourse | OneFootball

Wrexham were pipped to the final Championship play-off place by Hull City, but the setback may spare the club a frantic dash to make the SToK Racecourse Premier League compliant. According to NY Times, the scale and timing of required upgrades would have been severe.

Only 91 days separate the play-off final and the 2026-27 Premier League kick-off, and The Racecourse will host five UEFA Under-19s European Championship matches from June 22 with a three-week handover until July 12. Meanwhile a new £70million, 7,750-capacity Kop stand, due to open sometime next season, is still being built.

The Category 4-compliant Kop is intended to modernise a ground where two stands date from the early 1970s, adding safe standing, upgraded dressing rooms and tunnel, enlarged medical and kit areas and a dedicated cryotherapy space.

Media provision will also be overhauled to meet Premier League rules, which require hard wired internet, at least 15 radio positions, 50 press seats with desks, a conference room for 70, a 50 square metre working area, multiple interview spots, two TV studios and a larger gantry. Wrexham added a new gantry last year, but a second platform is still needed.

Meeting these needs now would have meant losing seats, cutting the 10,600 capacity and relocating season-ticket holders in a stadium that sells out. Once the Kop opens, allocations become simpler and the press box can shift to the Mold Road Stand.

Source: NY Times