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Racecourse Ground
Full name Racecourse Ground
Location Mold Road, Wrexham, Wales
Opened 1807, 1872 for Football
Owner Wrexham F.C.
Operator Wrexham F.C.
Surface Grass
Tenants
Wrexham F.C.
Capacity
15,500
Field dimensions
111 × 74 yards
The Kop
The Kop
The Sainsbury's Stand
The Sainsbury's Stand
The Eric Roberts stand
The Eric Roberts stand
The Mold Road Stand, looking towards the Kop
The Mold Road Stand, looking towards the Kop

The Racecourse Ground (Welsh: Y Cae Ras) is a stadium located in Wrexham, North Wales. Wrexham (Wrecsam is a town and principal area in Wales. It is the largest town in North Wales and lies to the east of the region Year 1807 ( MDCCCVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1872 ( MDCCCLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Wrexham Association Football Club (Clwb Pêl-droed Wrecsam nicknamed The Red Dragons, or more traditionally The Robins, their previous nickname are a professional Wrexham Association Football Club (Clwb Pêl-droed Wrecsam nicknamed The Red Dragons, or more traditionally The Robins, their previous nickname are a professional Wrexham Association Football Club (Clwb Pêl-droed Wrecsam nicknamed The Red Dragons, or more traditionally The Robins, their previous nickname are a professional Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic A modern stadium (plural stadiums or stadia in English is a place or venue for (mostly outdoor Sports Concerts or other events consisting Wrexham (Wrecsam is a town and principal area in Wales. It is the largest town in North Wales and lies to the east of the region North Wales (Gogledd Cymru is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales and to the east by England. It is the home of the oldest Welsh Football League Club Wrexham F.C.; football and rugby union matches are the venue's most common events but in its time it has seen cricket, originally horse racing and even pop concerts performed before large crowds. Wrexham Association Football Club (Clwb Pêl-droed Wrecsam nicknamed The Red Dragons, or more traditionally The Robins, their previous nickname are a professional Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries This article is about the sport For other uses see Horserace (drinking game or Horse race (politics. The Racecourse ground hosted the third ever football international between Wales and Scotland, which consequently makes it the oldest international football venue in the world on which football is still played.

The Racecourse is the largest stadium in North Wales, and consequently is sometimes used by the FAW for Wales' home international games. North Wales (Gogledd Cymru is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales and to the east by England. The Football Association of Wales (Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru is the governing body of Association football in Wales, being a member of both FIFA The ground is also used by Llanelli Scarlets rugby team, and formerly Liverpool F.C. Reserves. Reserve team Liverpool Reserves play in the Barclays Premiership Reserve League North.

Contents

Stadium Details

Stands

The Kop: the all-standing home stand, is named after the Battle of Spion Kop, as many grounds in the UK used to have ends named similarly. The Battle of Spion Kop ( Slag bij Spionkop Afrikaans: Slag van Spioenkop) was fought about 38 km (21 miles west-south-west of Ladysmith on the hilltop Behind the goal, it is known officially as the Crispin Lane End or "Town End". Here the hooligan firm 'Wrexham Frontline' normally reside, although recent seasons have seen them move to the Mold Road end to be nearer the away fans. With a capacity of 5,000, the Spion Kop is the largest all-standing terrace in the Football League.

The Sainsbury's Stand, formerly known as the Yale Stand: backing onto where Yale College used to be. Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887 It was built in 1972 in preparation for the club's first venture into Europe, and also provided new dressing rooms, club offices and entertainment suites. The Centenary Club, ticket offices and club shop are also located here.

The Eric Roberts Builders Stand: formerly the Marstons Stand/Tech End, and known in the town as the Away Stand. It holds 3,800 spectators and provides the away supporter with excellent views of the pitch and excellent acoustics. From the 2007/2008 season home fans will be located in this stand and away fans moved to the wing of the Yale Stand.

The Mold Road Stand: the newest stand, was secured with lottery funding, and built over the old Mold Road stand. The stand possesses a TV studio and eight fully equipped private boxes, and has a restaurant called "The Changing Rooms"; there is also a club shop which is run by the Supporters' Trust adjacent to the stand. The stand was initially named after the chairman Pryce Griffiths, but was renamed as the Mold Road Stand, following Pryce Griffith's endorsement of Alex Hamilton's redevelopment scheme.

Disabled facilities

Wrexham have 45 disabled places available at the front of the Pryce Griffiths Stand. There are 22 parking spaces and two disabled toilets with dedicated refreshment kiosks. Admission is £10 for the disabled supporter (£5 concessions) and the helper admitted free.

Location

The ground is located on Mold Road close to the A483 dual carriageway. Plenty of street parking is available if arriving early. Wrexham General train station is adjacent to the ground. Wrexham General railway station (Wrecsam Cyffredinol is the main Railway station serving Wrexham, north-east Wales. It is well placed as it is close to local amenities such as banks, pubs and food outlets. The town centre is only 5 minutes away walking down Mold Road and on to Regent Street.

How to get there

From The North: Take the A483 towards Wrexham (this is the Wrexham by-pass). Leave the A483 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: Take the M54 from the M6 (Junction 10A Northbound). Follow the M54 to the end of the motorway and join the A5 towards Shrewsbury. Continue on the A5 past Shrewsbury and Oswestry and then join the A483 towards Wrexham. Stay on the A483 as you reach Wrexham (this is the Wrexham by-pass). Then as above. Street parking.

Attendances

Highest attendance 34,445 v Manchester United, FA Cup, 4th Round, January 26, 1957. Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar)

Average Attendance

2006-2007: 5,030 (League Two)
2005-2006: 4,478 (League Two)
2004-2005: 4,751 (League One)
2003-2004: 4,396 (Division Two)
2002-2003: 4,263 (Division Three)
2001-2002: 3,800 (Division Two)
2000-2001: 3,600 (Division Two)

History

Wrexham Football Club have played at the Racecourse Ground since being formed in the local Turf Hotel public house in September 1872. The Turf Hotel is a Public house in Wrexham, North Wales. The location of the Pub on the corner of Wrexham AFC 's Racecourse Ground There were however four seasons in the 1880s when the club played at the Recreation Ground in Rhosddu due to an increase in rent from the then owners, Wrexham Cricket Club. Rhosddu is a community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is situated in the north-western suburbs of the town of Wrexham It neighbours Before the club was formed the ground was mainly used for cricket and occasionally, horse racing.

1952 saw the laying down of concrete terracing on the ever-popular Kop end, which is now the oldest part of the ground. Five years later was to see the largest ever attendance at the Racecourse when 34,445 people gathered to witness an FA Cup fourth round tie against Manchester United. On 30 September 1959 the Racecourse saw the switching on of the newly installed floodlights. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

After promotion to the old Second Division in 1978 the Border Stand was built, taking its name from the local brewery which owned the ground. This part of the ground is now known as the Eric Roberts Builders Stand, where visiting supporters are normally seated.

The latest addition to the ground was achieved in 1999 after Grant Aid from Sport Lot, the Welsh Development Agency and the Football Trust together with generous local sponsorship allowed for the construction of a new stand on the Mold Road side of the ground. The impressive new structure named the Pryce Griffiths Stand has a capacity of 3,500 and also contains hospitality and conferencing facilities.

The development also saw the Paddock areas of the Sainsbury's Stand and the Eric Roberts Builders Stand become all-seated, bringing the current capacity up to 15,500 and thus allowing international football and rugby union to once again be played at the Racecourse. J Sainsbury plc ( is the parent company of Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd commonly known as Sainsbury's (also Sainsbury and JS) the third largest Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18 1956 is an American actor

In 2002 then Wrexham FC chairman William Pryce Griffiths secured a 125-year lease on the Racecourse with Wolverhampton Dudley Breweries for £750,000, and a peppercorn annual rent of £1. The club hosted TNS vs Liverpool F.C. in a UEFA Champions League qualifier in 2005. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club

On 26 June 2002 the freehold to the Racecourse Ground was acquired by Wrexham AFC from Wolverhampton Dudley Breweries for the sum of £300,000. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. On the same day the ownership of the freehold was transferred by the Chairman, Alex Hamilton, from Wrexham AFC to another of his companies, Damens Ltd, for a nominal fee. For the US Secretary of Treasury see Alexander Hamilton Alex Hamilton is a British Property developer who became the chairman After this controversial change in ownership the 125-year lease on the Racecourse held by Wrexham FC was renegotiated. The new lease stated that Damens Ltd could evict Wrexham FC from the Racecourse Ground upon 12 months' notice and payment of £1,000,000. The new lease also saw the club's annual rent increase from £1 to £30,000. In 2004 Wrexham FC was given a years' notice to quit the ground; this triggered a furious reaction from fans - in a legal case running through to March 2006 the High Court ruled that the ownership of the freehold of the ground had been improperly transferred, and ownership of the ground reverted to the clubs' then-Administrators (the club having gone into Administration in December 2004 with debts of £2,600,000). With the clubs' emergence from Administration in May 2006, ownership of the ground now lies with the new company, Wrexham Football Club (2006) Ltd.


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