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1st May 2024
08:43am BST
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have shared details on their huge expansion plans for Wrexham's famous stadium.
Reynolds and McElhenney have made no secret of their ambition for the club since they purchased Wrexham AFC in 2020, and have already managed to get the Welsh side into the third tier of English football.
Part of what attracted the pair to the club was its proud history. Wrexham is the third oldest professional football club in the world and the Racecourse Ground, where the team play, is the world's oldest international football stadium that still hosts international matches.
But the club's Hollywood owners have big plans for the stadium. Last year, the Kop stand was demolished as part of expansion plans, and the pair have now revealed more about their hopes for the stadium in the future in an interview with Collider.
After discussing how difficult it is to build in the UK due to the amount of "red tape" and "bureaucracy", McElhenney and Reynolds were asked about their long-term vision for the Racecourse Ground.
McElhenney replied: "We we we have a plan in place right now that would eventually work from stand to stand, so you get all four sides.
"It's hard to say for sure but we think we could get between 45 and 55,000 people in there."
Reynolds added that the hope was that "the whole town could come to a game."
If the stadium ended up having a capacity of 55,000, this would make it bigger than Stamford Bridge (40,341) and the Etihad Stadium (53,400).
The Wrexham owners haven't been resting on their laurels since they secured promotion to League One, with the pair having also bought a stake in Mexican team Club Necaxa this week.
Necaxa has previously seen investment from a group of stars that includes names such as Mesut Ozil, Odell Beckham Jr, Eva Longoria and Kate Upton.
Sportico reports that the same group have invested a 5% stake in Wrexham. This matches up with a recent filing from the club, which stated that 5% had been sold to one or more unspecified buyers, via Mail Online.
Variety reports that Reynolds and McElhenney have invested in Necaxa in order to try and grow its profile amid a heightened interest in sports streaming content.
The Mexican side is ninth place in Liga MX.
Actors Reynolds and McElhenney first entered the world of football back in 2020 when they purchased Wrexham AFC.
The pair have since gone on to gain the team promotions from the National League and League Two, and have chronicled some of the story in the documentary Welcome to Wrexham.
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