Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have had plenty to celebrate this year
Wrexham's Hollywood owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, are still working towards gaining full control of the Racecourse Ground, two and a half years after their initial purchase.
The pair secured the freehold of the historic stadium from Wrexham University in June 2022, marking the first time since August 2011 that the Red Dragons' home ground was owned by the club.
Reynolds and McElhenney have ambitious plans for the stadium, including building a new 5,500-seat stand at the Kop end. As part of their proposal, they asked the club's previous owners to surrender a 99-year lease on the Racecourse back in February 2022.
The lease, held by the Wrexham Supporters' Trust, was agreed upon six years earlier to safeguard the stadium's future. The actors offered to provide a covenant to keep the north Wales outfit at its current home until "at least 2115" as a replacement.
WST members voted to relinquish the lease in December last year, but the move has not been finalized yet due to the appointment of new architects to create a masterplan for the entire ground this autumn. The WST recently released a statement providing an update on the ongoing saga.
It stated: "We agreed documents containing the necessary legally binding covenants to facilitate the collapse of the Cae Ras (Racecourse) lease structure in January 2024."
Wrexham AFC's Racecourse Ground
"Following the announcement made by the club about the revised design for the Kop and other ground redevelopments, the club need to make minor alterations to the documents before they sign. To date we are awaiting details of these changes and will keep members updated on any progress in the New Year."
In January 2023, the club expressed its disappointment over the slow progress on the lease issue. This followed "complex talks" about legal protections aimed at ensuring Wrexham's long-term stay at the Racecourse.
WST chair Barry Jones stated that such measures were necessary after previous owners attempted to evict the club from its stadium. With a potential resolution to the lease saga on the horizon in the New Year, the supporters' group also offered an update on its own future.
Since the WST sold the club to Reynolds and McElhenney in February 2021, there has been a significant change in board members, with only occasional communication over the past few years. The group stated: "It was our intention that after completion of the collapse of the leases, we would conduct a review of your trust's aims and purpose, and to how we would retain our relevance as the club develops."
"We have decided to start the re-branding exercise and an overhaul and improvements to our IT and social media content, with an expected completion before the end of the first quarter of 2025."
"In the autumn, the trust joined Wrexham Supporters Federation (WSF) board as non-voting observers to ensure that both groups speak with one voice to the club."
The WST pointed out their collaboration with the Football Supporters Association to establish clearer guidelines for the club's advisory board. EFL regulations mandate that all clubs must have fan associations to represent the interests of supporters and maintain consistent engagement with them.
Nevertheless, the WST has voiced concern that Wrexham's current approach "doesn't meet best practice in several key areas".