Wrexham's Premier League Dream on Hold But Global Fanbase Keeps Believing
WREXHAM, Wales (AP) — There will be no trips to Old Trafford or Anfield. No visits from Erling Haaland or Bukayo Saka.
For Wrexham and its growing fanbase across the world, the dream of playing in the Premier League next season — of back-to-back promotions — is over.
Heartbreak at the Racecourse Ground
The sense of disappointment was acute inside the Racecourse Ground on Saturday following the 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough that dropped Wrexham out of the playoff places on the final day of the Championship season.
The players slumped to the ground, clearly disconsolate. One covered his face with his hands.
Yet there was pride, too, among supporters who serenaded the team with a standing ovation. Many of them will have been there 20 years ago, when Wrexham was on the brink of financial ruin, before clubbing together to save it from going out of business.
"The standard has been set now," Wrexham defender Dom Hyam said. "And we want to go one better next season."
Fans See Silver Lining
Some fans might even think it is a blessing in disguise to be staying in the Championship.
"I still think we still need a couple of seasons in this league," longtime Wrexham fan David Morris told The Associated Press at a game at the Racecourse last month. "I think we've been going too fast, too quick."
Stadium Redevelopment Under Way
Go to the Racecourse — or STōK Cae Ras, to use the Welsh name the club prefers — and you'll be immediately struck by the sight of cranes and diggers and giant concrete blocks in a construction site behind one of the goals.
Redevelopment work of the Kop stand — a promise that was on the mission statement of Reynolds and Mac when they bought the club in 2021 — started in 2025 and is due to be completed in early 2027, providing an additional 7,500 fans.
"The Kop is a big thing," Morris said. "I mean, you can't go to the Premier League and only be having 10,000 fans because it's just not right. We're going to have to spend a lot more money on players and we need the fans there to help generate the money as well."
That will lift the capacity to up to 18,000 seats, restore the Racecourse to being four-sided, and mean the stadium complies to a UEFA category that enables the hosting of international matches.
TV Show Driving Global Interest
"Welcome to Wrexham" — the Emmy Award-winning TV series documenting Reynolds' and Mac's first foray into soccer ownership — has been a key driver behind the club's soaring profile. There have already been four series of the show.
Season 5 begins this month and Reynolds announced on Instagram that it has been renewed for three more.
Geir Ludvig Maeland, a 49-year-old from the Norwegian town Haugesund, attended Wrexham's match against Stoke last month with friends and said the TV show was the reason he'd been attracted to the club.
"Very nice people, very charming and welcoming," was his summary after having a drink in The Turf pub that adjoins the Racecourse.
Maeland also said Wrexham would benefit from another year in the Championship.
"If they go up the Premier League, they'll go straight down again. They need more experience."
What's Next
Wrexham's unprecedented run of three straight promotions, which took the team out of the fifth-tier National League and into the Championship, has been overseen by manager Phil Parkinson.