Owners caught up in £18m Kop funding dispute

HOLLYWOOD owners have found themselves at the centre of a storm after fresh scrutiny of the £18m in public funding being used to build a new stand at the Racecourse Ground.

- By LIAM RANDALL

It was first revealed in spring 2023 that Wrexham Council had voted to reallocate a significant portion of a £25m Welsh Government grant to help pay for the new Kop stand.

The project, a key part of the wider Wrexham Gateway regeneration scheme, will create a structure with up to 7,750 seats and take the Championship club's stadium's overall capacity to around 18,000.

The initiative is viewed as essential to restoring the ground's ability to host football and rugby internationals and attract major events such as largescale concerts.

The issue of the non-repayable public funding resurfaced this week after concerns were raised in a report by The Guardian.

Football finance expert Stefan Borson asked why taxpayers should bankroll a stand that he says will ultimately benefit Wrexham's "very wealthy and liquid" co-owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac (formerly McElhenney). The scheme is set to benefit from both public and private money, with the club also investing heavily.

A previous bid for UK Government Levelling Up funding was rejected in early 2023, leaving the devolved government and local authority to plug a substantial financial gap.