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The Cae Ras (which is Welsh for Racecourse) is situated less than a mile from Wrexham town centre Welcome to the club who spent £20m on players but have only three sides to their ground. Welcome to Wrexham. Or more specifically, for some of the former Premier League sides set to make a first trip to north Wales in decades, welcome to the Stok Cae Ras. More commonly known as the Racecourse, Wrexham's home is arguably Welsh football's spiritual home too and remains the oldest international ground in the world still in use. But having staged Wales matches since 1877, it is now preparing for its first game at Championship level in 43 years. With just a 10, 500 capacity - following the removal of a temporary stand - it will be the smallest stadium in the second tier this season. But, unsurprisingly under the ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mc Elhenney, there are big plans. Because just as the team and the club's fortunes have been transformed since the Hollywood takeover, the stadium is next. The first major steps were taken this summer and required more than just a lick of new paint - although that has been done too. An AI-generated image of the new Kop stand which will be ready in 2026, with a design allowing for an increase in capacity in the future With Saturday's lunchtime visit of West Bromwich Albion bringing more eyes to the old ground than ever before, the first sight that will strike many is the absence of fans behind one goal. For decades, The Kop has been the terrace from where the most ardent of Wrexham fans watched their side. But, following relegation from the Football League in 2008, it stood empty. Condemned, it was eventually demolished when the new ownership arrived. The plan was always for a new Kop, but amid delays, a temporary one was installed in time to squeeze in an extra 3, 000 supporters to witness promotions from Leagues One and Two. There was always going to come a time when that end of the Cae Ras would have to be empty once more, in order for work to begin on a new all-seater Kop. The structure Wrexham have opted for was drawn up by the same architects behind the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Initially pencilled in for 5, 500 seats with the option to increase capacity, the club revealed in July they had submitted an application for a further 2, 250 seats as part of a second tier. With a completion date of next summer, it will mean a stadium capacity of around 18, 000 - bigger than both Brentford and Bournemouth's homes - with standards compliant with Uefa so Wales qualifying fixtures can return. While the club were aware it could cost them in terms of numbers, noise and even competitive advantage as they reached the Championship, the new Kop forms a key part of plans to "future-proof" the club, with new hospitality areas and vital facilities all part of the project. Actor Will Ferrell (right) and Sir David Beckham (centre) are among the celebrities who have joined Ryan Reynolds (left) in Wrexham's hospitality seating Those tuning in or turning up for the first time will not see steel girders going up just yet. The temporary stand is fully removed and the area has been cleared for work, but there is little other visible difference on first glance. But, significantly, a vital new building has been erected close to The Turf, which is the pub that backs on to the ground and where the club was formed. The discovery underneath the Kop Stand area of a power cable feeding the nearby university halls of residence had previously delayed work. The creation of a new electrical substation has now cleared the way for construction. Once planning, paperwork and other contractual red tape is finally and formally sorted, the club could be looking at breaking ground this autumn. Even without steel rising in the skyscape, there are other fresh nods to how the old ground is changing. With dressing rooms set to feature as part of the new Kop, the areas for managers have switched sides in preparation. Phil Parkinson and his staff now sit on the same flank as the hospitality areas from where Reynolds and Mc Elhenney watch games. And where the manager used to cast an eye over his team, the club have established a new hospitality 'Dug Out Club' option for fans. Wrexham's Carabao Cup game against Hull was the first test of the new pitch What also grabs the eye is a state-of-the-art new playing surface, a pristine pitch laid for the new season in a new division. Seeing it may bring a wry smile from Reynolds and Mc Elhenney, whose first real glimpse into the perils of ownership was caught on camera when they were told a £100, 000 new pitch laid in 2021 needed immediate redoing at twice the cost. Four years on, Reynolds queried whether the latest pitch proposed was "made of human hair" when he was told their plans for a new surface would come in at £1. 7m. But Wrexham believe the investment is worth every penny. As well as the new Uefa-standard hybrid pitch - which chief executive Michael Williamson has compared to the one his former club Inter Milan boasted at the San Siro - new irrigation, drainage and undersoil heating systems have also been installed. The pitch also provided new sockets for rugby posts, to open up the possibility for union and league fixtures returning to the ground which has held internationals in both codes in the past. The race against time to have it bedded in was aided by the team's automatic promotion - an appearance in the play-offs would potentially have delayed the process by six weeks. Instead, workers were seeding by June, before round-the-clock stitching through July ensured the deadline was hit and a stunning green carpet will greet the sides this weekend. Wrexham shatter transfer record for Wales' Broadhead Positives despite loss on 'proud day' for Wrexham Wrexham - fantasy football or playing with fire? As well as being slightly raised, the new pitch has also shifted the goalposts. Tied in with the bigger redevelopment plans, the pitch has moved by around two metres towards the would-be Kop. This has in turn resulted in a new TV gantry, repositioned to keep its place on the halfway line and providing extra space for the added interest as well as the now standard tactical cameras. Opposite, a reverse angle camera gantry has been installed, again to tick boxes not needed when languishing in non-league. Elsewhere, new ways have been found to insert hundreds of extra seats to try to make the most of every available vantage point. Screens - which will eventually be huge and housed on the new Kop - have been moved to provide clearer views. There are new handrails, new bigger, brighter LED boards (again, meeting Uefa specifications for international games), and more 'fast-flow' beer taps rolled out after a successful trial. And, of course, there will be a new red shine to the metalwork after the obligatory lick of new paint as one of the game's oldest grounds gets ready for a bright new future. 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