Fans Vote YES To Ground Lease – ‘My Racecourse’ Launches With £200k Target

Wrexham Football Club owners, the fans themselves, have voted in favour of taking on a 99 year lease for the Racecourse Ground from Wrexham Glyndwr University.

As we reported earlier this month a proposal to take up a £100k pa 99 year lease for the ground was being explored by the football club, in effect returning the ground to the club.

This evening the vote was passed with a resounding ‘yes’ by fans (777 for, 11 against and 1 abstention on the vote) , paving the way for the deal to be signed off formally.

Packed Wrexham fans meeting tonight to hear result of vote to perhaps take a 99 year lease on the Racecourse ground pic.twitter.com/ChhUFX2qO4

— Wrexham.com (@wrexham) March 29, 2016

The news comes with a caveat, that £200,000 needs to be raised to give a ‘breathing space’ to turn the Racecourse around into a profitable area of business for the club as there are hefty running costs as well as the lease itself. The club recently declared its first profit, and in a presentation this evening called on all fans to play their part to turn around the Racecourse, so that by 2019 the ground becomes a profit generator to help fund the first team on the pitch.

A spokesperson said today: “We are in a position to share our vision of the short and long term future of our regaining of the control of our iconic home.

“The Racecourse is another business turnaround, think back to 2011 when we took on the football club the finances were in a mess, we had to generate more income and become more efficient to survive, we need to do the same again but this time with the Racecourse itself.”

The new brand (logo pictured above) launched is entitled ‘My Racecourse’, which illustrates how local people and business can work together to use the ground and in turn help the community club. Examples given are to encourage people to hold meetings at an ‘inspirational place rather than an identikit hotel’, and fans to hold parties and events at the ground and Centenary Club. The ground being a place where food and drink revenue will now go to the club, rather than the University, with the presentation noting “Each fan net spending £1 more next season at every home game adds £100k”.

It was explained today as: “As a football club we use the Racecourse circa 23 times a season for football matches, we need to appeal to people who will use it the other 342 days per year, many of whom might not be football fans hence branding the Racecourse in its own right.

“My Racecourse is going to be our way of positioning the Racecourse to generate income on matchday and non matchday.”

The £200,000 ‘gap’ has several ways to be filled including a ‘My Racecourse House Warming’ on the 23rd April when the reds take on Braintree at the Racecourse. It is noted “If we can get a crowd of 7,000 plus at the My Racecourse house warming game against Braintree this would be an additional £40k”.

A note to Welsh Government is also mentioned pointing out the number of jobs at the ground, along with the number of people events at the ground draws into town itself.

Resolution one. #racecoursevote pic.twitter.com/JVaBmUUv2m

— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) March 29, 2016

Businesses will no doubt be excited at the news that the opportunity of stadium naming rights sponsorship is up for grabs, along with a range other commercial possibilities.