Wrexham FC - Visiting supporters

The Racecourse Ground stands in an ideal location providing easy access by car from the A483 or a 5 minute walk from the nearby Wrexham General Railway Station.

Most visiting supporters park on the adjacent NEWI College of further education (£2) or on the nearby Plas Coch Retail Park. Town centre parking should be avoided due to congestion on a Saturday afternoon

Visiting supporters are housed in the upper tier of the covered Eric Roberts Builders Stand which accommodates 2000 with the option of a further 1000 seats in the lower tier for teams which a larger following.

The upper tier of this stand provides an excellent view of the playing surface and, much to the annoyance of the home supporters; this is the most acoustic part of the ground.
Food inside the away end is the usual basic football cuisine, chicken balti pies, tea and coffee etc

There are facilities for disabled visiting supporters in the adjacent Pryce Griffiths Stand.

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The Eric Roberts Builders Stand (visiting supporters)

The Eric Roberts Builders Stand was formerly known as The Border Stand – named after a local brewery.

The brewing industry, for which the town was famous worldwide (the UK’s first lager was brewed in Wrexham) has long disappeared although ‘Wrexham Lager’ brewed by Carlsberg Breweries Ltd is still available in selected outlets.

Not many visiting supporters would contest that this stand provides one of the best spectator views of the action in the lower divisions.
The Away end is an all seated, fully covered stand. Situated behind the goal, the stand seats 3,800 spectators and provides the away fans with an excellent view close to the heart of the action on the pitch.

Also, much to the annoyance of Wrexham supporters, the Eric Roberts Builders Stand has excellent acoustics due to its canopy roof.

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Town Centre

Wrexham town centre is less than a ten minute walk from the visiting supporters’ turnstiles and only five minutes from Wrexham General Railway Station.

The town centre offers a wide selection of pubs – see pub guide - restaurants and the usual high-street fast food outlets

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CCTV and town centre talking speakers

CCTV In July 2004 Wrexham became the first town in North Wales to have street speakers to warn yobs they are being filmed on CCTV cameras.
These special talking signs have been installed in the town centre informing passers-by that they are being watched to ensure pub and clubbers behave themselves.
People enjoying themselves between 8pm and 3.30am will hear a message every 10 minutes from Friday to Sunday telling them they are entering a CCTV controlled area.
There are two talking signs in Brook Street, one in High Street, and another in the pedestrianised area of Regent Street, as well as Wrexham Bus Station.

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Mounted Police

Mounted police are already a familiar sight on the streets of Wrexham and are brought in from Merseyside and Manchester for crowd control and policing of the busy pubs and clubs which attract thousands of revellers to the town at the weekend.

North Wales Police has recently announced that they have given the go-ahead for Eastern Division's first mounted branch which will be fully operational by early 2007. The mounted section will be used for priority games at The Racecourse.

Hooliganism?

A large and visible police presence for fixtures of notoriety Despite the general nationwide resurgence of football hooliganism during the last few seasons Wrexham is still, in my opinion, one of the safest venues in the Football League.

Fly-on-the-wall documentaries like Hooligans, and the film The Football Factory, have almost seemed to encourage a new generation of hooligans who are more violent, organised and arrange brawls with adversaries far away from the CCTV cameras which have sprung up in every town and city.

Perhaps also, it is arguable that Wrexham supporters suffer the legacy of Cardiff City and Swansea City’s notorious element whilst on their travels with every ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’ out for a rumble with Welsh football supporters.

It is generally accepted that many teams visiting The Racecourse bring a small element of ‘supporters’ who believe they are on a crusade with England. Fixtures with teams bringing a larger away following almost always seem to bring out the ‘No Surrender....’ and ‘Eng-er--und...Eng-erl-und Eng-erl-und’ brigade.

The town centre is a brisk ten minute walk, and Wrexham General Railway Station is about five minutes from the ground. The town centre is said to have the highest concentration of CCTV cameras in England and Wales, and this has seen a vast reduction of crime and football violence related incidents.
This is in contrast to the early Eighties which saw large scale disturbances on a regular basis, both on match day, and almost every weekend in the town. Trade suffered in Wrexham due to rival fans brawling, and people avoided shopping when the team were playing at home.

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Recent football related disturbances

At the start of the 2006/2007 season Wrexham have approximately 48 banning orders from The Racecourse and the town centre on match day. The club also topped League Two’s table for the most arrests and banning orders. North Wales police suggested the figure had increased partly due to ‘more effective policing’ – some might say ‘OTT policing’. Police presence for fixtures of notoriety

It must be said though, that those looking for football related disorder can expect a zero-tolerance attitude in and around the stadium and town centre.
A heavy police presence is still required for certain fixtures of notoriety, but on the whole you can expect a trouble free afternoon and a pleasant time in the many pubs in the town centre and around the ground.

Surprisingly, relegation to Division 3 (now re-named as the Coca League 2) in the 2002/2003 season produced more football related incidents in the ground and town centre than the previous season in a higher division.

Fixtures with teams from the city’s of Swansea, Lincoln, and Hull, and a local ‘border-derby’ with old rivals Shrewsbury Town were subject to a large visible policing operation, and a cup-tie with Everton hit the national headlines after a pitch-invasion by visiting supporters fleeing the home terracing.

The 2003/2004 season was a relatively peaceful one in regards to soccer related disorder at The Racecourse and town centre. The only exception being the visit of local rivals Port Vale. Both sets of supporters were surprisingly let out together at the final whistle thus resulting in a mass brawl and missile throwing competition - which included several garden gnomes from local gardens.

Hooligans associated with the club have more recently been involved in several notable incidents with arch-rivals Chester in and around Chester Railway Station which resulted in many custodial sentences.

Chance would have it, that arch-rivals Chester City and Wrexham were paired together in this season’s 2004/2005 LDV Vans Trophy. The two clubs hadn’t played each other for seven years and, despite a very strong and visible police presence, disorder broke out before the game.

Surprisingly, relegation to Division 3 (now re-named as the Coca-Cola League 2) in the 2002/2003 season produced more football related incidents in the ground and town centre than the previous season in a higher division.
Fixtures with teams from the city’s of Swansea, Lincoln, and Hull, and a local ‘border-derby’ with old rivals Shrewsbury Town were subject to a large visible policing operation, and a cup-tie with Everton hit the national headlines after a pitch-invasion by visiting supporters fleeing the home terracing.
The 2003/2004 season was a relatively peaceful one in regards to soccer related disorder at The Racecourse and town centre. The only exception being the visit of local rivals Port Vale.
Both sets of supporters were surprisingly let out together at the final whistle thus resulting in a mass brawl and missile throwing competition - which included several garden gnomes from local gardens. The 2005/2006 season has brought together arch-rivals Wrexham and Chester together in the league for the first time for a decade. Already the away fixture, which was postponed due to bad weather) was moved by the authorities to an unprecedented noon fixture on a normal working day. The return game at The Racecourse has also seen tickets for visiting Chester fans restricted.

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Pitch invasions

The 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 seasons have seen national media coverage the club’s off-field problems which led to a 10-point deduction imposed on the club for going into administration. Wrexham has received amazing support from every club in the land, Brighton and Huddersfield deserve a special mention. On a couple of occasions Wrexham supporters have invaded the pitch in protest against controversial owner Alex Hamilton. Supporters have also encroached the field of play at the final whistle and applauded visiting supporters for their support and solidarity.

The Football League gave the club a warning after jubilant supporters celebrated on the pitch after a victory against Oldham secured an LDV Vans Trophy Final at the Millennium Stadium. The club has been warned for the 2006/2007 season it risks point-deduction if there are any further pitch invasions

Sadly in the 2005/2006 season a visiting goalkeeper was allegedly assaulted after a heated game by two individuals who invaded the pitch. The case is still pending.

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