Wrexham A.F.C. have apologised after a Gresford councillor accused the club of failing to "get their act in order" before building most of its new training base at Colliers Park HQ ahead of a planning application.
Councillor Mike Morris, chair of Gresford community council planning committee, said the club had submitted its application for a new pavilion at the site in August, months after the bulk of the work was already finished. "I do wish that people would get their act in order and not put in retrospective applications just because it suits you," Morris said.
Club offers apology
Aidan Miller, the chief strategy officer for Wrexham A.F.C., said the club had tried to carry out the building work while the ground was quietest. "The club sought to undertake the works during the summer off-season period, when activity at the site is significantly reduced," Miller said.
The club, owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, issued a sincere apology over how the Colliers Park development was handled. It said it had engaged with the planning process throughout, including pre-application consultation with statutory consultees, and had addressed concerns raised over parking, highways access and phosphate mitigation on the site. The Gresford council will vote on the plans once its reports are complete, though no date has been set.
A training base years in the making
Colliers Park has become Wrexham's main training base after years of using scattered facilities, with the Racecourse Ground previously covering gym work, medical treatment and dining space for the squad. The new site, built with support from Wrexham University and the Welsh Football Association, brings all of those functions together for the first time.
Michael Williamson, the chief executive of Wrexham A.F.C., called it a "significant step forward" for the club as it continues its rise up the football pyramid. Fans can already see the squad using the facility daily, and supporters keen to track who is involved can check the latest squad list.
Focus returns to the pitch
The planning row comes at an awkward moment on the field. Wrexham were beaten 6-0 by West Ham United in east London on Friday, 11 September, with Jarrod Bowen, Joel Piroe, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Taty Castellanos, Mohamadou Kante and Manor Solomon all scoring for the home side.
Phil Parkinson's team sit nineteenth in the Championship on seven points from seven games, seven points behind leaders West Ham, having scored seven goals and conceded eleven this season. Their only win so far came 3-0 away at Millwall, and the last five matches have gone L-D-D-W-L, including a 1-1 draw with Burnley on Tuesday, 8 September, when Jayden Ekomie equalised after Zeki Amdouni's opener. The full picture of results and position is available on the standings page, and the run of fixtures ahead can be checked on our fixtures page.
Wrexham's next game is at home to Southampton on Saturday, 19 September, when Parkinson will hope the new training surroundings at Colliers Park translate into a first home win since the summer.
