Wrexham AFC gets temporary stand at 80% capacity

Daniel Sedlarevic12/01/2024 5:55 am11/01/2024

Image credit: Wrexham AFC

Wrexham AFC has got the green light for its new temporary stand, which will open at 80% capacity.

The League Two football club erected the temporary structure, which has a capacity of 2,289 and can accommodate an additional 20 wheelchairs, after it was revealed in September that the new permanent Kop stand would not be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season as anticipated.

The club indicated that “good progress” was being made on the temporary stand’s licence application, and it has been revealed that it will open at 80% capacity.

Wrexham stated in September that the new Kop stand at the Racecourse Ground will not be completed for the start of the 2024-25 season, citing a lack of a start date on site. The build duration has been scheduled at 12 months, and it is unclear how long the temporary stand will be in place.

Wrexham maintained in January that it was moving on with plans to refurbish the Kop end despite losing Levelling Up funds, with Morgan Sindall named the preferred contractor for the project.

However, the Kop stand, will be a significant shift for the club once again being able to take its place on the roster of venues capable of hosting international football.

The Wrexham Gateway project, which involves the reconstruction of the Racecourse Ground, was not one of the 11 Welsh projects that received government financing. The new stand, which will seat 5,500 people, has been a top objective for co-chairmen Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds since they took over the club in February 2021.

The Racecourse Ground is currently named as STōK Cae Ras | STōK Racecourse Stadium due to a sponsorship agreement with US-based STōK Cold Brew Coffee.

Reynolds and McElhenney are committed to their ultimate goal, to push the club all the way to the Premier League, and are determined to have a stadium fit for the occasion.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Patrick Irving16/04/2026 8:55 am16/04/2026

Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

Patrick Irving15/04/2026 6:05 am14/04/2026

Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.