Wrexham: The city with a football stadium at its heart

The last town to get city status in Wales was St Asaph, a community of 3,500 people based around a cathedral.

But just 37 miles (60km) away in Wrexham, Wales' newest city, life for many revolves around its football club.

The Racecourse was one of the first places international football was played, in 1877, and today the eyes of the world are on it due to its Hollywood owners.

It's hard to disentangle Wrexham's successful bid from the ground.

It is it the oldest international football ground still in use - with England and Scotland originally playing their football matches at cricket grounds, Kennington Oval and Hamilton Crescent.

Perhaps it is fitting that a favourite among Wrexham fans is Dafydd Iwan's Yma o Hyd (Still Here).

The Cardiff City Stadium has played its part in the current golden era of Welsh football, but the Racecourse has its own legends.

It last hosted the national side in 2019, but it has had more Wales games than any other stadium - 94 in fact. Among those was a 4-1 hammering of England in 1980 and a 3-0 thrashing of a very good Spain side in 1985.

It has welcomed World Cup matches for both rugby codes, and became home to the short-lived Super League outfit, Crusaders. Shane Williams scored two tries when the international union side last played there in 2003.

Despite its illustrious history tied up with some of Wales' most popular team sports, as its name suggests, it started life as a horse racing course, and cricket ground.

The stadium's Wrexham Lager stand celebrates a brand synonymous with the area for almost as long - with the first pint pulled in the 1880s.

Based in the heart of the new city with its new shop on St George's Crescent a short walk from the ground, bonds run deep between the two brands.

"Their ethos fits perfectly with our own" said club chief executive Fleur Robinson last year.

She described them as "a local company, with a proud and storied history and an international reputation, which is exactly what we want to achieve with the football club too."

Its international credentials are as impressive as those of the Racecourse - with Wrexham Export Lager scooping Best Beer from the UK and a Grand Gold award at the recent Frankfurt International Trophy in Germany.

The competition attracts entries from around the world, with judges praising the "perfect colour, complexion and overall quality of aromas, body texture and flavour" - gaining the highest marks in the whole event.

"The Frankfurt International Trophy is the crème de la crème of competitions and brings global recognition, so this win is a feather in the cap for Wales too," said director Mark Roberts.

It is not the only local name flying the flag for the area, with the Ty Pawb arts and cultural centre selected as one of five finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2022 - one of the world's largest museum prizes.

Wrexham council chief executive Ian Bancroft said: "Since opening in 2018, Tŷ Pawb has grown to become a thriving cultural attraction which is now nationally recognised as a pioneering example of how a pre-existing building can be successfully repurposed into something new and imaginative.

"Its distinctive offer continues to evolve and expand, while always staying true to its vision of bringing arts, markets and communities together under one roof, inspired by the belief that art can be a tool for social change."

Wrexham is also in the running to become UK City of Culture 2025 - a bid that began when it was still a town of course.

"I can't deny how much I adore Wrexham, from our traders, sporting legends and savvy local businesses to our musicians, wordsmiths and artists - spanning our green spaces, Chirk, Caia Park, to the Republic of Rhos," said poet Evrah Rose as part of the bid.

She added: "The brilliance of Wrexham is unquestionable."

The new city has a population of about 61,600, with 135,000 in the wider county which includes the Unesco World Heritage-listed Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

There are other local landmarks that have grabbed the wider world's attention over the years - including one that appeared on the slag heap at Bersham Bank colliery tip, near Rhostyllen.

Of course the Hollywood-esque sign that appeared is not the city's only link with Tinseltown.

In 2021, actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds bought Wrexham AFC.

The new owners said they have big plans for the football team and the Racecourse ground - now fans face an agonising wait to see how quickly those ambitions may be realised.

After more than 80 years in the football league, they were relegated in 2008.

On 5 June, they could seal their return via a play-off final - a day that could go down in national and local folklore.

On that same day, the Welsh national side that played its first ever home game at the Racecourse and to whom the city of Wrexham has given so much, could win its own play-off final, and book a place in the World Cup finals for the first time since 1958.