Wrexham aim to make The Rock a fortress

As Wrexham prepare to break new ground at The Rock, the ambition of the club’s Hollywood owners is leaving no stone unturned to make the club’s women’s team the best in the country.

Wrexham women played their first official home game at The Rock on Sunday, when they beat Swansea City 4-2 in the Genero Adran Premier.

The ground in Rhosymedre, on the edges of Wrexham, is not new to them – they have trained there for the past two seasons.

But after extensive work, and ambitious backing, Jenny Sugarman’s side will finally get to run out at the ground they can now call their home – and mark the start of an exciting new era.

“We obviously hoped it would have been ready for us (for the start of the season), but there was a lot of work that the club have had to do,” Wrexham head coach Sugarman told BBC Sport Wales.

“Not just to meet the requirements that are needed for the site, but also, when we do walk out here for our first game that it’s in the right kind of conditions, and that we’re not cutting corners.”

It has been some time coming. Formerly the home of Welsh league side Cefn Druids – who continue to play and train at the venue – Wrexham’s owners green-lit the purchase of the ground for the use of their women’s teams, underlining their commitment away from the men’s set-up.

But work was needed to be done in order to bring the facility up to standard, and to meet Football Association of Wales (FAW) regulations.

That reinstalling electrical power, upgrading floodlights and fencing and improving the condition of the pitch – causing a delay.

“It’s been our home and it is our home, our training base; we’re here all the time and we’ve been able to see that development, how the space is changing, inside and outside,” said Sugarman, whose side have had to play home fixtures in Buckley, 11 miles from Wrexham.

“It’s been really nice, seeing every time we turn up something else has been worked on, a different room being painted, or something’s been pulled out.

“It’s been really exciting to see how proactive the club have been in the long-term plans for the site, but also the short-term in getting it up to speed.”