Wrexham to Remain at Racecourse...for Now!

Last updated : 26 May 2005 By Gary Fish

Wrexham FC owner Alex Hamilton has claimed he was no closer to selling the club than he was in December.

T
he controversial Cheshire property developer has admitted for the first time he was happy for the Dragons to play at the Racecourse next season.

That is despite Hamilton giving Wrexham 12 months' notice to quit the stadium last July.

Hamilton has revealed there are two interested parties in his ownership, however, Hamilton has said he will not sell unless the full amount of Wrexham's debt is paid off.

Hamilton said: "The administrator is making noises of a different kind and that's being managed because my view is that he must adopt a strategy of paying the creditors in full, but I'm happy enough for the club to stay at the Racecourse for another 12 months.

"It might suit my purposes for the club to carry on using the site while I get on with other things, which include finding an alternative site. But my notice to quit stays in place and I'm open to discussions about that.

"I will leave no stone unturned and no asset unsold in order to ensure payment in full to the creditors. I'm determined to make sure they are not going away with 20p in the pound.

"There are strong lines of communication with the administrators, who are testing the situation to see what can be done and how best to achieve payment of creditors.

"If that ultimately means building on the Racecourse site, that's the way it's got to be, unless someone comes in with a suitable bid to buy out my interests."

Hamilton has also claimed that he had offered Mr Dickens more money for his site of his car dealership adjacent to the Racecourse than the former Wrexham director had put forward as an acceptable purchase price for both the club and the stadium.

Hamilton added: "I'm trying to make progress with certain other developers at the moment and meetings are ongoing. One party is looking at a partial redevelopment of the site and the other is more seriously looking at relocation of the club to another stadium.

Hamilton has suggested that his "alternative" site, may not be in Wrexham, as the north Wales town is short of sites big enough to create a new stadium from scrath with new developments taking place across the area.

The Racecourse is just 5 minutes from the town centre, and should the club have to relocate, they would be further aggrieved to have to travel too far to see their side play.

Hamilton's decision to allow the side to play at the Racecourse next season, is, as he has admitted, possibly a benefit to him - not that it would be in the best interests of the club to remain at its home.