Why EFL rule on away games has provided West Brom with Wrexham ticket relief
West Brom fans are looking to tick off a new ground this season - after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship.
The new boys have risen up the leagues with three promotions on the spin having been taken over by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
They now face their toughest test yet in the Championship - and on the second weekend of the season are preparing for the visit of Albion.
It will only be the third time the sides have faced each other in a competitive competition.
In 1930 they played in the FA Cup - before a meeting in the 1970s in the now defunct Watney Cup.
Some Albion fans may also be able to remember a 2003 friendly when Albion went to Wrexham, then in League One.
But it will be the first meeting at this level - as Wrexham looked to try and defy the odds in the Championship.
It has been a big rise that has had an impact off the field in terms of the size of their ground, the Racecourse.
The capacity is going to cause some issues for them this season with redevelopments set to take place on what is referred to as The Kop.
There were fears that it could potentially have an impact on away fans for the forthcoming season.
However, that doesn't seem to be the case and it provides a boost to Albion fans as tickets for the clash on August 16 have now gone on sale.
In recent seasons, Wrexham have boosted their capacity by having a temporary stand at one end of their ground.
That has now been demolished to pave the way for a new bigger stand - which is going to be under development throughout the whole of the campaign.
Due to that, the Racecourse's capacity has been significantly reduced, but it is going to have a bigger impact on home fans than away fans.
That is because of EFL rules, which stipulate there are a certain number of tickets that have to be given to away fans at every ground.
According to rules, clubs have to give up to 2,000 away tickets to visiting supporters for every games.
However, if the capacity of the stadium is less than 20,000, which Wrexham is, then it has to be 10 per cent of that capacity.
That has meant that for Albion's trip on August 16, they have been handed an allocation of 1,293 tickets.
It will be among the lowest they will receive all season, however it hasn't been impacted by the reduction in capacity of the Racecourse, as was feared by some supporters of Championship clubs.
