Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds’ Gamble on a Forgotten English Football Club Has Paid Off Big Time
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds are best known for acting. However, the two 45-year-old men are business partners as well. In the past few years, they have been co-owners of a relatively unknown British football club, and the pair helped the club rise in prominence.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds bought Wrexham AFC in 2020
In November 2020, McElhenney and Reynolds announced, via the RR McReynolds Company, LLC, that they signed a deal to buy Wrexham AFC. According to BBC Sport, the deal received support from over 95% of Wrexham’s trust members. At the time, many wondered about the business move. After all, Wrexham was not a well-known team.
For almost 15 years, the Welsh club has played in the National League, the fifth tier in the overall English football league system. When McElhenney and Reynolds purchased Wrexham, the team had recently come in 19th out of 24 places in the National League — the lowest position ever in Wrexham’s history. Nonetheless, the Hollywood duo hoped to make Wrexham a more competitive team on the world stage.
“This is the third-oldest club on the planet, and we don’t see why it can’t have a global appeal,” Reynolds said (via BBC Sport). “We want Wrexham to be a global force.” He added, “Our intention is to become part of the Wrexham story rather than Wrexham becoming part of our story.”
What Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds brought to the team
Since their takeover, McElhenney and Deadpool star Reynolds have kept their promise to help Wrexham achieve more success. For example, in June 2022, the actors completed a deal for Wrexham to regain ownership of Racecourse Ground, the club’s stadium. Now, they plan to upgrade the stadium with new facilities.
Additionally, McElhenney and Reynolds brought in a lot of new players for Wrexham. They also hired manager Phil Parkinson, who has a history of helping struggling teams improve their circumstances.
Of course, McElhenney and Reynolds are using their star power to give Wrexham amazing opportunities. In August 2022, FX and Hulu premiered the docu-series Welcome to Wrexham, which follows the actors’ journey in reviving Wrexham. Furthermore, the club has received sponsorship from famous companies like TikTok, Expedia, and Reynolds’ own Aviation American Gin.
Wrexham AFC is celebrating renewed success
McElhenney and Reynolds’ involvement seems to have helped Wrexham immensely. In the 2021-22 season, Wrexham ended up in second place, making them eligible for a possible promotion to League Two. However, Wrexham lost the playoff and remained in the National league. Nonetheless, the team made it to the 2022 FA Trophy Final in May, losing 0-1 to Bromley.
As reported by Huddle Up, Wrexham has also seen an increase in social media followers and ticket sales this past year. People are excited to witness more success stories from Wrexham in the coming years.
