Celebrity friends Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were recently revealed to
have bought Wrexham AFC, nicknamed the Red Dragons. The team is currently
playing in the English National league.
For those who are unfamiliar with
the English League, the Red Dragons are 4 tiers leagues below Liverpool and
Manchester United in the English Premier League. Wrexham is the oldest
club in Wales and the 3rd oldest club in the world.
Reynolds, who
alongside McElhenney took over Welsh club Wrexham with an investment commitment
of at least USD 2.5 million – has plans to improve the facilities and attract
better players.
He described Wrexham as a “sleeping giant” that they
planned to turn into a global force.
It is noted that prior to the two
stars acquiring the club, Wrexham has been owned by its fans, the Wrexham
Supporters Trust (WST) since 2011. The club confirmed that the RR McReynolds
Company will be taking 100 percent control after a majority of the fans voted in
favour of it.
The club has struggled in recent years, both on the field and
in financial situation, prior to the acquisition. Wrexham director Spencer
Harris stated that he was approached by an intermediary about a potential change
in ownership, and was ecstatic over the size of the opportunity after finding
out that the interested parties were the same people who brought “Deadpool” and
“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”.
“This deal, we had to get it and land
it while it was in the offing and I am delighted we’ve managed to do that,”
Harris shared.
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| Harris with head of football operations Barry Horne |
The Reynolds-McElhenney
ownership will definitely raise the profile of the club worldwide. It could be
further raised with some plans to have a documentary on the ‘new journey’ of the
club. Apparently, this is already in discussion.
We could be seeing
the “Story of Wrexham AFC – The Red Dragons” on Amazon Prime or Netflix, like
how Tottenham Hotspurs or Manchester City were featured.
We look forward to
Reynolds and McElhenney appearing on the red carpet wearing Wrexham Jerseys ?
(Photo Source: Philly Voice, Daily Post)