We’re familiar with many examples of football stories that become great movie dramas, but have you ever heard of situations when it happens the other way around, when a piece of Hollywood comes to a small town and becomes a factor in creating a football miracle?
That’s precisely what happened to Wrexham, which, after the arrival of two Hollywood actors, became one of the most media-savvy football teams and is now rushing to the Premier League with all sails on, writing history before our eyes.
Today, we are going to meet the fantastic Welsh club Wrexham AFC., which became the first team in the history of English football to be promoted three years in a row.
The Idea
Typically, football managers and PR specialists draw attention to clubs of various sizes through high-profile transfers, celebrity collaborations, and jersey sales, but the new bosses of one of the oldest clubs in the UK have decided to take a different approach.
The initial idea of buying a small club came from actor Robert McElhenney, who was inspired by the “Sunderland Till I Die” series he watched during the COVID pandemic. He liked the story so much that he thought about buying the team himself.
The actor did not have enough money of his own, so he started looking for an investor. To solve this issue, he decided to turn to his friend Ryan Reynolds. He didn’t have to wait for a long answer from Reynolds, because he was so excited about the idea that he decided he would not just be an investor, but become a co-owner with McElhenney.
The actors began to choose a team, with options including Hartlepool, Aldershot Town, Carlisle United, and Shamrock Rovers; however, in the end, the choice fell on Welsh Wrexham AFC.
Early History
Wrexham AFC was founded in 1846. The History and Honours states that members of Wrexham Cricket Club founded the football club to play during the winter months and diversify hobbies for young people. This hobby evolved into a full-fledged and competitive team, which gradually progressed towards its first major titles.
In 1878, the team became the first winner of the Welsh Cup.
In 1883, the club made its debut in the FA Cup, but lost in the first match, and riots in the stands led to the club being disbanded. A month later, a new club was founded – Wrexham Olympic, and three years later, the word ‘Olympic’ was removed from the name.
In 1921, the club joined the Third Division of the English Football League.
In the 1956/57 FA Cup, Wrexham made it to the fourth round of the FA Cup, in which they played the famous Busby Babes. The match took place in Wrexham, with 34,445 fans in attendance, which remains a club record to this day, and ended in a 5:0 victory for Manchester United.
In the 73/74 season, Wrexham reached the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, losing to Burnley.
Two years later, Wrexham played in the European Cup Winners’ Cup (thanks to winning the Welsh Cup), where the team also reached the quarterfinals, losing to Belgian Anderlecht, who then won the tournament.
In March 2011, the club was transferred to the Wrexham Supporters’ Trust and became a fan-run club. In August, the fans raised £127,000 in one day to pay off the bonds and stay in the National League of English Football Clubs.
New Owners
Wrexham was owned by fans, making it impossible to buy the team outright. At first, the actors had to prove to the fans that they were serious, so they prepared a presentation to introduce the club’s new project. The new bosses aimed to elevate the team to the level of professional football, reconstruct the stadium, boost media exposure, and produce a separate documentary series about the team’s life.
The fans were delighted with what they saw, so the sale process was launched. The full takeover was completed in February 2021, and with a final price of £2 million.
McElhenney and Reynolds, who bought Wrexham AFC, immediately began to improve the training facility’s conditions, expanding the staff by inviting masseurs, scouts, and other personnel, which was a novelty for a team from the fifth division.
Promotion and development
Despite the ambitious changes, they did not succeed immediately. The 21/22 season was the first dramatic challenge in their recent history, with the team finishing 2nd in the National League table and reaching the playoffs, where they failed to qualify for League Two, losing to Grimsby Town in the playoff semifinals with a score of 4:5. The club also reached the FA Trophy final, where it narrowly lost to Bromley (0:1).
However, the very next season, with an incredible 111 points, they were promoted from first place, beating Notts County. It was the team’s first return to professional football in 15 years.
A year later, they took second place and were promoted to League One. This year, from the same second position, they also secured a spot in the Championship.
Team
The owners of Wrexham FC owe these results to coach Phil Parkinson, who has already had experience at Sunderland, Hull City, Charlton Athletic, Bolton Wanderers, and others.
Transfers have also played an important role, the most successful being forward Paul Mullin, who trusted the project and changed Cambridge United from League Two to Wrexham. The striker will spend the next season on loan at Wigan, but before that, he played 172 matches for Wrexham AFC, scoring 110 goals.
Media component
The club’s entry into League One created a real media furor, and before the 2024/25 season, many were sure that the Welsh club would be put in their place, but the historic promotion succeeded again. This achievement has already become a record, as no one has ever been promoted three times in a row before.
After another triumph, Reynolds was asked about his future goals, and he replied:
Today we have already achieved great success, and new horizons for growth are opening up for us. Of course, the main goal is to reach the EPL, but we do not want to force things and will continue to develop the club to reach the next level. In any case, I want to see this through and complete this story by reaching the EPL. I am sure we will surprise the whole of England.
However, the management set themselves not only sporting achievements, but also media ones, namely increasing the recognition of Wrexham AFC and inviting new investors. Therefore, in parallel with the successes on the field, the team’s owners began producing the “Welcome to Wrexham” docuseries, which became an integral part of the entire project.
Cameras accompanied the players, coaches, and other staff, as well as the bosses, Ryan and Rob, recording all the ups and downs of the team. This led to the growth of the club on social media, as well as an increase in the number of fans who came to the small town, even from other countries, especially the United States.
Speaking of the United States, Wrexham AFC matches are broadcast on American television, and not just for the sake of it; they attract tens of thousands of viewers because many are particularly interested in following this story.
All the media exposure brought Wrexham many sponsorship contracts, including TikTok and one of the major American airlines, United Airlines. The number of subscribers has also grown, with 1.5 million people on Instagram and 1.7 million on TikTok.
Today
Following the team’s triumphant entry into the Championship, management must now focus on infrastructure, as the team needs to meet the minimum league criteria.
The problem is that when promotion occurs so quickly, it hinders the adaptation period, making it difficult for the team to reform the squad and structure for the new League in such a short time. For example, the team still has players who played in the fifth division, and now they will have to play in the second division of England, which they are most likely not ready for either physically or mentally.
However, the Wrexham bosses would not have led the team to such results if they had not been prepared for it. Work has already begun on the reconstruction of the stadium and training facilities, and an additional budget will be allocated in the summer for transfers of players with experience in the Championship.
The story of a quick entry into the EPL next season is indeed inspiring, but considering purely football factors, it is better for the team to spend a few years in the Championship to allow for this period of adaptation to the new league.
The head coach also confirmed this:
Our club has made a great breakthrough, which is, of course, a great success, but on the other hand, a big problem – because at different levels of the club, we simply do not keep up with the team’s results. Therefore, despite the hype around Wrexham, we need to stay calm and develop the club with a cold mind on the way to the EPL.
Reynolds and Rob have demonstrated that with the right approach, even a small brand can be transformed into a media giant with millions of fans worldwide. Five years ago, this club was an average fifth-division team, and today they have a chance to prove themselves in the Championship and fight for the right to earn a spot in the EPL.
They also proved another essential point: in modern football, where everything is driven by big money, there is still room for ordinary workers and sincere emotions.
