Wrexham AFC have gone from non-league obscurity to the elite of Hollywood, with stars packing the stands, an LA bus tour and a smash hit documentary on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Welsh side’s 3-2 victory over Notts County on Easter Monday is the latest phase in a remarkable transformational story for the club, which is now on the cusp of automatic promotion to the Football League after a decade and a half.
Since being bought by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhinney in early 2021, Wrexham have stepped up on and off the field, with legions of new fans and celebrity support including Will Ferrell, John Cleese, Jack Whitehall and Jason Watkins.
Crown Emma Curren was among the celebrities at Monday’s match, with Reynolds hailing her as “a new addition to the family.” Ferrell didn’t appear to be in the stands yesterday, but he did attend a game in February after enjoying pints with fans at a local pub.
Wrexham, who now need seven points from their last four matches to clinch the National League title, have benefited from the huge increase in interest since their takeover of Hollywood.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham in early 2021.
Queen of the Crown Emma Curren (left) was among those who watched Wrexham triumph against Notts County yesterday
As part of the publicity campaign for the documentary, the bus visited stadiums and bars as part of a Los Angeles bus tour in August.
The track’s 10,771-capacity arena was packed for most games this season, and foreign fans including Americans, Australians, and Canadians are now ‘the norm’.
These new fans provided a welcome boost to the club’s finances, with 24,000 shirts sold in the first seven months of the season alone, and the visitors hauling home sacks of goods.
Decisive to the club’s changing reputation was Welcome to Wrexham, which followed McElhenney and Reynolds as they learned how to manage what fans proudly call the third oldest professional football club in the world.
As part of the publicity campaign for the documentary, the bus visited stadiums and bars as part of a Los Angeles bus tour in August.
Wrexham had struck gold.
In the first month after the documentary went live, club merchandise revenue rose from $74,000 (£60,000) to around $446,000 (£360,000), with huge demand from the US, which the chain is mainly targeting.
It is impossible to overstate the global picture – particularly in the United States – that the documentary series has brought.
American newspapers needed to make some key points. “Rek-sm is pronounced with a silent W,” the LA Times reported to its readers in one of hundreds of reviews of the series.
And media requests to see the club and speak to Parkinson’s include The Philadelphia Inquirer, here for the Boxing Day match against Solihull, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, currently planning their own trip.
Will Ferrell earlier this year enjoying a pint at The Turf pub which is just next to the racecourse and features in Welcome To Wrexham
Ferrell was then seen on the ground glancing at the pitch before the confrontation with Wealdstone
John Cleese and Jason Watkins are two famous faces who support Wrexham
Emma Korren wears a baseball cap as she watches the dramatic Easter win
Reynolds hailed Ms Corinne as a ‘new member of the family’
Foreign fans make the city a tourist hotspot, as a large number of San Francisco fans recently visited The Turf bar, which is a central setting in the documentary, and asked if they could see other locations filmed at the stadium.
To date, McIlhenny and Reynolds have already poured around £10m into the club and are looking to open their wallets even further as they pursue an audacious dream – promotion to the Premier League.
Future ambitions aside, Wrexham fans will be sure to make the most of what is already proving to be a fantastical period.
Monday’s victory was secured by a wonderful shell by goalkeeper Ben Foster, who was kissed by Reynolds after the final whistle.
“Rob totally kissed me on the lips, and Ryan called me a handsome double entender,” Foster later told reporters. “I’ll take that.”
‘They’re so happy, if you could ever order a bob, top of the class, on top of the range owner, then you’d just collect them both because they’re as good as they get.
Goalkeeper Ben Foster saved a 97th-minute penalty to hold Notts County out and secure a 3-2 win for Wrexham on Monday.
The goalkeeper was embraced by a distraught Ryan Reynolds in the tunnel after the climactic
Foster dropped to his right to make a brilliant one-handed save to deny County forward Scott
After Monday’s game, Rob McElhenney tweeted that he couldn’t believe he once found football boring
Reynolds’ wife Blake Lively is seen on the pitch in Wrexham in March
It means a lot to them, they care a lot and they do it right. I’ve been here for three weeks now and she works so professionally you won’t believe it. It’s ridiculous for them to manage, so they deserve whatever they get.”
The famous duo appear to be committed to the club, with Reynolds recently acquiring a £1.5m home in the nearby village of Marford.
said a source the sun: “The most famous person in Marford is Tim Vincent from Blue Peter, so being a Hollywood star is a step up!”
The star will be joined in the four-bedroom home by his wife Blake Lively, 35, and their children James, eight, Inez, six, and Betty, three, as well as their fourth child, born earlier this year.
The source added: “Ryan is moving to Marford and it’s all the locals can talk about. His house is on the most luxurious road.
“It may not be the Big Apple but the red carpet will be rolling out when Ryan comes to town.”
American tourists Tanner and Paulina Weeks (pictured) visited earlier this year to buy some Wrexham items
Reynolds recently acquired a £1.5m home in the village of Marford while committing to Wales (pictured: one of the homes in the area)
