Wrexham, Deadpool & Philadelphia: 2020’s Strangest Sports Story

Wrexham AFC has a rich history. At 156 years old, it’s the third-oldest professional club in world football and plays in the oldest still active international stadium. The club won the EFL Cup in 2005 before being punished for financial mismanagement with point deductions and subsequent relegations. Winning just one trophy since their last relegation, the team hasn’t returned to the EFL in 11 years.

So why on earth would Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney want to acquire the Welsh club?

There are a number of contributing factors as to how this deal came together. It is important to first acknowledge the direct involvement both have had in the takeover, personally presenting their plans to the Wrexham Supporters Trust (WST) over Zoom. Wrexham had been a fan-owned club for nearly a decade, with their successful bid in 2011 being backed by local political representatives. This shows the respect and authentic relationship the actors wanted to have with Wrexham supporters, and it’s clear they succeeded with 98.6% of WST members voting in favour of the takeover.

The acquisition could see up to £2 million invested into the club. The mission statement presented by Reynolds and McElhenney states they want to improve club facilities and increase club staff. The second point is particularly important as this is to accommodate the expected increase in interest “both locally, and abroad”. This is clearly a key consideration as they have publicly declared their aim for Wrexham to be a “global force”.

Expanding the Wrexham AFC brand globally may seem to many a farfetched dream, but there is good reason to suggest this can be achieved. Firstly, Reynolds, in particular, has a track record of successful investments. He notably invested in Aviation American Gin for undisclosed equity in February 2018 and leveraged his personal brand to drive sales. In August 2020, the alcohol brand was sold for $610 million. He has also expanded his portfolio to include an advertising agency and low-cost wireless provider Mint Mobile.

Secondly, it has been widely reported that a docu-series is already in the works surrounding the takeover. The financial implications of this on Wrexham AFC would be massive and could potentially drive the club back into the EFL very quickly. Amazon paid Tottenham Hotspur a reported £10 million for their All or Nothing series, of which 9 hours of content has been published. If the club was to bring in even just a fifth of this amount, it would already cover the initial £2 million investment. However, given the industry connections and massive global reach of both Reynolds, who is now a household name, and McElhenney, creator and star of America’s longest-running comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, this could prove to be an underestimate.

So while this may seem like a strange and random purchase on the surface, the actors have clearly put a lot of thought into this takeover. Hopefully, the current positivity around Wrexham AFC continues and we may yet see the Welsh club truly take on the football pyramid, and perhaps even the world.