If you want a true hard-working story of the greatest underdog, where sheer will power and determination are the protagonist, that too not just in a utopian world but in real-life, the rise of Wrexham FC to the League Football, assisted by the ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney makes up for a perfect Hollywood Script.
Why didn’t they make it into a movie yet?
Oh wait, they already aired a docuseries Welcome to Wrexham with Broadway Pictures with FX production! Ryan Reynolds with his charm and comedic timing made sure they merge Hollywood Buffs with the Football Crazies.
But, what’s the noise all about?
Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney in Welcome To Wrexham docuseries on Wrexham FCNot so many moons ago, Wrexham FC was a club that was on the verge of extinction, and reflected the mood of the town that seemed to be going nowhere. Located in scenic yet isolated laps of the Welsh Mountains, no-one batted an eye for this forsaken town and in it the Third Oldest Club in the World.
Except, two men, far away, across the Atlantic, with no inkling either to Welsh culture or to Football. Two men, who couldn’t even agree to the term football, and referred to the sport as Soccer, dared to live the American Dream. Or so this time, the theoretical dream of rising up through the tiers of the seemingly impossible English Football Pyramid
Why did Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney buy Wrexham FC?
Why indeed? When it was announced that Rob and Ryan are going to take over this seemingly downtrodden club, eyebrows were raised all around. Partly because Wrexham’s bitter taste with some of the previous ownerships and partly because the invasion of the American capitalists of the English Game.
It was only in 2004, when the club as much as suffered on the field, went through a patch of financial troubles. Back then, a guy called Alex Hamilton was trying to sell their home ground, Racecourse Ground for a personal development project. Under his not so able leadership, the club drowned in debts and incurred point deduction, condemning them to League Two. And by 2007, the club was demoted to non-league football what seemed an eternity.
The continuous tussle between bad results and even horrible ownership meant the club toiled among the lowest leagues. Frequent changes in manager also didn’t help the club. Andy Morell, Billy Barr, and Kevin Wilkin, all tried their hands to drag the club out of its misery but failed.
In 2020, the world of football and Hollywood, both were rattled when actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney through RR McReynolds Company LLC announced the takeover of the club. Their vision of climbing through the English Football Pyramid, introducing stability in terms of finances, renovating the club infrastructure, and bringing the fans and the people of the town together meant their proposal received a 98.6% backing from the 2,000 members of the Wrexham Supporters Trust.
This stellar partnership with Hollywood Stars meant Wrexham FC was the only non-league football club to be featured on FIFA 22. By 2022, Wrexham FC brought in Phil Parkinson, a promotion maestro as the manager, brought Paul Mullins from League Two, and helped Wrexham FC secure a 2nd spot finish in the league. Consequently, they lost the play-offs and couldn’t see themselves through. The also lost the 2022 FA trophy final against Bromley.
They also released the docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham” which helped fans across the world develop a soft-corner for this remarkable underdog story. The way these American owners shared the passion for the club and the way the fans of the town involved in the process helped proved many doubters wrong and renewed the trust in the kind of ownership every club want.
2022-2023 Season: Wrexham FC winning the Promotion.
By the start of the 2023 season, expectations were already high. Given their close finish to the previous season, Phil Parkinson and the owners were already feeling the heat. Although, the fans were ecstatic about the ownership, winning promotion meant a matter of life and death to everyone involved with Wrexham FC. The purchase of Ollie Palmer towards the end of the last season, meant that the club has now premier players who are playing way below than their usual leagues.
By mid-season, it was clear that Notts County and Wrexham FC will battle it out for the top two spots. Throughout the season, these two teams were neck-in-neck and went onto create history in the division with both achieving 100+ points. Separated by a point, the two teams met with only 2 games to go. The winner of the clash would undoubtedly hold a huge advantage with one hand already on the trophy. Wrexham FC meanwhile a few backs with lean on their goalkeeping options went on to purchase the premier league veteran Ben Foster for free. Against the showdown with Notts County, with Wrexham winning the game 3-2, the Magpies won a penalty. A point would mean the title would drag to the last day of the season. But lo behold, Ben Foster went on to save the penalty and give Wrexham the long-awaited promotion.
What can we expect from Wrexham FC going forward?
It is quite clear that the budget Wrexham FC is running on, it is comparable to the likes of Mid-Table Clubs of Premier League. But also, the club has to renovate and add infrastructure that is far from the premier league standards. Getting promoted to the League Football will mean better dough but there is a long way to go. Successive promotions is not a child’s play, and the competition gets stiffer by the week. However, it is not impossible. Leicester City in 2014 won promotion from the Championship to the Premier League. One season later, they were already lifting the premier league. As they say, anything is possible in Football. And when you have Deadpool by your side, impossible is nothing.
Wrexham FC will now play in the League Two for the 2023-2024 season. If they are to win back-to- back promotion, it will be like one for the Hollywood Blockbuster, inspired from real-life events.
