In the footballing United Kingdom, a question is emerging: how is it possible that a small club, lost among the mountains of Wales, has managed to accumulate a global appeal in just a few months? Yet Wrexham is doing it. From an absolute shooting star of the English lower leagues: an ongoing streak of three consecutive promotions – a national record – with a fourth still remarkably within reach, should Phil Parkinson's boys make the Championship playoffs and surprise everyone once again. Behind the fairy tale, of course, there is more. That is, an extraordinary ownership: two prominent actors – Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, one Canadian and the other American, with no apparent connection to Wales – with a crazy dream in their drawer and all the resources to make it happen. Need I reiterate? "Climbing the hierarchies of English football all the way to the Premier League."
For now, Wrexham has not put the cart before the horse: it is taking its measure with an unfamiliar league and a much larger dimension compared to what the club was used to in its history. The red-and-white squad, for example, is almost entirely composed of British players. No high-profile names, no wild ideas (not yet, at least). Yet a structural growth that is now exponential: Wrexham already boasts Premier League revenues and an international recognition that is hard to imagine. The credit is mainly due to a dedicated docuseries, capable of acting as a corporate catalyst even for new investors.
And especially for new fans. Today, Wrexham, for some convoluted reason to be traced in the pervasiveness of broadcasting, has fan clubs scattered all over the world. From Norway to Dubai, from Australia to Iceland. A football curiosity born almost for fun, soon transformed into the enthusiasm of a regular appointment, weekend after weekend, with the team demonstrating excellent performance in the new category. So why did two Hollywood actors choose Wrexham, and why has such a diverse community decided to follow them? "We're talking about the story of an underdog," industry insiders explain. "You always want the small ones to succeed. And Wrexham is a club with a great tradition: one of the oldest ever," the third in the world and the first in Wales (founded in 1864).
It follows that the media exposure contributes to the virtuous cycle that is affecting the team, with positive repercussions on the local economy: only in 2024, tourist arrivals in Wrexham generated over 200 million euros in revenue, with growth rates exceeding 6% annually. And the increase in football revenues – mostly coming from outside Europe – has reached very significant figures for the Championship: almost 40 million per season, at the current pace. Figures destined only to rise, if the dream of the Red Dragons were to truly become reality. Given the trend and the financial solidity behind it, it seems less a question of if and more of when. But don’t tell that to Wrexham fans: any self-respecting docuseries does not allow spoilers. Let alone when it comes to real football.
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