Fans of National League side Wrexham were rightly suspicious and no doubt confused when they were informed of the interest in their club coming from thousands of miles away in Hollywood.
It seemed entirely random, and seemingly, the route which led Hollywood A-List Ryan Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney to the struggling Welsh side is still one that is truly without direction, but it is one that is working wonders for those concerned.
For the uninitiated, and that’s a group that is actually relatively small due to the success of the documentary show that has followed the progress of the co-ownership, let’s take a closer look at the team that the pair took control of back in November 2020.
Rich History
Wrexham has a rich history in the football pyramid that operates in England and Wales, having been founded way back in 1864. They have achieved a great deal over the century-plus of existence, but for the past 15 years, they’ve languished in the National League, the fifth tier of the aforementioned pyramid.
Now for American audiences, the entire context of a pyramid system in a sports league will appear alien. This is because all the big hitters in terms of leagues and sports in the US don’t involve promotion or relegation.
Therefore, for instance, the NFL betting odds will always involve the same franchises year in and year out; now imagine a world where teams could rise from five divisions down and somehow find themselves in the Super Bowl. Well, that’s what can happen in the English Football League.
Tough Undertaking
The pyramid system works so well because it breeds a high level of competition which in turn makes it increasingly hard to make your way up and through divisions. Obviously, Wrexham has benefited from the financial backing of their new millionaire owners, but now, in their third season in charge, they are still fighting to get out of the National League and into League Two.
The hard work put in by the pair, as well as the financial burden of doing so, can not be underplayed, and it’s visibly clear that they both love what they are doing and the impact they are making.
Wrexham is a team that is symbiotically connected to the city they are based, and this is something that is really brought home by the documentary Welcome to Wrexham.
Loving Every Minute
You only have to see the reaction of both owners to their most recent escapades, culminating in a famous FA Cup win over Championship side Coventry City to see just how important it is to both Reynolds and McElhenney.
They will hope to finally see Wrexham take that monumental first step back into the relative ‘big leagues’ of the EFL proper and the investment, both in terms of money spent but also effort given by the pair, is undoubtedly worthy of such a reward.
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