Wrexham prepared for the new season in style, jetting off to Australia and New Zealand as part of the pre-season tour.
Wrexham travelled to Australia and New Zealand this summer, taking their incredible story to the Southern Hemisphere after spending the last pre-season in America.
It comes after Wrexham won promotion from League One, securing a third straight promotion under Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac.
But results proved patchy in the pre-season tour. Phil Parkinson’s side won one game but lost the other two, looking rather disappointing throughout.
Since then, Wrexham picked up their first Championship win of the season against Millwall last time out, and three new signings on deadline day takes their summer signings to £13m, with £40m spent on new players.
Ben Tozer was shocked by how many Wrexham shirts were sold in Australia
Joining the Wrexham squad down under were former players Ben Foster and Ben Tozer. The two joined as ambassadors and gave a meet and greet with supporters over there; during which, Tozer and Foster were both left stunned by the sheer amount of people who were wanting to buy the jersey.
Speaking in an interview with The Athletic, Tozer said: “When me and Fozzy got out of the car for the kit launch in Melbourne, there didn’t seem to be anyone there. But then we walked round the corner and straight away I said, ‘Wow! We might be here a little while’.
“It was full-on. I thought we’d be there half an hour, tops. But it was an hour and a half. So many people that they sold out all the shirts. That blows your mind. But that’s Wrexham today. Without these fans buying those shirts, the club wouldn’t be what it is.”
How many fans attended Wrexham’s games in Australia and New Zealand?
On the whole, Wrexham’s Tour of Australia and New Zealand was as much about marketing as it was about preparing for the new season.
And whilst Wrexham didn’t look so good and didn’t start the season in amazing form either, it is clear that their tour of the continent was well received, despite ticket sale fears for Wrexham’s pre-season tour. It actually proved out to be a hit, with games against the likes of Melbourne attracting around 40,000 supporters.
Shirt sales were through the roof, and in total more than 100,000 supporters attended Wrexham’s friendly matches in Australia and New Zealand.
As far as marketing goes, it’s yet another well-thought plan by Reynolds and Mac, whose Wrexham brand continues to reach all corners of the globe.