Wrexham have progressed beyond their wildest dreams since the club’s takeover in 2021.
After years of hurt and frustration, the club’s supporters trusted Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to take ownership of Wrexham with the promise of bringing hope and prosperity to not just the football team but the town itself.
It is fair to say the owners have stuck to their word and under the guidance of manager Phil Parkinson, the Red Dragons are about to embark on their first Championship campaign for 43 years.
The idea came from McElhenney whilst learning about the game from his good friend Humphrey Ker and the TV star revealed why he had to contact Reynolds to get him involved with the takeover.
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Rob McElhenney needed Ryan Reynolds’ financial power to complete Wrexham takeover
Speaking on the very first episode of the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series, McElhenney realised how expensive his new business venture would be.
The star of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ wanted to take Wrexham from the National League to the Premier League and it remains McElhenney’s ultimate goal.
However, he soon realised that he would need more financial backing and so called his friend Reynolds to persuade him to join him on the adventure.
McElhenney stated: “When I called Humphrey I was like if you had a club that had the infrastructure that could at least support an evening of the balance sheet, can’t you theoretically take a team that’s in the lowest league and bring them to the top?
“He said yes but as I started to gather more and more information, I realised how expensive it was going to be. I have TV money but as I looked at how expensive it was to actually run a club, I realised I needed something more than TV money. I needed movie star money.”
What is next in Wrexham’s journey under Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds
McElhenney wants to avoid ‘consolidation’ this season but in reality surviving their first season in the Championship would be a huge achievement for the Red Dragons.
It would then give them a more solid foundation to look to progress even further the following season with major works being carried out on the Racecourse Ground this campaign.
In addition to the new Kop Stand, Michael Williamson is improving the infrastructure, including improving training facilities and developing the youth academy at the club.
Lots of the progression this campaign may well be off the field rather than the recent success on it, but Wrexham’s owners are striving for better every single minute they are in charge of the club.