On a recent episode of Welcome to Wrexham, co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney found out how much money they’d lost since their takeover.
Wrexham’s fortunes have turned around significantly since Hollywood pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed their takeover over the North Wales club in 2021.
Reynolds and McElhenney bought Wrexham AFC for £2million, and in the years since have overseen a period of huge growth, both on and off the field. On the pitch, the club has been promoted to the fourth tier of English football for the first time in 15 years; off the pitch, they have maximised commercial opportunities through sponsorship deals with TikTok as well as gaining legions of new fans with their Welcome to Wrexham documentary.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney react to losing staggering amount of money at Wrexham
Welcome to Wrexham, which is now in its second series, is a fly on the wall documentary that chronicles the ups and downs of Ryan and Rob’s ownership of the club.
On a recent episode of the series, which aired on October 31, Rob and Ryan learned just how much money they were hemorrhaging after their initial investment.
“Let’s talk about how much money we’re losing,” McElhenney joked.
Humphrey Ker, the executive director of Wrexham AFC, initially didn’t share a number, telling the duo it was “loads” of money.
“Quantify loads for us,” Reynolds responded. Shaun Harvey, Wrexham Advisor to the Board, then estimated it was over £10 million (over $12 million).
“I’m gonna go throw up,” Reynolds replied after hearing the figure.
Here’s how they can make that back in the future
However, it was explained to the pair that if they were sell Wrexham right now, they would get “far more” than £10 million.
“I think that’s the actual realistic metric,” Harvey explained. McElhenney replied, “Let’s just say we’re in it for the rest of our lives. At what point do I get paid?”
Harvey went on to explain that if Wrexham were promoted to a higher league, they would instantly become more profitable for everyone associated with the club.
“The value that’s coming from the global appeal we’ve been able to create is going to offset those additional costs that we’ve created,” he explained. “The biggest thing that’s going to change on promotion… People can see the value of Welcome to Wrexham. They can see the value of the profile that’s being built. That’s when the additional sponsorship revenue can be generated.”
Wrexham were promoted last season (which happened after this particular episode was filmed), which will have had a sizeable impact on the club’s finances.
The Reds are also currently third in League Two, which is one of the automatic places for promotion into League One.
If Wrexham can enjoy back-to-back promotions it would have a profound impact on everyone at the club, especially Rob and Ryan’s finances.