Wrexham have been on a transformative journey over the past four years since the club were bought by Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac.
The North American pair bought the club when it was battling in the National League, but following their investment in the club, they have risen through the English pyramid to the Championship with three consecutive promotions.
While there has been a lot of transformation on the pitch, there has been incredible development off it too, as Ben Foster detailed the changes in Wrexham’s facilities.
This has led many to believe that promotion to the Premier League can be a realistic ambition, with Foster believing they will be promoted from the Championship in a few seasons.
However, Ryan Reynolds has noticed an even more important change around Wrexham, well, at least in his opinion.
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Ryan Reynolds believes people are now proud to be from Wrexham
The Deadpool star is currently on a media press tour to promote his latest work, a documentary on John Candy; however, he is being asked about his involvement with Wrexham throughout these events.
This weekend was no different, as Seth Myers asked him about his involvement with ‘Welcome to Wrexham’, with Reynolds being happy to talk about his club, but the conversation soon moved to the pride he can see in fans now in the Welsh town about their team.
He explained this on Late Night with Seth Myers: “The first thing and most important is that people in Wrexham, you know, five years ago when we got there, they wouldn’t really even say ‘Wrexham’.
“If you said, ‘Where are you from?’ They would say North Wales. And now they say I’m from Wrexham.
“Like, they love it, and I’m just like, ‘I love that.’
“I mean, they lost, you know, coal and steel and all that sort of post Thatcherism kind of sadness that was there. It’s gone.
“And it’s like this vibrant community that is an amazing place to visit.”
Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac have had a huge impact on Wrexham and Wales
The pair of Reynolds and Rob Mac have had nothing but a positive impact on the club both on and off the pitch, as they have helped bring it back to the second tier for the first time in 43 years but have also helped the region financially too.
Since the investment of Reynolds and Mac in Wrexham, it has been discovered that tourism in Wales has increased around 20%, with some of this being due to the docuseries and people wishing to attend football matches at the Racecourse Ground.
At the time of the release of this information, Wrexham County Borough Council’s tourism spokesman Joe Bickerton told North Wales Live all about the rise in tourism in the area.
Bickerton noted that tourism has exploded to around £180 million a year, with ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ playing a huge role.
Bickerton added that tourism has increased around 20% a year in Wrexham since McElhenney and Reynolds’ takeover, highlighting their incredible impact.
He said: “We are still waiting for the 2024 figures, but tourism has increased to £180m a year in Wrexham.
“In the three years, tourism in Wrexham has gone up by 20 per cent a year in Wrexham, and a large part of that is due to the documentary. There are ads about Wrexham on American billboards.”