The Red Dragons are a money-making machine thanks to the commercial foundations laid by Ryan Reynolds, and The Wrexham Insider can now exclusively reveal just how lucrative his latest plan is.
Even with the high-profile status of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, nobody would have quite expected Wrexham to become the commercial behemoth it is today; at least not this quickly.
Obviously, back-to-back-to-back promotions really helped the cause, putting Wrexham on the map in a footballing sense as well as the organic popularity earned through the owners.
Wrexham now has a huge global following, and it’s getting bigger all the time. That status is helped massively by adventures like the pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand, and it also brings in a pretty penny, too.
Wrexham’s pre-season tours are a lucrative venture
While this tour Down Under may not be ideal for those following Wrexham from Wales (watching Wrexham vs Melbourne Victory is no mean feat), it does open up a world of opportunities for the club in a financial sense.
The Wrexham Insider spoke exclusively to our resident finance expert, Adam Williams, about just how lucrative these kinds of tours are.
He said: “There are probably no other teams in the EFL who have the same commercial clout as Wrexham in Australia and New Zealand, which is quite incredible when you think about their profile pre-takeover.
“Their commercial income was £13m, of which a decent chunk will have come from the pre-season tour of the US last July. They had the seven-a-side tournament that year, which was purely a commercially-driven exercise. If I had to guess, I’d say they probably made £1-2m that summer before costs.”
Wrexham are a unique beast compared to their peers in the Football League, as we know. So much so that Williams shared just how surprising and unusual it is for a club of this level to be carrying out pre-season tours across the other side of the world.
He added: “For most EFL clubs, touring these markets isn’t financially viable. The costs of flying maybe 50 players and staff half way across the world, putting them up in luxury hotels, renting training facilities and so on would be prohibitive.
“In Wrexham’s case, I think a lot of the costs will be covered by sponsors in the US. They have the United Airlines deal, of course. I can’t think of another example of a then-League Two team that has been sponsored by a company that big.”
| Revenue Stream | Championship (Estimated Annual) | League One (Estimated Annual) |
| Sky Sports Deal | £3 – £4 million | £800,000 – £900,000 |
| Per-Match Fees | £500,000 – £1.5 million | ~£200,000 |
| International TV Rights | £1 – £2 million | £300,000 – £500,000 |
| Premier League Solidarity Payments | ~£5 million | ~£780,000 (for 2024/25) |
| Total Estimated Income | £9.5 – £12.5 million | £2 – £2.4 million |
Indeed, we have previously covered the fact that Wrexham’s sponsorship is at a Premier League level. So, we asked Williams about the facts and figures behind it all, and how it compares to the biggest teams in England.
He said: “We don’t have the financial statements for 2024-25 yet, but given that they have projected revenue of £30-40m, I think there’s a good chance that they will have achieved £25m in commercial income.
“Next season, they’re forecasting revenues of around £50m. So you’re probably looking at £30-35m from sponsorship, merchandise, events and, of course, the pre-season tour.
“The Big Six in the Premier League can generate around £15m in revenue from a pre-season tour in the US, Australasia or East Asia. For Wrexham, I reckon £4-5m is realistic after costs.”
Wrexham’s fanbase is growing all the time
The beauty of Wrexham’s pre-season tour is not just that it’s making them money in the immediate, though. It’s also future-proofing the commercial interests of the club by winning them new fans along the way.
On this, Williams continued: “There are match fees from promoters, tie-ins with sponsors, merchandise sales at pop-up shops and so on.
“But what’s probably more important for Wrexham is the chance to nurture their fanbase overseas. They will be planning their pre-season tour destinations for years and there is a targeted commercial strategy behind them.
“In their last set of accounts, they highlighted that over half of their revenue came outside the UK. I expect that share will have increase relatively significantly with back-to-back promotions. When you speak to marketing brains, they segment their potential customers into three sections: followers, fans, and fanatics.
“It’s about progressing people through that chain, getting new customers to engage with club financially, and giving something to those who already do to make sure they continue to do so.”
We already know America is fascinated by Wrexham, for obvious reasons. Throwing Australia and New Zealand into the mix is going to take the Red Dragons to the next level, and they’re only going to keep getting bigger.
Exploring this market Down Under is something Ryan Reynolds and Rob Faulkner, the club’s chief business and communications officer, have been plotting for a long time, and it’s all coming to fruition now.