Wrexham have been flying under Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds but the club have now secured new investment for the future.
The last few years have been a whirlwind for Wrexham fans – and a story that even Hollywood would struggle to write.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds paid £2million to purchase Wrexham and they have taken the club forward brilliantly.
Wrexham have achieved back-to-back promotions and now sit third in League One – something few could have predicted just a few years ago.
Reynolds fancies another promotion this season but the Hollywood duo are under no illusions about the level of funding needed.
Wrexham will be competing with bigger and bigger clubs with each promotion and that means new investment is needed at the STōK Cae Ras.
Wrexham investor shares verdict on Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds
Challenging big-spending Birmingham City is not easy but Wrexham are in the mix at the top end of League One.
Wycombe Wanderers boss Matt Bloomfield is backing Wrexham to challenge Birmingham for promotion this season.
McElhenney and Reynolds need additional funds to really take Wrexham to that next level though and new investment has been secured.
American investors the Allyn family have invested in Wrexham, purchasing a minority stake in the club.
Phil Parkinson has praised the Allyn family and believes that they will be an ideal fit alongside McElhenney and Reynolds.
Kaleen Allyn has now discussed dealing with McElhenney and Reynolds whilst speaking to The Citizen.
Allyn noted that McElhenney and Reynlds have ‘vast networks’ of contacts and could have easily sought investment from sovereign wealth funds.
Instead, McElhenney and Reynolds wanted investors who had the community at heart – and that’s where the Allyn family come in.
“When you talk about Rob and Ryan, they have these vast networks,” said Allyn.
“They really went out to try and seek a partner that was beyond your typical investor. They could go to big sovereign wealth funds or private equities or hedge funds, but what they were really looking for is someone who had operated a business and also knew how to invest in a community,” he added.
Eric Allyn shares Wrexham plans
This looks to be a fine fit and Eric Allyn has offered some interesting comments too.
Allyn appeared with Wrexham over in New York this week as Humphrey Ker captained a Wrexham side in a charity game supporting Kick4Life.
The Citizen note that Allyn stayed up ‘all night’ watching ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ before accelerating talks to invest in Wrexham,.
Now fully on board, Allyn wants to invest not just in Wrexham as a football club, but also in and around the STōK Cae Ras.
Allyn wants to build up the stadium but also add more hotels and restaurants around the ground, believing that the supply isn’t matching the demand for Wrexham right now.
“Their demand is 10 times their supply and it’s not just in the club itself, which does need some new stands and needs some real investment, but also hotels, restaurants, infrastructure, bars and other businesses,” Eric said.
We will therefore see big changes on and off the pitch in the coming months and years, with Wrexham looking to take another step forward.