Ryan Reynolds takeover of Wrexham AFC sees football club turn over jaw-dropping £26million as American fans flock to matches
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Ryan Reynolds takeover of Wrexham AFC has seen the club turn over a jaw-dropping £26million thanks to American fans flocking to matches.
The Hollywood star, 48, and fellow actor Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham AFC through their RR McReynolds Company LLC in November 2020, completing in 2021.
The pair almost instantly saw huge success, with the club enjoying back-to-back promotions from non-league up to League Two and then League One.
Investment from Ryan and Rob has been the catalyst to the success, with the club attracting players with abilities above their level and launching a Welcome to Wrexham TV series which proved popular in America.
Tickets and merchandise sales have seen the club rake in huge profits with recent accounts showing a £16million increase in turnover on the previous financial year.
A source told The Sun: 'Ryan has put Wrexham on the map when it comes to football, but a lot of the money is down to American fans coming over to watch games.'
They added: 'The place is packed out with tourists buying merchandise and tickets to the club.
'The impact of Ryan and Rob McElhenney, who bought Wrexham with him, really cannot be underestimated. And the money does the talking.'
Wrexham Association Football Club, which is based in Wrexham, Wales, formed in 1864, earning it the distinction of being the oldest club in Wales, and the third-oldest professional association football team in the world.
The club compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Ryan and Rob's company received the backing of 98.6 per cent of the 2,000 members of the Wrexham Supporters Trust that voted, and they completed the deal in February 2021.
They have delivered jaw-dropping figures in the club's latest financial accounts, with the club turning over £26.7million in the financial year that ended in June 2024, compared to the £10.5m the year prior.
It is reported that club officials attribute most of the money, which is thought to be a record for a then-League Two team, to the Welcome to Wrexham series, which details the journey of the club under their ownership.
There are four series of the show, streaming on Disney Plus, and it has won a number of awards, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards and two Critics' Choice Television Awards.
As well as the series, Wrexham have, under the actors' ownership, secured sponsorship deals with the likes of United Airlines and HP, which has seen their sponsorship revenue increase rom £1.9m to £13.2m.
Despite those numbers, however, the club have still posted a loss of £2.7m, manly due to their increased wage budget and £824,000 in bonuses for promotion to League Two.
The loss is, though, down from £5.1m in the year prior, and £15m worth of loans from Reynolds and McElhenney have now been paid back.
In December, Channing Tatum shocked thirsty Welsh locals by buying them a round of drinks.
Along with fellow Hollywood star and Wrexham co-owner Ryan, he was seen seen leaving a pub in Wales.
The pair were seen making their way to the stadium for Wrexham's match against Cambridge United.
Now, it has emerged that the Magic Mike actor decided to spread some festive cheer amongst the locals, and Green Day star Billie Joe Armstrong soon followed suit.
One local told The Sun: 'Channing and Billie Joe were so generous when it came to their rounds.
'On the Friday, Channing was in the Fat Boar on York Street and brought everyone in there a drink.
'Billie was in The Turf on that night too and got a round in with his son. Channing then went to The Turf on the Sunday and brought everyone a drink.'
The local also claimed that Channing stayed there 'for hours', and by the end, the residents were getting 'absolutely legless' with the A-Lister.
