Major news for Aussie fans of Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney’s Welcome to Wrexham show

It’s the real-life rags-to-riches sports story that could have been dreamt up in a Hollywood writers’ room and has captivated the world.

IN WREXHAM

“The chairman’s here today.”

In any other football club in any other part of the world, that fact would probably barely register for anyone outside diehard fans of the sport.

But on this day, it meant one of Hollywood’s most famous leading men was in our midst – and the buzz here at the home of Wrexham A.F.C. was unmistakeable.

Reynolds’ unexpected appearance had everyone buzzing – especially my four-year-old son. Picture: Supplied/Bronte Coy

Ryan Reynolds – or simply “Deadpool!” as many young punters at the stadium would later be shrieking – and fellow showbiz heavyweight Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia) thrust the small city in northern Wales in early 2021 to global fame when they bought the down-on-its-luck football club and iconic (but dilapidated) Racecourse Stadium.

Immediately, they began injecting huge sums of cash into the ailing business … and four years on, that initial £2 million (A$4 million) Wrexham AFC value is now said to be around £100 million (A$200 million).

It’s proven to be a lucrative investment for the pair. Picture: Instagram

Significantly – the team has also leapt up two leagues, and is now eyeing off a third jump to round out the 2024/25 season, which would put them just one below the ultra-lucrative Premier League.

From the outset, it was such an unbelievable sports rags-to-riches story – featuring two actual bona fide stars – that Disney+ jumped right on-board, launching the hugely successful Welcome to Wrexham docu-series and captivating millions of fans around the world.

It’s even drawn senior royals including the King, Queen and Prince William to Wrexham to check out the action for themselves.

The King and Queen even featured in season two of the docu-series. Picture: Supplied

The Prince of Wales visited in March last year. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Part of McElhenney and Reynolds’ initial takeover pitch was a commitment to the future of the club, and, critically, the town itself.

More than four years on, if that pledge was ever in doubt, they’ve now expanded their stake further, becoming co-owners of the local Wrexham Lager, the oldest lager brewery still existing in Great Britain.

The actors’ decision to buy in was welcomed with open arms, but even before they became officially involved, Wrexham Lager had experienced a mammoth boom in sales, thanks to the new-found icon status of its town and everything associated.

In fact, according to one of its original owners, Mark Roberts, they’ve seen a jump in sales of around 400% from 2020 until now.

Not bad for a company that was bought by Mark and his brother for just £1 in 2011, resurrecting the historic brand that was first founded in 1882.

(Fun – and somewhat grim – fact: Wrexham Lager was served in the first-class restaurant aboard the Titanic, in a testament to its stellar reputation at the time).

McElhenney and Reynolds are big fans of Wrexham Lager – and soon set their sights on buying in. Picture: Instagram

With “brand Wrexham” experiencing an unprecedented boom thanks to its Hollywood ties, McElhenney and Reynolds set their sights on the brewery all the way back in 2021.

“They tasted the lager, they liked it – and ultimately they wanted to buy into it,” Roberts explains to me during a tour of the brewery.

But back then, he knew the company wasn’t quite ready to take on what was certain to be a very rapid boost.

“Then we got people, experts in the field to come and help us – I was getting bombarded from around the world about us doing collaborations and working with people,” he adds.

Finally, and after 12 months of negotiations, everything was in place.

As of November last year, McElhenney and Reynolds are co-owners of the local company alongside the Roberts family.

And Aussies wanting their own taste of that Wrexham magic may not have to travel to the other side of the world anymore.

Rumours have been swirling that Wrexham A. F. C will “almost certainly” visit Australia for a pre-season friendly match in July, with reports the team will take on the A-League Men side, Melbourne Victory at Marvel Stadium.

Couple that with the fact that the iconic Wrexham Lager is now available to buy Down Under (via Dan Murphy’s) – and the only thing missing for fans is a seat in The Racecourse itself.

Meanwhile, as Wrexham Lager CEO James Wright tells me, “what’s come across is just the sheer passion [McElhenney and Reynolds] have for ‘brand Wrexham’, it’s contagious, their energy.

“It is so unique to have two brands – being the football club and the lager – sitting side-by-side, and on their own. They work individually … but together it just creates such a multidimensional experience.”

* The writer travelled to Wrexham as a guest of Wrexham Lager.

Originally published as Major news for Aussie fans of Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney’s Welcome to Wrexham show