Matches against Wrexham an ideal chance for A-League players to impress Red Dragons

Wrexham AFC will be keeping a close eye on A-League talent in pre-season matches against Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.

Wrexham AFC chief executive officer Michael Williamson hasn’t ruled out a poaching raid on A-League players who impress during the Red Dragons’ three-match tour of Australia and New Zealand in July.

Owned by Hollywood stars and entrepreneurs Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, Wrexham has enjoyed a meteoric rise, securing promotion three years in succession to have earnt a place in the English Championship for the 2025-26 season.

The next step – ascension to the Premier League – is set to prove the toughest so far for the Red Dragons, with the Championship including a host of former top-flight clubs desperate to again play in arguably the world’s most popular club competition.

Williamson was under no illusions how tough a fourth successive promotion would be to achieve but said a pre-season that included a camp in Australia and New Zealand and games against Melbourne Victory (July 11, Marvel Stadium), Sydney FC (July 15, Allianz Stadium) and Wellington Phoenix (July 19, Sky Stadium) would not only provide the club with a solid foundation for next season but also could be a way to strengthen its squad.

Williamson is no stranger to A-League talent, having worked for US Major League Soccer club D.C. United at a time when striker Daniel Allsopp and Brazilian midfielder Fred – both former Melbourne Victory stars – played for the Washington-based outfit.

Wrexham AFC attacker Sam Smith and co-owner Ryan Reynolds celebrate the club’s promotion to the English Championship. Picture: Kya Banasko/Getty Images

“I know the level and the talent that is there in the A-League, at least in that period, so that’s the other interesting thing – to be able to go there and to see first hand some of the players and to be able to see their talent and level,” Williamson said.

“You never know, right? We’re not like a Premier League club where we can fly scouts down to watch A-League matches.

“This would be our chance to watch some of that competition up close and watch those players up close as well.”

Williamson said Wrexham’s tour to Australia made sense not only to further build the club’s worldwide fan base but also as an ideal preparation for the new season.

The all important dates for your diary 🗓️

🔴⚪ #WxmAFCpic.twitter.com/wn6RhZ1Cc3

— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) May 13, 2025

“These pre-season tours are about preparing for the upcoming season, so when we schedule these tours, we’re looking for good competition that’s going to give our playing squad opportunity to get minutes under them to be able to prepare for the start of season because we want to hit the ground running,” he said.

“We’ve spent the last two (pre-seasons) in North America, and it’s been fantastic, because beyond just the competition of preparing the players for the upcoming season, we obviously have developed a global fan base.

“To be able to connect with that global fan base has been absolutely fantastic in those markets. In North America especially, we’ve been able to do a lot of grassroots activation, creating fan zones in and around match days and being able to connect with fans at a local level.

“In looking at the metrics and the analysis, Australia and New Zealand was a logical next step for us after North America.”

Wrexham has more than four millions social media followers from this part of the world, while Australia is the third-largest audience of the club’s Welcome to Wrexham docu-series.

“It was very logical to say this is great competition, great preparation, a good weather environment – to be able to come down to Australia and New Zealand is fantastic, and we’re super excited about it,” Williamson said.

Originally published as Matches against Wrexham an ideal chance for A-League players to impress Red Dragons