The world's third oldest football club has become a global success

Wrexham AFC were, until about two years ago, a relatively unknown Welsh club on the world football scene. However, everything changed in 2020, with the takeover of the club by two well-known Hollywood actors: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The third oldest club in the world, founded in 1864, opened doors to modern football and the results are clear to see.

Bought for around $2.5 million by the two celebrities, Wrexham AFC began to gain notoriety and quickly started to aspire to new heights, different from the ones the club has been used to in its 151-year history, where they have never been able to compete at the top-flight of English football.

Having been out of English professional leagues for 15 years, the Welsh side achieved promotion to Sky Bet League 2 this season, bringing the Welsh city of just 60,000 inhabitants back to competing in the UK’s upper tiers from next season.

However, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's achievements are far from solely related to the sporting aspect of things, as shown by the huge media attention the club has received in recent weeks.

The new owners revolutionized the club by implementing a completely professionalized structure and raising the team to an unmatched level compared to other teams from the same division, both on and off the pitch.

In addition, the documentary series "Welcome to Wrexham" has led to a striking increase in the club's popularity, not only in the UK but also in the rest of the world, including the United States of America, along with a considerable financial inflow into the Welsh club.

The popularity of the series has had an instant impact, easy to see through the club's growth on social media, with an increase of over one million followers in the last two years. Such results made Wrexham AFC an attractive target for some of the world's biggest brands and it wasn't long before TikTok and Expedia signed sponsorship deals with the club.

In terms of local community support, the numbers of season ticket holders tripled compared to previous seasons, and several of the team's home games sold out since the takeover was consummated.

Wrexham AFC have thus become the latest success story in modern football. The arrival of foreign investment, partnerships with internationally renowned brands and strategic marketing has provided a global reach the club has never seen before, making it a winning bet for investors and the Welsh historical club's supporters.