Wrexham now worth far more than £2 million Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney paid for them
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Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have helped completely change things for Wrexham AFC and the club is now far more valuable thanks to the pair.
It's only a couple of years ago that Reynolds and McElhenney suddenly found themselves involved in football, a sport that they had very little knowledge of.
In fact the pair even had to be taught the offside rule during a game by none other than David Beckham, as they celebrated what they believed was a goal.
So it would certainly make you wonder why in the world they'd spend £2 million to buy the then non-league team, as they did back in 2020.
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The pair found out they could have lost another £1 million if they'd failed at getting promoted back into the Football League this season, having not managed it in the previous campaign.
Thankfully for the pair and their fans they did achieve getting back into League Two, after 15 years in the National League, with the club now set for a £17 million windfall.
The value of the club has also gone up massively since it was bought by the Deadpool star and Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator.
According to research from investment bank Saxo, the club has now tripled in value in the past three years thanks to a number of factors.
The research says that deals with the likes of TikTok, Aviation American Gin, Expedia and Vistaprint have helped boost the club's value.
On top of that, they have raked in £2.5 million from signing a deal with Disney for the behind the scenes 'Welcome to Wrexham' documentary, that is set for a second series which will show the promotion season.
Anaam Raza of Saxo explained, "The investment was centred towards making ‘Welcome to Wrexham’, a Netflix-style docu-series that tracked the purchase, investment in the club and the journey of their Hollywood owners at the helm.
"After debuting on FX in the States in August 2022, it received a 97% audience score and was immediately signed for a second season. The club would have made roughly $400,000 (£321k) per hour of content for the eight-part series which equates to around $3.2m (£2.57m).
"Following promotion, Wrexham’s social media accounts have been supercharged. Since the takeover, their Twitter following has grown by 1,040%, their Instagram following has increased by 3,111% and they have gone from no followers on TikTok to 1.2 million.
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"The number of fans buying season tickets has nearly tripled; they have also signed lucrative kit sponsorship deals with companies such as TikTok, Aviation American Gin, Expedia and Vistaprint. However, the club’s global reach is perhaps the most impressive success; ESPN revealed their FA Cup second round viewing figures increased by 858% as a direct result of showcasing Wrexham - meaning around 100 million households will have watched the Red Dragons this season.
"With the team now hoping to achieve back-to-back promotions next season, a new series of Welcome to Wrexham on the cusp and more bankable sponsorships in place including a friendly against Manchester United in the summer, the Hollywood duo could quite easily walk away at this point by sanctioning a sale of Wrexham nearing the $10 million (£8 million) mark and make a 300% increase on their initial investment based on the trajectory and worldwide notoriety of the club.”
The team's popularity is likely to only be increased by a move up to League Two especially now Sky Sports will be showing more games from next season.
They will also be taking on Premier League giants Manchester United in a friendly in the US over the summer, whilst McElhenney and Reynolds will even represent the Welsh side in a five-a-side tournament.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Wrexham, League Two, Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, Football
