Wrexham: The world's most famous non-league team (2024)

The documentary about them that will stream across the world has not even started yet but Wrexham are already the most famous club playing non-league football.

Owned by Hollywood megastars, with sponsorship deals with billion-dollar companies and wealth their league rivals cannot compete with, the Welsh club have enjoyed a huge recent upsurge in publicity.

Wrexham are so famous, a Hollywood-style sign has been erected there while the club will be appearing in the world's most popular sports video game.

One of the oldest clubs in the world is now one of the trendiest, with Hollywood fans and tie-ins with global brands.

After 13 seasons of trying and failing to return to the Football League, Wrexham now enjoy a spotlight clubs higher up the pyramid can only dream of.

When Wrexham's board were approached in May 2019 about talks with two mystery investors, they never imagined for a second those investors would turn out to be Hollywood movie megastar Ryan Reynolds and Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator and star Rob McElhenney.

Reynolds, who probably vies with Tom Cruise and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson for the title of biggest movie star in the world, and McElhenney, the creator of a revered show, were voted in almost unanimously by Wrexham's supporters who were sold on their vision for the club.

The duo invested £2 million in the club immediately on completing the takeover, with the deal also containing plans for a documentary on the takeover called Welcome to Wrexham.

The documentary will follow the Hollywood duo's "crash course in football club ownership", according the National League club say.

US-based FX Entertainment has placed a two-season order for the access-all-areas programme.

Wrexham executive director Humphrey Ker says both the Hollywood stars are extremely focused in their ownership of the club.

"Rob, Ryan and I, we come from a comedy background. But in the same way we take our work, which is to make people laugh, very seriously. That's our day job and we take the club incredibly seriously," he told BBC Radio Wales Sport.

"But the running of the football club, the future of the football club - all that is incredibly serious."

Wrexham will retain their previous shirt sponsor, Ifor Williams Trailers, as 'local sponsors', but the non-leaguers nonetheless announced two sponsorship deals earlier this summer that would make most clubs in world football envious, let alone non-league football.

Global entertainment platform TikTok has been confirmed as the club's sponsors for the next two seasons, while the club's official travel partner, Expedia, will be Wrexham's back-of-shirt sponsors for the same period.

"To have TikTok on the front of our shirts is a great coup," Ker said.

"And we are sure it will be popular among our fanbase, as well as with those who are active on TikTok.

"The opportunity to access the full breadth of their social reach creates a community-building opportunity many will envy."

The increased profile of the club is stretching across the world and certainly across Hollywood.

Arrested Development co-stars Jason Bateman and Will Arnett have both posted on social media modelling Wrexham merchandise sent to them by their Hollywood friends and their influence is giving the club a lot of exposure.

Wrexham will also feature in this season's version of Fifa, the best-selling sports video game franchise in the world. Wrexham are included among the teams in the 'Rest of the World' section of the game, becoming the first ever non-league to feature.

Wrexham have announced "a multi-year partnership" with the game-makers and both Reynolds and McElhenney posted about the news on their social media channels.

Newly-appointed Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson is basically playing his own version of Fifa Career Mode as well.

The appeal of a club under such exciting ownership has been reflected in their player acquisitions as the Dragons look to end 13 seasons of frustration in their attempts to return to the Football League.

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The signings they have made this summer, including Parkinson himself, have shown their pulling power.

Paul Mullin scored 34 goals in 50 games for Cambridge United last season as they secured promotion to League One, but he was convinced to drop down two divisions to sign for Wrexham.

"The ambition of the club attracted me here," Mullin said of his move.

"Rob McElhenney gave me a call - at that time, I wasn't too sure about making the move.

"But once he outlined the plans for the club, and the plans for me in the future, it was something I really wanted to be a part of and something that just excited me that much that I had to come.

"He really sold the club to me. What they have planned for the club is magnificent and something I want to be a part of."

Wrexham made a series of other eye-catching signings this summer.

Defenders Bryce Hosannah (Leeds United), Ben Tozer (Cheltenham Town), Aaron Hayden (Carlisle) and Shaun Brisley (Port Vale) along with Morecambe forward Liam McAlinden and Lincoln City midfielder James Jones, all arrived with Wrexham paying transfer fees for their services.

The club are obviously financially competitive now, to say the least, but their appeal is beyond financial.

"You don't often get people from Hollywood giving you a call and you're having a chat on the couch with them," Mullin added.

"I wasn't too sure about dropping down the levels to play for Wrexham. But I want to be a part of something exciting and Wrexham was that for me."

Wrexham, "something exciting," a club with Hollywood owners and big ambitions.

This is the new normal.

At least it is at the world's most famous non-league football club.

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