The Rise of Ryan Reynolds' Soccer Team: Wrexham FC

Last weekend, Wrexham FC, the soccer team owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, was promoted to League One, two levels below the prestigious Premier League.

When the duo decided to buy the team in 2020, the club was in the fifth tier and had virtually no shot of ever making it to the Premier League. 

In fact, Wrexham hadn’t been promoted in back-to-back seasons for the first time in the club's 159-year history.

Here's the incredible story in 90 seconds:

For nearly a decade (2011-2020), Wrexham FC was owned by the Wrexham Supporters Trust, a group of dedicated fans who essentially owned the club.

• This meant that any significant move regarding the team required a formal members' vote.

• This meant that Reynolds and McElhenney would have to speak with Wrexham fans before any investment or acquisition could take place; they had their work cut out for them.

Over the course of a few months in 2020, Reynolds and McElhenney met with 2,000+ Wrexham supporters, eventually making a ~$2.5M offer for the club's players and facilities.

Now, media and sponsorships. 

Considering the duo are major actors and fairly entrenched in the media world, it's no surprise that they created an unprecedented docu-series titled "Welcome to Wrexham." 

The series covers their initial investment, club operations, community impact, and personal stories from players, staff, and local supporters. Welcome to Wrexham debuted on FX in August 2022 and is also available to stream on Hulu.

They've already had two seasons under their belt, with season 3 set to release later this year.

The show alone has already made millions, and thanks to their newfound publicity, Wrexham has also been able to cash in on several sponsorship deals.

Here are a few of the brands Wrexham has kit sponsorship deals with already:

• United Airlines

• TikTok

• Expedia

• Vistaprint

And the fans clearly love the new squad, with season ticket sales nearly tripling:

• 2019: 2,609

• 2021: 5,892

• 2022: 6,820

• 2023: 99% renewal rate from the year before

Finally, sports owners that actually give a crap about its fans and players. Well done, guys!