WHEN it comes to football club owners, Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are in a league of their own.
The pair are the toast of Wales after Wrexham FC won a long-awaited promotion back into the football league with a 3-1 victory over Boreham Wood on Saturday.
It marked the latest chapter of a fairy-tale story after Deadpool star Ryan and Rob, both 46, bought the ailing non-league club back in 2020.
Just a decade ago, Wrexham were on the brink of bankruptcy, but in the space of a few years its superstar owners have now invested over £10million, as documented in the Disney+ documentary Welcome to Wrexham.
From a bold plan to buy back the stadium to busting the wage bills and buying 365 gin and tonics for locals, turning around Wrexham’s fortunes hasn’t come cheap for the pair.
But while they have had to write off millions of pounds in the quest for promotion, Wrexham’s newfound popularity around the world – and the hefty pay check from Disney – has meant they’re not totally in the red.
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Stadium overhaul
After snapping up Wrexham FC for £2million, Rob and Ryan’s first big mission was to buy back the famous Racecourse Ground stadium.
Previously, it was owned by Wrexham Glyndwr University, who bought it in 2011 as the club battled a financial crisis.
Wrexham’s latest accounts to the end of June 2022 show that £3.67million was paid to repurchase the freehold of the stadium, according to the Mail on Sunday.
Rob and Ryan – who have a combined net worth of over £400million – then announced plans to develop the Racecourse’s Kop stand for an estimated cost of around £80-90 million.
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When finished, the state of the art new stand will house 5,500 fans, while also boasting impressive hospitality and office facilities.
Rob and Ryan aren’t just focused on Wrexham’s men’s team, with the duo intent on making their women’s team the best in Wales.
They previously said: “The commitment of the club’s owners in their mission statement was clear, in that their ambition was to grow all areas of Wrexham AFC, not just the first team.”
They pledged to make the women’s team fully semi-professional, should they win promotion this season – a feat they achieved earlier this month.
It’s Always Sunny star Rob tweeted: “ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. CONGRATULATIONS @WrexhamAFCWomen!!!!!!”
But the investment isn’t always quite so rewarding. In the documentary, Rob is seen baulking at the cost of installing a new £100,000 pitch at the start of the 2021/2022 season.
But after learning the surface is defective, the owners are then forced to spend £200,000 to returf it yet again.
Player power
Key to Wrexham’s title bid has been their squad of expensively assembled stars, who are expected to have the highest wage bill in Non-League history.
Star striker Paul Mullinshad set a new goalscoring record for League Two before his move to Wales and it took a hefty sum to convince him to drop down the divisions.
While the average Non-League player is said to earn between £1,000 and £1,500 a week, Mullin – who has scored 38 league goals this season – signed a deal worth £4,500 per week in 2021.
Close behind him are Ben Tozer and Aaron Hayden, from Cheltenham Town and Carlisle United respectively, who are on an estimated £3,000 per week.
Since taking over, Ryan and Rob have largely snapped up players at the end of their contract and the only transfer fee they have paid is the £375,000 sum for Ollie Palmer.
Perhaps the biggest name in the current squad is former Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster, who was convinced to come out of retirement on a short-term deal.
“’I don’t need much (money) – to be honest,” Foster said. “The negotiations took about five minutes. Wages wise, it’s literally peanuts… the part for me is getting the team over the line and getting them promoted.”
The club’s total wage bill for the 2021/22 season was revealed in the show to be around £2.3million – around the cost of an average League Two team’s.
It is likely this season will surpass Salford City’s £2.68million bill in 2018/19, which remains the Non-League record.
But the payday doesn’t stop there for the Wrexham FC players. Executive director Humphrey Ker previously revealed they would receive £250,000 each if they finished top of the National League.
Kind gestures
Aside from ploughing millions of gratefully-received pounds into the club, Rob and Ryan have won over the community with a series of more personal investments.
To celebrate one year as owners, the duo paid for 365 gin and tonics at The Turf Hotel near the stadium.
Explaining the gesture, they wrote: “Just a quick note to thank each and every one of you on our 1-year anniversary with the club.
“The love and adoration for Wrexham FC – it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen. That’s why we’ve put up 365 Aviation Gin and Tonics behind the bar. Have one on us.”
Whenever their fans have been in need, they have been quick to open their wallets.
Weeks after they bought the club, Wrexham supporter Aiden Stott, who has cerebral palsy, set up a campaign to try and raise £6,000 towards buying a new bath and mechanical hoist.
After Rob donated the life-changing donation in full, Aiden said: “I am absolutely amazed, I just can’t believe it.
“I thought that friends would share it and support me, but I never thought that someone famous would donate. It’s brilliant and I’m just in shock.”
When Kayleigh Burton set up a GoFundMe page to help kit out her son’s futsal team, Ryan donated £1,600 to kit out FC United of Wrexham.
Kayleigh and her boy, Keegen, had been through a difficult year after the death of his father, Adam.
Upon receiving the donation, she said: “I’m lost for words, and over the moon. Thank you Ryan for putting a smile on the team’s face, if thank you is even enough.
“Keegen is Wrexham’s number one fan. His dad would be made up for him and bursting with pride.”
It’s not just the fans, either. Rob and Ryan have been there for their players through thick and thin.
In December 2021, midfielder Jordan Davies went through the most difficult of tragedies, when he and his partner Kelsey lost baby boy Arthur to a stillbirth.
Following their loss, Jordan and Kelsey sought to raise money for stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands UK by setting up a funding page.
Rob and Ryan, together with partners Kaitlin Olson and Blake Lively, donated £10,000 towards the cause.
Money makers
Last season, Ryan and Rob’s ambitious investments meant that the club made an overall loss of £2.9million – but it could pay off in the long run.
That same season, the club’s income soared by 304 per cent to £6million as the Hollywood fairy-tale sparked interest around the world.
Season ticket sales have also gone through the roof. In 2019 Wrexham sold just 2,609, but for this season, that figure has more than doubled to 6,820.
Being in League Two next season will also significantly offset that pricey wage bill.
Just for competing in the division alone, the club will receive £1.1million from the EFL, while Sky Sports will pay between £10,000 to £20,000 for showing any game on TV.
And, of course, being the subject of a hugely popular Disney documentary doesn’t hurt either.
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The streaming giant has made a £430,000 profit on each episode of Welcome to Wrexham since it debuted last year, according to The Mirror.
However little Ryan and Rob may know about football, it’s clear they know how to make a hit.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
