We finally have answers as to why two Hollywood stars are in the process of taking over Wrexham AFC. The year 2020 continues to intrigue.
Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-creator Rob McElhenny had been reported to be in negotiations to buy the club from fan owners Wrexham Supporters' Trust in September.
Little was understood as to what would motivate the pair to put forward their interest of investing roughly £2 million in the National League side.
The high-profile pair recently outlined their vision for the club by giving a presentation and answering questions over a Zoom call with the supporters’ trust.
A message from our owners-elect...
Welcome to Wrexham AFC, @RMcElhenney and @VancityReynolds 🥳
🔴⚪️ #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/ho1vV8cvry— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) November 16, 2020
On Monday, it was confirmed that the Wrexham Supporters' Trust overwhelmingly gave them the green light, with 98.6% of voters backing the bid.
So what is the plan for Wrexham under their new ownership, and what’s in it for these guys?
Wrexham’s global potential
McElhenny and Reynolds want to turn Wrexham into a ‘global force’.
Just Ryan Reynolds saying he wants Wrexham FC to become a "global force" pic.twitter.com/nPExVAQ4tq
— Dan Salisbury-Jones (@dsj_itv) November 8, 2020
The pair charmed the Supporters' Trust with their vision for the club on November 8th, before releasing a statement on the club’s official website explaining their idea to the fans.
“Our goal is to grow the team, return it to the EFL in front of increased attendances at an improved stadium while making a positive difference to the wider community in Wrexham”, the statement read.
The aforementioned statement included a list of principles surrounding their potential leadership of the club, which focuses on reinforcing its traditional values while also increasing its global appeal and rewarding the faith of the supporters with everything they have to win with Wrexham.
Reynolds and McElhenney also listed several “hard promises”, which included “Always beat Chester” multiple times and “Ensure that when the day comes that we leave the Club, it will be in a better position than it is today”.
The pair had said the correct things to convince the Wrexham Supporters' Trust that they are the right men to take the club forward.
What’s in it for them?
According to Bloomberg reports, Reynolds and McElhenny plan on making a documentary about the club’s performances while they are in charge, and selling it to a streaming service such as Netflix or Amazon Prime.
This would make sense when considering the rise in popularity of sports documentaries in recent times, including series’ like ‘The Last Dance’ on Netflix and ‘All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur’ on Amazon Prime.
Reynolds and McElhenny can cut out the owners, who act as the middlemen involved in producing a documentary like this, by becoming the owners.
By investing what appears like a large amount of money in the club from Wrexham's perspective, they can earn much more without having to share the profits.
McElhenny has been quoted by phillyvoice.com stating financial gain is not the motivating factor in the takeover. “We’re not doing it to make money”, said the Always Sunny star.
We have successful day jobs, we feel we can grow something and we can only do that by knowing we have the support of the community", he continued.
A win-win?
The Wrexham Supporters' Trust wished the RR McReynolds Company, LLC the “best of luck in charge” and “look forward to what the future brings” under the club’s new ownership.
During the difficult financial period that COVID-19 has brought to football clubs that depend on their matchday ticket revenue, this proposed £2 million investment is immense for the north Welsh side.
Some will be suspicious about the genuine intentions the duo have for the club. Whether they think the pair simply want to create a docuseries on the club, create good PR for themselves on this side of the globe, or for other financially related reasons, the effect on Wrexham AFC will likely be positive.
A message from our owners-elect...
Welcome to Wrexham AFC, @RMcElhenney and @VancityReynolds 🥳
🔴⚪️ #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/ho1vV8cvry
— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) November 16, 2020
Both men have been vocal on social media and put Wrexham in a global spotlight the fifth-tier side’s fans could never have imagined prior. Regardless of what exactly the Hollywood stars have in store for the club, the financial security and promotion this gives Wrexham will be a massive boost.
The pair have invested a significant amount of time and money into Wrexham already. One would imagine they will continue to do so, and that can only be good for the club.
In what has been such a strange year for all of the wrong reasons, seemingly 2020 has delivered even more absurdity, but positively so.
*Feature image via: https://twitter.com/rmcelhenney.
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