Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney set roadmap for Wrexham to success amid Premier League aspirations
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have brought Hollywood to English soccer, specifically to Wrexham AFC, where they have overseen a remarkable run of four consecutive promotions. With Premier League ambitions still alive during the 2025-26 season, the ownership duo have outlined a clear roadmap for sustained success for the Red Dragons.
It has been five years since Reynolds and McElhenney made the bold decision to enter the soccer world by purchasing Wrexham, a club that was a non-league side in 2021. Fast forward to today, and the Welsh team has not only returned to professional soccer but now sits just steps away from reaching England’s top division for the first time in its history.
In an exclusive interview with The Athletic’s Richard Sutcliffe, the Hollywood duo touched on several topics, including their decision to sell minority stakes in the club to attract outside investment. McElhenney was clear on the reasoning: “Let’s game this out, we find a way to pump in enough capital to get Premier League players and wind up in the Premier League. Hell, we even finish top of the Premier League, (but then) the whole thing falls apart because it is an unsustainable model you can’t keep going for generations.“
The Allyn family and U.S.-based investment firm Apollo Sports Capital have become minority owners of Wrexham over the past 16 months, holding roughly 15% and 10% stakes, respectively. The primary motivation behind both deals was to support infrastructure growth, including funding the new 7,500-seat Kop stand that will expand the Racecourse Ground’s capacity to 28,000 and help move the club toward long-term self-sustainability.
“A huge part of the things we talk about now are, yes, infrastructure within the club, but also within the town,” McElhenney said, while also highlighting plans with Glyndŵr University to launch an “arts and entrepreneurship” program aimed at attracting students to the area. “We want to draw people in who then stay in Wrexham, taking that artistic spirit and building something within the town using arts and business.“
Sustainability as the road to the Premier League
Currently sitting sixth in the EFL Championship with 47 points, Wrexham occupy the final playoff spot. While leaders Middlesbrough and Coventry City (occupying the two direct promotion spots with 61 and 59 points respectively) appear out of reach, another postseason run similar to last season remains a realistic pathway to promotion.
However, the owners remain focused on infrastructure as the foundation for lasting success rather than short-term results. “From day one, we said we want to build a sustainable model,” McElhenney said. “If anyone looks at the economics of the club right now, by nature of how we got here, it’s not sustainable—but that’s because the infrastructure hasn’t been in place for generations.“
Describing the process as planting seeds that will “become trees and a fully sustainable model” in the coming years, McElhenney closed with a grounded message that balances ambition with responsibility. “Do I want to see us win the Premier League? Yes. Do I want to win the Champions League? Yes. But if Wrexham, as a town, is unsuccessful while we are thriving, then we’ve failed.“