‘What a story that could be!’ - How Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney convinced Phil Parkinson to become Wrexham manager & a documentary star

The Hollywood superstars completed their remarkable takeover at SToK Racecourse in the spring of 2021. By the summer of that year, they were in the market for a new boss. Parkinson was approached due to his vast experience of life in the Football League – particularly on the promotion-winning front – and was lured to North Wales after initial concerns about dropping into the non-league were calmed.

McElhenney made a personal play for Parkinson – as captured on the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series that the Red Dragons’ boss now stars in – with A-list celebrities in the boardroom having delivered on every promise that they made to the man in the dugout.

Parkinson has told FourFourTwo of buying into the unique experience: “I looked at it, spoke to the owners, weighed everything up and thought, ‘Wow, what a story that could be’. Being in football is about creating memories. That initial chat I had with the owners was very good. We spoke about what I felt would be needed going forward and everything we discussed they backed up 100 per cent. They are genuine people – they don’t say things unless they’re going to back it up, which is refreshing. They’ve been very supportive to me and the staff, and I think they’ve enjoyed it themselves. I’ve really enjoyed it, too. This club has been a very different journey for me, with so many dynamics at the club – getting to know Rob, Ryan and our executive director Humphrey Ker, plus everything with the documentary.”

Parkinson guided Wrexham to the National League title in record-breaking style last season and now has them sat among the League Two frontrunners - with back-to-back promotions on the cards as Reynolds and McElhenney seek to make their dreams of one day reaching the Premier League a reality.