‘Absolute idiocy!’ - Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney admit to ‘irresponsible endeavour’ at Wrexham that has left them seriously out of pocket

Back in February 2021, it was announced that a takeover by two Hollywood stars had been completed at SToK Racecourse. Few knew what to expect at that point, including the new co-owners. It has been quite a ride since, with back-to-back promotions carrying the Red Dragons back into the third tier of English football for the first time in 20 years.

Big money has been spent along the way, leaving Reynolds and McElhenney seriously out of pocket, but they are fully committed to the emotional and sporting journey. They are loving every minute of an epic adventure, even if there are obvious questions to be asked of why they got involved at all.

Speaking to The Dan Patrick Show, Reynolds has said of diving head first into a surprising venture that has delivered countless subplots for the award-winning ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary: “The thing that I will never, ever forget is that first step, that first time we went to Wrexham. Because what I think is most insane about this is, we couldn’t go there because it was the apex of the pandemic – we couldn’t actually go there. We assumed stewardship of this club before ever touching a blade of grass in the Racecourse. This is the most financially irresponsible endeavour that you would ever possibly find. It is absolute idiocy on paper. We don’t know that much about financial investment but what we do love, and have loved our whole adult lives, is emotional investment. Emotional investment can create a moat around something, and I feel that moat is around Wrexham and it is special for that reason.”

McElhenney was back in North Wales, alongside wife Kaitlin Olson, for Wrexham’s final game of the 2023-24 campaign – which produced a raucous atmosphere against Stockport. Alongside Reynolds, he is now helping to fund a second all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas for Phil Parkinson’s promotion-winning squad.