Wrexham AFC welcome Notts County to The Racecourse Ground on Easter Monday in a top-of-the-table blockbuster that will capture imaginations around the world. OK, so the game is in the fifth tier of English football, but the Welsh team has a burgeoning following thanks to their rather well known new owners.
Hollywood pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney recently propelled Wrexham to a new level of fame after purchasing the club in November of 2020. Since then, the Welsh side has seen heightened levels of interest in everything from media coverage to documentaries to increased social media activity, prompting many to ask the same question: How much does it cost to buy a football club? Well, clearly the answer depends on which league the club plays.
How much did Wrexham cost for Reynolds and McElhenney?
Multiple reports all indicated that the price the Hollywood duo paid for the rights to own Wrexham was around £2 million ($2.5 million). Compare that to the several billions that the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea or Liverpool would cost! Ever since then, the club has had major work both on and off the pitch.
The squad was overhauled and last season they reached the playoffs in the league and this season have had a headline-grabbing FA Cup run as well as pushing for automatic promotion. Off the pitch they now function like a truly professional outfit, making use of a physiotherapy team, and a big-money sponsor with social media brand, TikTok.
Wrexham play in the National League, which is England’s fifth tier of football. The Premier League sits at the top of the pyramid, with the Championship below.
Then, there is League One and League Two as the third and fourth tiers. Wrexham are one division below. After this tier of football, the divisions then become divided up into regional leagues.
Why does Welsh club Wrexham play in English league?
Wrexham, just like Swansea, Cardiff City, Newport County, and Merthyr Town, play as part of the English Football League structure as no Welsh football league existed when they were formed. Although the Cymru Premier (the name of the Welsh Premier League) was created in 1992 -- incidentally the same year when the more renowned English Premier League appeared -- these clubs have remained in the English system.
As well as access to the domestic leagues, which leads ultimately to the EPL, these clubs also play in the English FA Cup and from 2012 fall under the administration of the English FA. Although Swansea and Cardiff have been the most successful of the Welsh teams, a new script is being written at Wrexham. Time will tell if it ever hits the big screen...
The Hollywood pair have already transformed the fortunes of the historic but down-on-its-luck club through their $2.5 million takeover in 2021 and the fly-on-the-wall documentary series “Welcome to Wrexham” that is streamed around the world.
Reynolds and McElhenney purchased Wrexham, one of the world's oldest soccer teams, for $2.5 million while the club was in the fifth tier of the English game. It has since been promoted to the English Football League and is bidding for back-to-back promotions, which would take the team to third-tier League One.
Wrexham lost £5.1million ($6.4m) during the 2022-23 season which culminated in the club being promoted back to the English Football League (EFL). The deficit posted for the financial year to June 30, 2023, came despite turnover almost doubling.
And they sealed their second consecutive promotion this campaign in League Two, finishing on 88 points behind Stockport - who also pipped them to the National League title in 2022. Now, the club has increased its value by £7 million up to £9 million in the three years since Reynolds and McElhenney took over.
In the year ending June 2023, Wrexham AFC recorded losses of £5.1 million ($6.4 million), a big jump on 2022's figure of £2.9 million ($3.7 million). Those losses have been funded from the deep pockets of Reynolds and McElhenney.
Prior to the pair's purchase, Wrexham A.F.C. was owned by the Wrexham Supporter's Trust, a fan-operated company, since 2011. The trust approved McElhenney and Reynolds' £2 million takeover by 98.6%.
Ryan Reynolds currently has a net worth of roughly $350 million, according to CelebrityNetWorth. But, Forbes recently reported, the companies he owns or has sold are (or were) worth roughly $14 billion.
Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney opened up to The Mirror about just how much money they've lost since purchasing the Welsh club. The Hollywood duo bought Wrexham bought Wrexham in Nov. 2020 for $2.5 million.
The R.R. McReynolds Company, LLC is owned equally by Rob McElhenney & Ryan Reynolds and as such, they are jointly the ultimate beneficial owners of 95% in Wrexham AFC Limited.
Ryan Reynolds' net worth as of March 2024 is estimated to be at least $350 million, and that's without yet knowing what he will make from the Nuvei acquisition, a deal valued at $6.3 billion.
These payments come in the form of a 'Solidarity Payment' (teams recently relegated from the Premier League receive a 'Parachute Payment' instead), a 'Basic Award' and facility fees. In the 2023-24 season, League One clubs received £778,500 as a Solidarity Payment and a £920,000 Basic Payment - a total of £1,698,500.
What is Rob McElhenney's net worth? Other Wrexham AFC owner Rob McElhenney's net worth in 2023, according to Celebrity Net Worth, is US$50 Million - which equates to around £40.1 million. His wife, Kaitlin Olson is estimated to have a net worth of around the same.
While revenue was up big, Wrexham posted a net loss of $6.4 million, 76% higher than the year before. Payroll was 71% higher to $6.9 million. The team said these losses would not be repeated and that it now generates enough income to cover operational costs.
Wrexham now owe over $17 million AUD (nearly £9 million) to Hollywood owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds after losing £5 million in the year of their promotion to the English Football League, the Welsh club announced on Friday morning (AEDT).
The R.R. McReynolds Company, LLC is owned equally by Rob McElhenney & Ryan Reynolds and as such, they are jointly the ultimate beneficial owners of 95% in Wrexham AFC Limited.
The Always Sunny star has a reported net worth of around £50 million following his success in the long-running sitcom as well as his Apple TV series Mythic Quest. Like Reynolds, however, he has other business interests and last year announced the launch of a new entertainment-tech company, Adim.
These payments come in the form of a 'Solidarity Payment' (teams recently relegated from the Premier League receive a 'Parachute Payment' instead), a 'Basic Award' and facility fees. In the 2023-24 season, League One clubs received £778,500 as a Solidarity Payment and a £920,000 Basic Payment - a total of £1,698,500.
Introduction: My name is Aron Pacocha, I am a happy, tasty, innocent, proud, talented, courageous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
