What is “Welcome to Wrexham”?

“Welcome to Wrexham” is a new TV series about Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchasing a soccer team in the 5th tier of Welsh soccer. They bought the struggling team about 20 months ago and made a TV series around it.

The History

Wrexham has a very long history. It is the oldest soccer team in Wales and the 8th oldest soccer team in the world. It was founded in October of 1864 by members of the Wrexham Cricket Club who wanted a sport for the winter season. At their peak in the 1978-1979 season, they were able to finish 15th in the second tier. They would go down 3 tiers in a span of 29 seasons and in 2007-2008 they were officially relegated to the national league. SInce then, they have been stuck there.

The Owners

There have been previous owners of this team but none as well-known as the current owners: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. But why did they buy the team? Rob said he bought the team originally because he was a big fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. He liked that winning feeling as a fan and he wanted to bring it to a team like Wrexham. So, why would they choose a struggling, 5th-tier team, located across the world? On the show he said “The town reminds me of Philadelphia. It’s a working class town, it’s a blue collar town. It’s a town that’s had its ups and downs and they haven’t had all of the opportunities that a lot of other people have had. I feel like I know those people and I grew up with those people. I am one of those people.” Ryan said “It seemed like an interesting proposition. We were looking at a bunch of different teams and the thing for me that really struck a chord about Wrexham was how intrinsically tied communities are to their football club.”

In February of 2021 Ryan and Rob completed the purchase of Wrexham from the fans for approximately $2,500,000. Rob is an actor, famously starring in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” as Ronald McDonald. Ryan is also an actor, perhaps most well-known for his role in “Deadpool.”

National League

The national league is the league that Wrexham FC are in. This is the fifth highest division in the United Kingdom. Unlike in American sports, like the NFL or the NBA, teams can go up leagues or down leagues. Also, the playoffs are significantly different. The team that finishes the highest in the regular season automatically goes up a league. As for the teams who finished 2nd-7th place they go into the playoffs. Wrexham has recently struggled in this league for the past 14 years not being able to get out. The hope is that Ryan and Rob can get them into the fourth highest division by the end of the season and to the highest division, the Premier League, later down the line.

The Fans

The fans are a big part of the team. After all, the main reason why the owners bought the team is because of the fans. With the owners buying the team, they wanted to incorporate the fans. One fan they display in the show is local painter Shaun Winter. He has been a lifelong Wrexham fan ever since his father took him to a game. He has since fallen in love with the team. Right now he serves as a club host, club promoter and co-host of the Wrexham & Lager Podcast. 

Next there is Wayne Jones. He is an owner of the local bar called “The Turf.” This is a hotspot for most Wrexham fans that don’t go to the games but want to watch the games with others. 

The Soccer 

The main goal of the owners is to get out of the national league. In order to do this, they have to make the roster better. Rob and Ryan first search for a coach. Then they look for players to get from other teams. This will help them improve their team.

How to Watch

Welcome to Wrexham is a very accessible. The popular places to watch are ABC, FX, Amazon Prime Video, Youtube TV, Apple TV and most recently Hulu. Other places to watch include Fubo TV, Sling TV and Vudu.

My Review

After I watched the first season, here were my thoughts on the show: I enjoyed how they incorporated the fans into the show. It made the viewer feel like their voice could be heard by the owners. Something else that I really liked was how they tried to learn about Welsh culture. It makes them seem very dedicated to the team. One thing that I did not like was their lack of knowledge of the sport. It seemed like they did not know enough about the sport and it showed throughout the season. Even with their lack of knowledge of the sport, it seems like a very entertaining show.