Today marks four years since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over Wrexham, and we're celebrating by looking back at the biggest highlights.
Wrexham's history was forever changed when the celebrity duo decided to buy the club.
While the news first broke in October 2020, it wasn’t until February 9, 2021, that the pair formally became the new Wrexham owners.
Since then, there has been an abundance of highs and very few lows for the Red Dragons — plus a lot of money sunk into the club by Reynolds and McElhenney — but it’s all been worth it.
Escaping the National League
After spending 15 seasons in non-league football, Wrexham finally ended their stay in the National League when they were crowned champions in 2023, thus securing promotion to League Two.
The Red Dragons fell short the previous season, losing in the play-offs, but they made no mistake this time around, ending the campaign with a record-high haul of 111 points to pip Notts County to the title.
It was a momentous landmark for Wrexham and Phil Parkinson, and was everything the fanbase had been wanting for so long. They’d probably have been fairly happy with that and nothing else, but that was just the start.
Back-to-back promotions
Just one year later, Wrexham were celebrating promotion once again, claiming second place in League Two and securing ascension to the third tier of English football.
Stars like Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer shined once more, delivering a bucketload of goals to steer the Red Dragons to dizzying new heights.
While Stockport County may have won the title, Wrexham’s success arguably felt more significant and certainly got more exposure, as the fairytale continued.
Wrexham is firmly on the map
One of the main successes under Rob and Ryan, aside from the footballing aspect, has been the immense commercial growth for Wrexham as a football club and a community.
Rob and Ryan’s financial power may be founded in their Hollywood fame, but the ability to actually flex those muscles largely comes from the impressive way the club has been run from a financial and commercial perspective.
For a League One team to have fans around the world is unthinkable, especially to the magnitude of the Wrexham following. Indeed, the town of Wrexham has now been graced by supporters travelling from every corner of the globe to watch the Red Dragons in action. Of course, having a bunch of famous celebrity fans helps.
That’s not to mention the economic benefits Wrexham as a community has reaped since Rob and Ryan’s arrival, from job creation, to businesses thriving like The Turf pub, to better access and opportunities emerging all the time.
Wrexham women make it to the big leagues
In Welcome to Wrexham Season 2, we were introduced to the Wrexham women’s team, another arm of Rob and Ryan’s big ambitions for the club.
Since the pair started paying attention to the women’s team, we’ve seen the side win a league title, get promoted to the top tier of Welsh women’s football, reach an FAW final, and gain a UEFA License granting them semi-professional status.
Stars like the prolific Rosie Jones help matters, of course, and the success for this team has led to record-breaking achievements. In March 2023, the Wrexham women’s team set a new attendance record for Welsh women’s football, with 9,511 fans watching them in action.
Fuelling the magic of the FA Cup
There is a lot to be said about the grit and determination that has been imbued in Wrexham since the takeover, and nothing has proven that more than the way the club has performed in the FA Cup over the last few years.
As a non-league club, Wrexham achieved something special in the 2022/23 season when the Red Dragons made it to the fourth round of the competition, and even held then-Premier League outfit Sheffield United to a draw at the Racecourse Ground to force a replay.
Last season, Wrexham again reached the fourth round, only to be knocked out by Blackburn Rovers. While they’ve not managed to do as well this season in the cup, there’s no denying that Wrexham fans have been treated to seeing their team take on some big opponents as they get a measure for just how far the club can go.