If Ted Lasso were an actual person, he would be two people – Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. Back in 2020, actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought a Wrexham FC team from the U.K. for an estimated $2.5 million. McElhenney fell in love with football and was interested in purchasing a club to curate a docuseries.
He was interested in searching for a team that had a rich history, loyal fans and tons of potential. This team was struggling for many reasons, including weak leadership and bad ownership. McElhenney went to his buddy and fellow actor Ryan Reynolds asking if he would be interested in partaking in the investment.
In order to take control of the team, both actors needed at least 75% of the fan votes which they received – they received almost 100%!
The FX docuseries, “Welcome to Wrexham,” became an absolute hit with 18 episodes granting viewers an inside look at the players, the team’s die-hard fans and Ryan and Rob’s infectious and hilarious personalities.
Ryan Reynolds did not stop there – he pitched the series to Disney and they could not resist. They immediately signed and released it on Disney+ in 2022, garnering over $430,000 per episode for the company.
Although Wrexham’s dream of getting promoted to the football league was stripped after a 5-4 loss in their playoff game against Grimbsy Town, the team had an exceptional comeback season, and landed some of the top high-profile professional players to join their league.
The Wrexham football team has gained 1 million social media followers, tripled its season ticket purchases and signed sponsorships with TikTok, Expedia and more.
The entire club is motivated and excited to enter the 2022-2023 season more equipped than ever before – all thanks to two Americans who fell in the love with the sport.
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