The Hollywood duo who took over a North Wales football team and made it world-famous have been praised for bringing the town it is named after to the attention of millions.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham AFC in November 2020, with their journey into 'soccer' team ownership charted in the Disney+ series Welcome to Wrexham. Since then, locals speaking to the Mirror say the stars have made a phenomenal difference not just to the team, but to the Welsh border city of Wrexham itself.
Tickets to Wrexham games have become gold dust; the team is poised to re-enter the English Football League (EFL) for the first time in 15 years. And the city is enjoying a multi-million pound rejuvenation as the world turns its attention to a town that, until now, has had little going for it in the post-coal mining era.
Fanzine writer Liam Randall, 34, of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, says: "You see people buying into it. Local businesses like estate agents, hairdressers, they've all got Wrexham flags in their windows, they've got the crest everywhere, it's built up a real sense of pride.
"The economy is benefitting as well which can only be good for the town. Back when I was young you didn't see many kids in Wrexham shirts, it was [Manchester] United and Liverpool shirts, now you go to the park and it's all Wrexham.
"I can remember the first game back after Covid, walking to the stadium it felt so alive and I realised something was happening here."
The combination of Deadpool star Reynolds and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia creator McElhenney, along with their critically acclaimed Disney+ and FX documentary series, has turned the world onto Wrexham too. Local brewery Wrexham Lager's sales have soared, and it has welcomed thousands of curious visitors in the last two years.
Businessman Tim Knowles has invested £136 million in Wrexham Industrial Estate, citing the feelgood factor brought by the American and Canadian actors. Ryan and Rob, as they are known among fans, have since been given the freedom of the city for their impact, and even welcomed the King and Queen Consort to the ground last December.
Long-time fan Geraint Lloyd, 45, says: "It's what they've done for the whole of North Wales. Wrexham Women had 9,000 supporters at a game, then you've got a poster here for Kings of Leon (who are playing a gig at the ground next month)."
He added: "If you look around our heritage it's all coal and steel, the Gresford Colliery disaster (in which 266 men died in 1934) was coal. We're not like Chester down the road which is posh, we're very working class. That's probably why they bought the club, there are a lot of different stories you can hear here."
Travel boss Don Bircham, a former CEO of Wrexham, says the takeover was "beyond everyone's wildest dreams", adding: "It's put the football town not only on the UK map but the worldwide map. The town has benefitted from the exposure, businesses have benefitted from the sheer volume of people in town.
"You can't get a ticket for love nor money because now there's 10,000 people at every home match and when they build the new stand we could be talking about 15,000. They're all coming into town, they're all eating, they're all drinking and they're all enjoying themselves."
Famous friends of Ryan and Rob have been dropping in too. Elf and Anchorman actor Will Ferrell was sighted in a local pub for a pre-match pint when he visited in March while Emma Corrin, who played Princess Diana in Netflix drama The Crown, was a guest at the Racecourse stadium earlier this month.
Market stall owner Rob Clarke, a fan for 40 years who appears in the Welcome to Wrexham doc, said: "Americans, a few Canadians, one Japanese lady have found me on a matchday. We've struggled since Covid.
"This has given everyone a lift. When Wrexham are doing well there's always been a bit of a buzz and that's just amplified so much."
The allure of the Hollywood megastars has also attracted some other support from abroad. US fan Michael Starkey, a financial adviser from Alabama, took to YouTube to immerse himself in Wrexham AFC's lore, and hopes to travel to Wales to watch a home game in the near future.
He said: "I went down the rabbit hole shortly after I saw that the takeover had happened. I watched every YouTube video I could on Wrexham, I listened to all the podcasts and immersed myself in not just the club but the history and the culture.
"It's become such a massive part of my life. Fingers crossed, toes crossed, I am coming over next weekend.
"Rob messaged me on Twitter, which was unbelievable and very surreal, thanking me for following and supporting the team. I'll just say he and the people around him are helping me over to Wrexham a lot sooner than expected.
"If my passport gets here on time it's going to be life changing. Meeting the fans I have small friendships with - I've had people send me match programmes from 30 years ago and Wrexham Lager - words can't do it justice."
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