Wrexham's Hollywood owners have cemented hero status after overseeing the club's promotion back to the football league - but they've now come under fire for trying to charge fans to watch a training session.
This summer, the National League title winners will hit America on a groundbreaking pre-season tour. With Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney keen to build Wrexham's new American-based fan base, the Red Dragons will play money-spinning friendlies with Chelsea, Manchester United, and LA Galaxy II.
But those aren't the only public events the players will be involved in. On July 18, just a day before Wrexham and Chelsea meet at Kenan Stadium, in North Carolina, Wrexham and the Blues will take part in an open training session.
But tickets won't come cheap. Some fans will pay as much as £40 for a single seat, with the prices revealed by the popular RobRyanRed - Wrexham AFC Podcast account on Twitter.
Other fans were also left impressed, with @WrexhamAFC4 replying with: "Absolute joke." @marparwxm added: "That’s ridiculous purely taking advantage."
Some fans did defend the move though, pointing out that it was the most expensive tickets being highlighted, with cheaper options available. And @cityfan_88 implied the prices were simply par for the course in the US: "Welcome to America, every sporting event is so dang expensive over here."
Join the debate! Should fans be made to pay to watch training sessions? Let us know your thoughts below.
Just three days after the Chelsea clash, Wrexham will face David Beckham's former side at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson. The tour will culminate three days later with a lucrative clash with Manchester United in San Diego.
It is expected to be a busy summer for Reynolds and McElhenney, who have already made concrete plans to heavily invest money made this summer. Work on the Racecourse Ground, which will see a new Kop stand built to make it a four-sided stadium, will commence on June 1.
As part of the renovations, a new 5,500-capacity stand will be erected, which will also feature a hospitality lounge, office, and retail space for the club, along with facilities for the Wrexham AFC Community Trust. The stand is expected to open ahead of the 2024-25 season - with the owners also pledging to deliver a state-of-the-art training facility.
