Wrexham AFC -- the football club purchased by American actor Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2020 -- has a new stadium sponsor. And for a professional sports team in the United Kingdom, the brand deal is quite ironic.
The soccer club’s home stadium will be called STōK Racecourse starting July 1 after the team signed a multi-year deal worth over seven-figures with STōK, a U.S.-based cold brew coffee brand, the team announced on Thursday.
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This will be the first time in history that the stadium will have a named sponsor despite being the oldest international football stadium in the world. Wrexham has called the Racecourse its home since 1864.
Reynolds and McElhenney also dropped the news on social media by posting a video announcement of their partnership. Reynolds’ signature sarcastic humor was all over the video which showed the Wrexham players as unhappy about the two club chairmen replacing their afternoon tea with coffee -- alluding to the U.K. stereotype.
A coffee sponsor in the U.K. may be a bit ironic, but it’s made all the more interesting because STōK does not sell its products there. Brittney Polka, Vice President of Ready-to-Drink Beverages at Danone North America said this in a statement:
“Some may wonder why a U.S.-based cold brew brand would sponsor a tea-drinking Welsh football team. The answer: STōK is all about bold moves. We were captivated by the story of Wrexham—the team, the fans, and the community—and we’re honored to be welcomed into the Wrexham family.”
STōK will be able to market to the U.S. too as it will be joining the team as a sponsor of its American Tour which kicks off in July.
