As you amble through the streets, you see the same things as you see in any Welsh town or city centre. The chain stores, the smattering of independent shops, the empty units, the pubs, and the market still clinging on in the fight to bounce back from impossible months in lockdown.
But here, there is something different in the air. A buzz, a throb of something happening. Finally.
Like many working class areas up and down the land, this place, once thriving with industry, was left bereft for years, harking back hopelessly to a past when it had it all, a past when it had a future - the teeming workplace, the bustling high street, the heaving football terrace. Glory days long gone, only alive in photographs, anecdotes and the minds of those old enough to remember.
There is a glimmer, all of a sudden, that those days are about to return. In the eyes of some, they already have, because something is happening here, in this corner of Wales barely an hour’s drive from both Manchester and Liverpool.
Welcome back, hope. Welcome to Wrexham.
In case you don’t follow football or have been in hiding for the past couple of years, Wrexham AFC has been taken over by two people from across the Atlantic Ocean - an American and a Canadian. They have money and a vision to propel this famous ancient club back to where it once was and beyond. But they have more than that: they have something that money can’t buy, a kudos and a status that is more than any faceless millionaire could ever afford. One of them is Deadpool, for crying out loud.
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Rumours started to circulate in the autumn of 2020 that Rob McElhenney - writer and star of US sitcom hit It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia - and his yet-to-be-friend Ryan Reynolds - Hollywood A-lister, superhero actor, party liaison Van Wilder - were the mysterious famous faces that wanted to buy Wrexham’s football club, one of the oldest in the land, still standing after almost 160 years of existence despite being poleaxed to its knees and left to fend for itself just above the canvas on numerous occasions, most recently in 2011 when the biggest club in north Wales almost went south (and under) for good.
In the time since the takeover was completed in February 2021, Wrexham AFC has failed to secure promotion back to the English Football League, where the club has spent the vast majority of its lifetime and where it last competed back in 2008. That, surely, will come. Last May saw play-off heartbreak (again), reaffirming that there are no guarantees in football, regardless of a Hollywood narrative that seemed inevitable. But to truly taste the sweetness of success, one must also taste the agony of failure. In Wrexham, they’re sick to the stomach.
“I went to my first match in 1984 when I was seven - we were in the Fourth Division and we lost to Stockport,” said Rob Clarke, who was born and bred in Wrexham and has run Mad4Movies in Butchers’ Market since 2006. “They were on a bit of a comedown then, they’d tumbled down the leagues. When I started going, the glory days had gone. But we were in Europe because of the Welsh Cup and actually knocked Porto out on away goals. It was unbelievable, one of the biggest cup upsets ever, to think that we could do that in the Fourth Division. Since then the club has always been in me, it’s in my blood.”
Rob remembers the day when he was told about the McElhenney and Reynolds takeover. He was in his lock-up when a friend called him with the news.
“There were rumours that someone famous was looking to buy the club and there was talk that it was a megastar,” he said. “But we thought - who the hell is going to be interested in Wrexham?! Some people thought it was Russell Crowe because his grandad used to have a fruit and veg shop in town, so people were putting two and two together, and with him being a sports fan people thought it must be him. When my mate phoned and said who was behind it I just thought he was having a laugh.”
Rob may have been laughing on one end of the phone, but his friend on the other was not. It was happening. Soon the takeover was complete and, after the Supporters’ Trust who formerly owned the club rubber stamped the deal - much to the delight of McElhenney and Reynolds as seen on an infamous Zoom Call on their Disney+ documentary series, Welcome To Wrexham - the whirlwind surrounding the club and the wider community began, and it hasn’t slowed a jot since.
“The best thing about the takeover is that kids are walking around with Wrexham shirts on,” said Rob. “You see more Wrexham shirts in town now than you do Manchester United or Liverpool shirts, and that’s fantastic. It’s changed everything. You’ve got Wrexham fans in Brazil now. I get people in here from America taking pictures of the shop, and Will Ferrell turned up in the pub next to the ground for a pint! There’s something about the place again. Every high street has been hit since Covid. In this market, every stall was full before then, but like everything else, it’s suffered. But people are talking about Wrexham now, they’re talking about the football club, even people who don’t like football. One of the guys who runs a stall in the market hates football but he always asks me about it. There’s a buzz, definitely.”
If success by way of promotion hasn’t happened yet, the hype, the raised profile and the spotlight which comes when one of your owners appears next to a starstruck Gary Linker on BBC1 is unavoidable. And with that, there is bound to be envy, jealousy or even hatred manifesting itself in others who aren’t owned by people with a combined Instagram and Twitter following of 70 million people.
“We’re getting some hate at the moment from fans of other clubs, but the way I look at it, what we’ve been through, by rights we shouldn’t even be here, we shouldn’t even be a club, we should have been dead and buried,” said Rob. “We could so easily have gone under. If anyone deserves this, it’s us. There are certain people who think that we’re just another club being backed by loads of money. But with respect to the likes of Fleetwood and Salford (two clubs subject to high-profile investment in the past decade or so), they are punching above their station. They have never played in Europe, they have never played in the second tier of English football. Traditionally we have often been a decent League One level side, but for younger fans now they only know us to be a National League side. So it (the criticism) does stick in the gut a bit. We feel we deserve to be back up there.”
Whether being ‘back up there’ in League One (the equivalent of Division Two in old money, or the Third Division in old, old money) will be enough for owners who are used to the glitz and glamour that, in football terms, would only come with Premier League football, time will tell. Why not dream of top flight football? Smaller or similar sized clubs currently ply their trade against Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and the like week in week out, a testament to what can happen when ambitious (and wealthy) owners have a plan and stick to it.
There’s a sense in Wrexham, which was awarded official city status in 2022, that all the fans want, having waded through more thick than thin, is a return to what the club once was. If we get to League One, with a four-sided ground (plans to redevelop the famous Kop stand behind one of the goals at The Racecourse are underway) I’ll be happy. That’s where we were before it all went belly up with disastrous owners. That’s where we were, and that’s where we should be.”
As Rob mentioned above, Hollywood comic icon Will Ferrell turned up in Wrexham earlier this month for a pint of lager. The man he enjoyed it next to was Wayne Jones, landlord of the Turf Hotel, which sits next door to the Racecourse Ground and is where, back in 1864, the very idea of having a football club in Wrexham was born.
“He sat right here where we’re sat and asked about my family and my friends, about how long I’d been here,” said Wayne about the day the Anchorman star popped in for a drink. “We spoke about Gareth Bale and how he managed to get him over to LA - I think the golf helped. He, like the owners, is from humble beginnings and has never forgotten where he came from. He was just totally natural and he’s just a normal guy - they’re like the rest of us. They just happen to be really successful.”
Wayne is happy to talk and talk about his beloved Wrexham and the journey his club and his community is being swept along on. But he’s a busy man. He always has been since the day he took over the pub in 2008. But now he’s busier still. In one morning and early afternoon he took time out to speak to not just Wales Online, but also a sports reporter from Iowa and a journalist from Marca - Spain’s biggest selling sports newspaper. Is he getting fed up yet? Not a bit of it.
“I say to myself daily that it’s going to calm down a bit but it just doesn’t stop,” he said. “We opened at 12pm on Monday and by 1pm every single table was taken, and it wasn’t even a matchday. We get loads of Americans here now, most of which are people travelling around the UK on holiday who come here to see the ground and to have a drink in The Turf. It’s lovely and I think it’s right to spend a bit of time with them when they come in.”
The documentary on Disney+ has been a roaring success on both sides of the Atlantic and elsewhere. Wayne revealed that people from Philadelphia - Rob McElhenney’s hometown - have visited his pub and mentioned just how much of a hit it is in that part of the world. The home of Rocky Balboa would love a sporting fairytale wouldn’t it? And it seems to want to be involved in the one happening in Wrexham too. With series two of the documentary confirmed and filming underway, what will happen if Wrexham fall short again this year? Surely the drama served up by agonising defeat can only happen so often before the interest of the viewer wanes?
The view in Wrexham is that, regardless of the future of the documentary, the future of the football club is in good hands. The side are on course to reach more than 100 points this season, a tally which could still result in yet another season out of the Football League given the current promotion structure of the National League which rewards only one side with automatic promotion.
“I’ve been watching Wrexham for 30 seasons now and you can get a little bit pessimistic over time,” said Wayne. “You start thinking - are we jinxed? But I’m sure Rob and Ryan won’t leave this club or even consider leaving it until we are as high up as we can be. Is that the Championship, or God knows even the Premier League? If we don’t go up this year it will be a bit of a travesty and the disappointment will be rife. But they are not going anywhere.”
Having got to know McElhenney and Reynolds, Wayne can’t stress enough how far they have fallen in love with the place. It's as if they've been taken over by Wrexham, not the other way around. On their first anniversary as owners, they put 365 gin and tonics behind the bar at The Turf for the locals to enjoy. On the second anniversary they put 730 gin and tonics behind the bar. “Whether they’re gonna put over a thousand behind the bar for the third one, I don’t know!” joked Wayne.
“I read certain things about them and I chuckle to myself. If you meet them you realise just how humble and down to earth they are. I have always said that the fans deserve success more than anybody but I really hope it works for Rob and Ryan as well. They have been really supportive of this community and it’s thriving because of it. The country is going through a difficult time and Wrexham is no different. But when you get tourists here spending money in hotels and bars, it makes a huge difference.
"I don’t think Rob and Ryan actually realise what they’ve done; I don’t think they actually realise what an impact they’ve had on Wrexham itself. In the 40 years I’ve lived here, I’ve never seen the place as happy as this. I never hear a bad word said about them and why would there be? They’ve supported charities, helped with food banks, just done so much to help. And some people might say ‘well they’ve got the money’, but they don’t have to do it. They’ve been here in The Turf for a few drinks and I think they just like the normal aspect of it, the fact that they can come in here and just have a normal chit chat with people. I imagine Ryan in particular can’t even walk down the street in some parts of the world. They’re adored here. Ryan was here once the same day as King Charles, but nobody was really bothered about King Charles. They were more interested in Ryan.”
That interest is clear when you break it down into basic numbers. The football purist may prefer to look at goals and assists rather than social media reach, but in the modern day several different metrics are considered when looking at the impact created by a football team or club. TikTok, a company worth an estimated $50bn, is now Wrexham’s official shirt sponsor. The club had fewer than 50,000 followers on Twitter prior to the takeover, while 12 months later it had 102,000. Today it has almost 380,000. In February 2022 the club had just short of 90,000 followers on Instagram. Today it has more than 450,000.
But enough of how the football club is expanding its influence online and appealing to people who may have never set foot in Wrexham, what of the impact it is having on those closer to home? Back into the heart of town and inside Ty Pawb - a wonderful multi-purpose centre that is a venue for arts, cultural and community events, as well as a market, an art gallery and more - and you’ll find a shop packed to the brim with colour that stops you in your tracks. It’s called Wrexham Trainer Revival and it's a haven for anyone with even a passing interest in football fan culture, selling unique and bespoke trainers, tops and hoodies.
Its owner, Steve Tapp, like most people you seem to bump into in this city these days, is a huge Wrexham fan. He’s already had to expand his business premises twice in three years, but during Covid he almost packed in his new venture and went back to working as a shift manager in a milk dairy in Chester. “It was tough”, he said. Having ridden through the storm, his business partly resembles an unofficial Wrexham AFC club shop. One thing to notice straight away is a large picture of the club’s squad in the 1978/79 season. They were in the old Second Division then (the equivalent of where Cardiff City and Swansea City are now). Wrexham have never finished higher than they did then.
“I started going in that season and it’s fair to say there have been a few ups and downs since then,” said Steve, who is honest about what Wrexham, aside from the transformation of the football club, currently has to offer. “There are some problems here,” he said, adding that the city needs more bars, restaurants and shops capable of attracting people from further afield. “Hopefully people can see Wrexham as a potential investment location now. It’s all connected to the football club. If the club is successful then the town can thrive.”
If any supporters were concerned or a bit skeptical over the involvement of McElhenney and Reynolds when talk of the takeover first appeared, that has changed completely now, according to Steve. “A few people were apprehensive to start with because it was the fans who had saved the club. But now, I think everyone is behind it, it was unanimous that we wanted the takeover.” And what of the wider effect that it’s had on Wrexham, away from the Racecourse, across the railway line and onto the high streets? “It draws more people to the area. The last evening kick-off we had at home, I had lads in here from Merthyr Tydfil, from Porthmadog, from Barmouth, and they all came in and bought stuff. That’s business I would not have had before.
"It (the takeover) has put the football club and Wrexham on the map. A few weeks ago I was in The Turf and all I could hear were American accents, and they’re not here for the sights! They are here because of the documentary. It’s crazy, but in a good way. Since the takeover there’s been a big demand for Wrexham clothing, t-shirts, hoodies, everything. I’ve sent quite a lot of things over to America.”
Amongst the giddy optimism, there is a sense of caution and realism in Steve’s voice. “We’ve done nothing yet," he said. "The only thing that’s happened is two people have taken over and put some money in. But it has changed things. We dropped points the other day and the backlash was ridiculous. You can’t be perfect every game, and you can’t win every game. That scrutiny will come with success and with more exposure. But just to be competitive in League Two would be amazing.” While a second series of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary is being made, it’s unclear if the cameras will continue to roll for years to come. “That’s the thing with football.....” Steve added. “The journey never really ends.”
A short distance from the Racecourse sits another Wrexham landmark with an equally important place within the heart of the community which surrounds it. Today, the Miner’s Rescue Station is a hub for that community. Walk around it on a Monday lunchtime and you'll see a packed café and behind it an arts class full to the brim. Reminders of the building’s history - it was built in 1913 for the purpose of training coal mining rescue teams - are pouring from its walls. It also serves as a permanent tribute to those who lost their lives in the Gresford Colliery Disaster of 1934, when an explosion and huge underground fire resulted in the death of 266 local men. Some weren't men yet, in fact. One of the victims was a 16-year-old boy who had been working down the pit since he was 14.
It remains one of the worst mining disasters in history, and the tragedy is forever tied to the football club as many of those who died were working double shifts because they wanted to watch Wrexham take on Tranmere at the Racecourse the following day. To be shown around the place is to delve back into history, and it’s impossible not to imagine the horrors of some of the darkest days Wrexham has ever known. Rob McElhenney has been here and been given a tour of the building, and he understands its connection to the football club he now co-owns.
Sat at the front of the building in the cafe, having a coffee with his father, is Michael Hett, Wrexham fanatic and former miner. He’s now a residential care worker by day, frontman of local band The Declan Swans by night. He and the band wrote ‘It’s Always Sunny in Wrexham’, a song featured on the documentary which has now been heard around the world. The hope in these parts is that the band can play an outdoor gig outside The Turf over Easter weekend, when Wrexham play fellow automatic promotion chasers Notts County on what could prove to be a day to remember for generations.
“I love coming here with my dad,” said Michael, or ‘Scoot’ as he’s known in these parts due to the fact that he used to ride around on a scooter all the time. “He worked in the coal mines, and we moved to Wrexham when I was a kid. As soon as I moved here I started going to games and I just fell in love with it straight away, and I’ve been a fan ever since. If this takeover had happened to Chester or Shrewsbury, would I be jealous? Of course I would. But that’s football. I think we deserve the luck we’ve had.
"To be honest with you, I didn’t really know that much about McElhenney or Reynolds before. I had heard of Deadpool but never really seen it, but I didn’t know anything about Rob. Since the takeover I’ve started watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and it’s very much our style of humour actually, and I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. I met them both in The Turf when they first came over and they came up to me to talk about the band and the song, and they spoke to every single table, they both did."
The positivity that punctures the air as we approach Spring 2023 has certainly not always been present in the 40-odd years since Michael first set foot inside the Racecourse. “Wrexham was built on coal, steel and breweries, and that all went,” added Michael. “But it’s a happy place to live now; everyone is talking about football. People used to joke that if Wrexham were playing in their back garden they’d shut the curtains. Now we’re averaging just under 10,000 fans per game - I think it’s only Bradford that are actually getting larger attendances than us in the league above, never mind our league.
“To be fair, even before the takeover, we had some decent crowds but we just couldn’t compete because there was always a team that had money behind them, and as soon as we had anyone who did well we had to sell them. Fans raised money, the band raised some money, but to be honest we were going nowhere. If it wasn’t for Covid, we could actually have gone down again because we were on a bit of a spiral then. They stopped the season due to Covid and that helped us - that was how close we were to going down even further.”
Around a year after Covid led to the cancellation of the 2019/2020 National League season, Michael was forced to confront a battle more fierce than anything he’d ever seen on a football pitch. “My wife and some of my mates kept telling me to go to the doctor,” he explained. “I was losing weight, I was grey in the face, something just wasn’t right. I should have gone earlier.”
Tests followed and Michael was in The Turf with his wife and the other members of the Declan Swans when he had a phone call advising him to go to A&E immediately. Soon after Michael was diagnosed with cancer and he had two life-saving operations to remove a tumour from his colon. He’s also had four blood transfusions and an iron transfusion. “There was a point where I thought - I’ve gone here," he said, braving a chuckle. "Thank god, after a few months of chemotherapy I started to look and feel much better.”
Michael now enjoys his life day by day, and apart from an annual check-up to guard against any return of the cancer he has fought so valiantly since April 2021, he looks forward most to spending time with his family, his band, his friends and his football club. He's not bothered about the Premier League. He doesn't want to rule the world. He just wants to see his side play in the English Football League again.
The passion that runs through his eyes as he talks about Wrexham now runs through this whole city. As he knows too well, football is not a matter of life and death, but it still matters, and in Wrexham it seemingly matters to everyone. As the legendary Italian manager Arrigo Sacchi once said: “Football is the most important of the least important things in life.” He was right.
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