Let’s start this blog with a prediction, the term ‘sports entertainment’ which was coined in the world of professional wrestling will be used a lot more going forward. Sport is a unique form of entertainment; people love watching underdog stories that revolve around the premise of a ‘longshot’.

That is where the unpredictability of sport comes in, it has the power to make people hit rock bottom emotionally, yet it can also make them experience feelings of joy and happiness.

In my opinion, the actors struck gold with their investment in Wrexham AFC. They single-handedly changed the way people perceive sport and storytelling as two separate entities.

But why Wrexham AFC? The selection of Wrexham was not random or by chance, the Hollywood superstars saw a rare opportunity to use storytelling, marketing, and their financial resources to rebuild a struggling football club.

According to Wales Online, the actors purchased Wrexham AFC for approximately $2.5 million and by February 2021 they had full control of the club.

Wrexham AFC played in the National League (fifth tier of English football) for 15 years. The team was finally promoted to the English Football League after defeating Boreham Wood, 3 – 1 on Saturday the 22^nd of April 2023.

Let’s dig deeper into the history of the club to understand why the famous duo from Vancouver and Philadelphia chose a club in North Wales.

Full disclaimer: professional wrestling terms will be used to dramatise the story.

In the early 2000s, poor management was badly affecting the club, the previous owner (the heel in this story) was planning to sell the Racecourse Ground, which is the oldest international football stadium in the world.

The Wrexham Supporters Trust saved Wrexham AFC from a potential sale (the babyfaces in this story), and for almost a decade a team of volunteers worked tirelessly to pay off debts in order to put their club back on the map.

Reynolds and McElhenney surely did their research before making a life-changing decision, they must have realised that connecting with the fans and listening to their voices are the main driving forces for a successful club.

So, they went back to their bread and butter and helped produce a documentary series called ‘Welcome to Wrexham’, it looks at the impact of the takeover on the club, the town, and the community as a whole.

The documentary was very successful, it cultivated a large following for the club on social media and led to a major sponsorship deal with TikTok.

Sport transcends language and cultural barriers, no matter how famous someone is, they are probably passionate about a certain sport. Reynolds and McElhenney identified that the value of sport comes from the emotions it brings out of people, which makes the link between sport and storytelling stronger than ever.

The champions will now play in league two and the success of Wrexham AFC is a template that should be used in the future. It is a great example of combining sport, storytelling, and marketing in a social media driven world. It took almost three years and a huge amount of unwavering support from the community, but the dream is now a reality.