Will Wrexham rise have Hollywood ending? Attendances soaring at Welsh club

​

Back-to-back promotions 

Wrexham’s visibility has skyrocketed in recent years after they were purchased by Hollywood superstar Ryan Reynolds and actor Rob McElhenney in 2021. The interest in Wrexham rose exponentially with the hugely successful docu-series “Welcome to Wrexham” shining the spotlight on the trials and tribulations of the Welsh club. 

They were languishing in the National League when the takeover was completed but they will compete in the third tier of English football next season for the first time in 20 years after securing consecutive promotions. After winning the National League last season, Wrexham secured promotion to League One after a comprehensive 6-0 win over Forest Green Rovers on Saturday. Critics of Wrexham’s success will point to the financial advantages they enjoy over rival clubs but the club is undoubtedly on the rise, as evidenced by the huge rise in their attendances. 

The heartbeat of the documentary on Wrexham is the supporters and what the football club means to them. It’s estimated that the population of Wrexham County Borough is around 135,000 and unsurprisingly fans have flocked to the Racecourse ground since the arrival of the famous faces. 

As the graphic above illustrates, Wrexham’s attendances have more than doubled across the last five seasons – the 2020/21 campaign hasn’t been included as fans were locked out due to the Covid pandemic. During the 2018/19 campaign, Wrexham’s average crowd was 5,077 but that rose significantly to 11,148 this season. The success that the club have enjoyed on the pitch and their increased profile have been significant factors and plans are in place to increase the capacity of the Racecourse. 

Demand for tickets at Wrexham led the the erection of a temporary 2,289 stand – which opened in December – until a new 5,500 all seater ‘Kop-style’ stand is built. Delays to build the new permanent stand led to the new roofless temporary structure, which has seen Wrexham regularly achieve five-figure attendances. Since purchasing Wrexham for a reported €2.3 million, Reynolds and McElhenney have injected significant funds in their dream to reach the Premier League but they’ve undoubtedly received the support of the city.

Homepage