Ryan and Rob's eye-watering spend on Wrexham AFC after team secures promotion again

Wrexham's rise into the third tier of English football has been nothing short of a fairy tale. This year marked their second successive promotion and the first time in 21 years they will compete in Division One.

Securing their place in the Football League last season, Wrexham made their mark with a tremendous 6-0 triumph against Forest Green Rovers on Saturday - with their ongoing run also boosted by favourable results elsewhere.

The Welsh club, which is co-owned by Hollywood stalwarts Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney since November 2020, has witnessed back-to-back promotions for the first time in its 159-year long history, reports Wales Online.

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Reynolds and McElhenney, who are understood to have purchased the Reds for around £2, have invested significant amounts into the club - driving the squad's worth up to a whopping £7.85m, the highest in League Two this season.

Next term they will face sides with far higher transfer budgets, such as Blackpool, Reading and Portsmouth.

The co-owners spoke about the joy of the "underdog story" when they purchased the club and, despite not being in attendance, the result left Reynolds in tears as he watched on from America, where he is working on his next film.

This promotion not only brings the club further publicity, as they get to play against bigger sides in larger stadiums, but it also comes with a financial bonus.

However, football club ownership has not been entirely plain sailing for the duo. During an episode of their Welcome to Wrexham documentary aired last year, they were told they had lost around $12million since taking over the club, Reynolds responded: "I'm going to throw up."

A March 2024 report showed the club had suffered a £5.113m loss following a greater expenditure to increase the speed of the club's growth.

"The financial losses suffered by the club since the takeover shouldn't be repeated, with income generated by the club now sufficient to meet the operational costs of the club going forward," they said.

"These losses were deemed necessary to allow the club to maximise its full potential in the shortest time practically possible."

The report did state that the turnover was £10.478m, up from £5.972m in 2022, with most of that increase coming from advertising, sponsorship and their FA Cup success.

This season Wrexham, and every League Two side, received £472,000 as a base fee and a further £430,000 solidarity payment from the Premier League.

They also receive funding through the EFL's streaming service, taking the central to payment to around £1.1million. Next season in League One those figures will rise to £677,000 and £642,000 respectively.

Last season the co-owners promised their squad a £250,000 promotion bonus. It remains to be seen if the duo will provide further incentives this time around.

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