Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have now disclosed which choice for Wrexham made “zero financial sense.”
Under the ownership of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, Wrexham has advanced remarkably.
The Hollywood owners have accelerated their ascent up the pyramid by making some crucial moves that have moved them from the National League to League One in the span of two seasons.
The signing of Paul Mullin from Cambridge United in 2021 proved to be a wise move, as the Reds’ ability to secure major sponsors like United Airlines and TikTok has elevated them to a worldwide level.
Their impact is evident in the fact that they have guided the Welsh team to two consecutive promotions, setting a new record for success.
However, McElhenney and Reynolds aren’t flawless, as is the case with any football ownership, admitting that they’ve made one mistake that made “zero financial sense.”
Wrexham’s temporary Kop stand made ‘zero financial sense’
The construction of a new 5,500-seat Kop stand was one of the first goals included in their Wrexham mission statement.
Regretfully, McElhenney and Reynolds learned it wouldn’t be completed in time for the 2024–2025 season, therefore in December the Welsh team announced the opening of a temporary 2,289-seat stand.
The first time the stand saw fans was when Wrexham hosted Newport County in December of last year.
In the past, McElhenney expressed his admiration for the makeshift stand, saying it allowed an additional 2300 spectators to purchase tickets and increased the noise level in the stadium.
Despite all of the benefits it offered in the previous season, McElhenney and Reynolds acknowledged that it was quite expensive, saying it took them a staggering £360,000 to finish.
Reynolds stated that at the time, it made “zero sense” financially for the team on the most recent episode of Welcome to Wrexham. He said, “The Kop is very slow moving, it’s hard to get everything approved and moving at the rate that we want to move.”
“Rob had proposed ‘What would happen if we put 2,500 seats in that area’ just temporarily.
“Makes absolutely zero sense financially.”
Temporary Kop stand helped Wrexham win promotion
Wrexham was propelled over the promotion threshold by the effect of the temporary stand that was in place.
Having only lost three times in League Two the previous season, the Reds’ outstanding home form was maintained by an additional 3,000 spectators.
For the first time in sixteen years, the Welsh team played in front of 12,000 spectators at the Racecourse Ground, where they thrived. This was their first game versus Newport County in that time.
When the 5,500-seat Kop stand is eventually completed, it will be intriguing to watch how Wrexham performs as the team strives to achieve new heights.
