Wrexham’s ‘financial stability’ could also be in danger in Ryan Reynolds’ 55k stadium purpose
Wrexham‘s owners have been warned their future ‘could be at risk’ over plans to increase the Racecourse Ground’s capacity to 55,000.
The Red Dragons’ Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have grand ideas to transform the club’s stadium in the long-term, reports the Mirror.
The Red Dragons recently celebrated their second consecutive promotion after finishing second in League Two, just four points behind champions Stockport County who’ll join them in League One next season.
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Wrexham AFC is the arguably the fastest-growing club in the world at the moment thanks to a certain Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The Red Dragons have achieved two consecutive promotions and are cheered on by sell-out crowds from not only North Wales but also from all over the globe, thanks to the success of the Disney+ documentary ‘Welcome to Wrexham’.
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The Welsh side are now a step closer to their long-term goal of joining the Premier League, an idea that was first dreamt of by Reynolds and McElhenney – who have transformed the club and the city since their arrival over three years ago.
Thinking big ahead of a huge few years for the club, the co-owners recently spoke on their long-term plans to transform the Racecourse Ground from their current capacity of 12.6k to a whopping 55k – which is bigger than the likes of Chelsea‘s Stamford Bridge, Newcastle‘s St James Park, and Aston Villa‘s Villa Park.
Their weighty ambitions were picked apart by football finance expert Rob Wilson, who spoke to OLBG on the financial constraints a transformation of their stadium could cause the club.
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(Image: PA)
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“Wrexham’s new stadium would cost in the hundreds of millions or more, just look at the cost of building materials as well as getting things done,” Wilson said.
“Look at Manchester United’s stadium estimate, a £2billion rebuild for a 90,000 seat stadium. So for Wrexham you are absolutely talking about hundreds of millions of pounds and they don’t currently have the financial resources to be able to do that, unless it was a gift.
“I don’t know what the net worth is of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney but to pull off something that size there would be a significant amount of borrowing, which will put the financial stability of the club at risk if they don’t continue their progression up the leagues.”
(Image: Getty)
Reynolds’ net worth sits at $350m (£278m) while McElhenney’s is at $50m (£40m), according to Celebrity Net Worth. Wilson suggested one lucrative sponsorship that Wrexham could secure in regards to naming rights for their stadium thanks to their ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary, which has been a roaring success.
“To build their new stadium, Wrexham will need Premier League money as well as a lucrative sponsorship deal. Like Arsenal having the Emirates Stadium and also handing over their sponsorship rights,” he added.
“A Disney+ Stadium is not out of the question, they’re an organisation that has the financial resources and they already have that connection through the documentary.”
