Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham’s staggering income figures with document turnover and sponsorship

On Mar 27, 2025

Wrexham have seen their annual turnover increase to an eye-watering £26.7million after the global spotlight shone on the club since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s takeover

Liam Randall and Andy Gilpin Deputy Editor in Chief

09:00, 27 Mar 2025Updated 09:01, 27 Mar 2025

Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have been praised by one of their Wrexham stars(Image: PA)

Wrexham’s annual turnover has soared to a staggering £26.7million, largely due to the global spotlight shone on the club by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The Welsh team saw their financial figures skyrocket by 155% in the fiscal year ending June 2024, a significant leap from the £10.5m recorded in 2013.

The club’s officials have credited this jaw-dropping sum, thought to be a record for a then-League Two side, to the exposure brought about by the Welcome to Wrexham documentary. The series’ popularity has also enabled Wrexham to secure lucrative commercial partnerships with big names like United Airlines and HP, causing sponsorship revenue to surge from £1.9m to £13.2m.

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However, despite these impressive numbers, Wrexham still posted a loss of £2.7m over the 12-month period. This figure is an improvement on the £5.1m deficit noted in 2023, with the club’s latest accounts revealing that £824,000 of the recent losses were due to bonuses triggered by Phil Parkinson’s squad securing promotion to League One.

What do you think of Wrexham’s rise? Have your say in comments below

Wrexham owner Ryan Reynolds walks pitch-side ahead of a key match (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

In another significant development, it has been separately confirmed that loans totalling £15m provided by Reynolds and McElhenney have been repaid in recent months. This follows the introduction of the New York-based Allyn family as new minority investors in October and several large share issues.

Reflecting on a golden year for the club, the accounts overview boasted: “The 2023/24 season was one that brought success on the pitch for the men’s team who achieved promotion from EFL League Two, having achieved promotion from the National League the season before.”, reports the Mirror.

“Following the early announcement that the Welcome to Wrexham documentary would be continued for a third series to cover the events on and off the pitch for the 2023/24 season, this enabled the club to achieve further commercial growth.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson celebrates(Image: PA)

“The documentary, while not delivering any direct financial return for the club, provides us with a marketing platform that can be monetised through the delivery of TV exposure for our partners and is our ‘point of difference’.”

The club proudly stated: “Turnover for the year was £26.725m (2023: £10.478m) which we believe to be a record for any club in League Two. As noted below the popularity of Welcome to Wrexham and the engagement by its viewers are the biggest factors in the 155 per cent growth, followed by the additional revenue generated from the EFL over those received in the National League.”

One of the reasons for the club posting a loss was a rise in its wage bill from £6.91m for the previous 12 months to just over £11m. Wrexham also splashed out almost £5m on legal and professional fees, some of which went into the pockets of companies owned by Reynolds and McElhenney.

Wrexham’s players celebrate promotion from League Two(Image: Getty Images)

Officials have disclosed that funds were channelled to More Better Industries and Maximum Effort for the purpose of marketing the show Welcome to Wrexham and managing US-based commercial deals. The financial records also highlight that a whopping 52.1% of Wrexham’s yearly revenue now hails from overseas, predominantly North America, in stark contrast to the 47.5% sourced from the UK, with the rest trickling in from Europe.

Since Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over Wrexham in February 2021, the club’s Emmy-winning TV series has been a cash cow, with cameras currently rolling for season four. However, there’s a strategic review of the owners’ long-term game plan, keeping an eye on the club’s viability should the documentary not get extended.

The expansion of the Racecourse Ground is a pivotal move in their master plan, especially after Wrexham Council greenlit proposals for a new 5,500-capacity Kop stand. Construction is set to kick off post the current football season’s finale, with Wrexham sitting in second place in the League One table, teetering on the edge of a potential third consecutive promotion.

Analysis: There’s one startling fact in this

Andy Gilpin of the Fearless in Devotion podcast says: For me the most startling stat is not the sponsorship, increase in turnover or even that most of the revenue comes from the US.

Over the past year the club have paid back £15m in loans to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Let’s ignore the fact that the pair said they would never loans tied to the club in their mission statement. We know things change in football. The loan repayment is significant as a) the club has managed to find £15m to pay them back and b) the pair don’t actually have a huge stake in the club now.

They were always meant to be the figureheads in this is something they carry on with aplomb despite not being at as many games this season. But it looks like the Allyn family are now here to shoulder much of the financial burden.

But the good news for any Wrexham fan is that the club is free of loans, is making huge turnover with Rob and Ryan up front and the financial powerhouse of the Allyns in the background making things tick.

Club officials stated: “A strategic review of the club’s mission statement will be undertaken, following the success to date of the club, however the principles won’t materially change. The specific emphasis remains the same, to deliver success on the pitch and take each of the club’s senior teams through their respective divisions at the earliest opportunity.”

They continued: “The directors are taking the relevant action to ensure that the long-term sustainability of the club can be achieved and not anchored purely on playing success or the continuation of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary. Increasing the capacity at the Racecourse Ground is a fundamental requirement of creating a long-term business plan for the club along with putting in place a staffing structure of suitably qualified individuals that will enable the maximising of all the opportunities available to us.”

Wrexham’s latest financial figures are set to be laid bare early next week.

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