Wrexham AFC is one of the oldest clubs in England and plays in the fifth tier of the English football pyramid in the National League. Formed in 1864, they are a club on the rise because of new ownership by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. They are the third oldest soccer professional team in England after Notts County and Stoke City and the oldest club from Wales.
The club first entered the Combination League in 1890 and won four Combination titles. But after various financial problems, Wrexham lost its place in the league and dropped out of the football league in 2008. Since then, many have come and gone to take the club to greater heights. But Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took up the challenge.
In some of their famous victories, Wrexham beat reigning champions Arsenal in the 1992 FA Cup. The 1984 European Cup Winners' Cup saw them beat Porto.
Wrexham AFC plays its home games at Racecourse Ground; the oldest international stadium in the world. They set the record attendance back in 1957 against Manchester United by welcoming 34445 supporters.
Wrexham AFC is owned by R.R. McReynolds Company, LLC, which is equally owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and McElhenney are the two shareholders of the Welsh club.
Wrexham AFC currently plays in the Vanarama National League, which is the 5th-tier league of the English football league. The National League is a semi-professional league and is the lowest division in English football.
Wrexham finished 2nd in the 2021-22 National League and missed out on the automatic promotion to EFL League Two. They are currently in the race to finish 1st and earn direct promotion to EFL League Two. However, the highest they reached is the Football League Second Division in 1978, which was the 2nd tier at that time.
No, Wrexham is the 3rd oldest professional football club in the world after being formed in 1864. However, they are the oldest club in Wales.
Wrexham AFC is a professional football club based in Wrexham, Wales. Wales, as a country, is a part of the United Kingdom. Wrexham, playing in the National League, is currently under the authority of the Football Association of Wales. However, top-tier Welsh clubs continue to play in England's English Football League pyramid.
Wrexham AFC stands for Wrexham Association Football Club.
Manager Name | Manager Reign |
Charlie Hewitt | 1925-29 |
Jack Baynes | 1929-31 |
Ernest Blackburn | 1932-36 |
Jimmy Logan | 1937-38 |
Tom Morgan | 1938-40 |
Tom Williams | 1940-49 |
Les McDowall | 1949-50 |
Peter Jackson | 1950-54 |
Cliff Lloyd | 1954-57 |
John Love | 1957-59 |
Billy Morris | 1960-61 |
Ken Barnes | 1961-65 |
Billy Morris | 1965-66 |
Jack Rowley | 1966-67 |
Alvan Williams | 1967-68 |
John Neal | 1968-77 |
Arfon Griffiths | 1977-81 |
Mel Sutton | 1981-82 |
Bobby Roberts | 1982-85 |
Dixie McNeil | 1985-89 |
Brian Flynn | 1989-2001 |
Denis Smith | 2001-07 |
Brian Carey | 2007 |
Brian Little | 2007-08 |
Dean Saunders | 2008-11 |
Andy Morrell | 2011-14 |
Kevin Wilkin | 2014-15 |
Gary Mills | 2015-16 |
Dean Keates | 2016-18 |
Sam Ricketts | 2018 |
Graham Barrow | 2018-19 |
Bryan Hughes | 2019 |
Dean Keates | 2019-21 |
Phil Parkinson | 2021- |
Player Name | Nationality | Position |
Rob Lainton | England | Goalkeeper |
Reece Hall-Johnson | England | Defender |
Callum McFadzean | Scotland | Defender |
Ben Tozer | England | Defender |
Aaron Hayden | England | Defender |
Jordan Tunnicliffe | England | Defender |
Jordan Davis | Wales | Defender |
Luke Young | England | Midfielder |
Ollie Palmer | England | Forward |
Paul Mullin | England | Forward |
Liam McAlinden | Ireland | Forward |
Anthony Forde | Ireland | Defender |
Bryce Hosannah | England | Defender |
Sam Dalby | England | Forward |
Jacob Mendy | Spain | Forward |
Andy Cannon | England | Midfielder |
Mark Howard | England | Goalkeeper |
Thomas O’Connor | Ireland | Midfielder |
Kai Calderbank-Park | Australia | Goalkeeper |
Scott Butler | Wales | Defender |
Ryan Austin | Wales | Defender |
Harry Lennon | England | Defender |
Jake Bickerstaff | England | Forward |
James Jones | Scotland | Midfielder |
Rory Watson | England | Goalkeeper |
Max Cleworth | England | Defender |
Daniel Jones | Wales | Forward |
Aaron James | England | Defender |
Will Mountfield | England | Midfielder |
Kai Evans | Wales | Midfielder |
Elliot Lee | England | Forward |
Daniel Davies | Wales | Defender |
Louis Lloyd | Wales | Forward |
David Jones | England | Midfielder |
Jacob Milner | England | Midfielder |
Owen Cushion | England | Defender |
Eoghan O’Connell | Ireland | Defender |
Wrexham AFC is worth more than $2.5 million, the amount Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2020. However, their worth is only going to increase from here as they chase promotion to the EFL League Two.
After Ryan and Rob bought the club, they started the American sports documentary series, Welcome to Wrexham. It became one of the best tv shows to air and fans cannot get enough of it. The series is inspired by Sunderland Till I Die. The Hollywood owners took the camera inside to showcase the work being done, behind the scenes.
The vision of Ryan Reynolds is to take the club to greater heights and wants to see the team in the Premier League. According to Marca, he said, "In 10 years' time the plan has and always will be the Premier League. If it's theoretically possible to go from the fifth tier to the Premier League, why wouldn't we try?