“It Was a Bit of a Shock”- Wrexham Boss Phil Parkinson Overwhelmed To See Welsh Club’s Popularity Before Sold-Out Match on US Soil

Wrexham AFC, a soccer club playing in the lower division of English soccer, has experienced a remarkable surge in popularity since its acquisition by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The Hollywood takeover and the subsequent release of the docuseries, ‘Welcome to Wrexham,’ have propelled the club’s fame to new heights, even overwhelming the team’s manager, Phil Parkinson.

The club is currently on the much-awaited pre-season tour to the US. It has allowed fans from across the Atlantic to witness their beloved club in action. However, what is surprising for the National League winner coach is the immense knowledge American fans possess about the Welsh club.

Phil Parkinson couldn’t believe Wrexham’s popularity among American fans

Before embarking on their highly anticipated pre-season tour Parkinson reminisced about his encounters with fans. Sitting on the ‘Men in Blazers’ podcast he excitedly shared, “Loads of Americans coming up to me in restaurants talking about Wrexham, which was fantastic”. Parkinson’s surprise stemmed from the fact that fans from across the pond knew intricate details about the club.

He shared, “As a manager, you go away and you do bump into supporters from clubs, you’ve managed but to have a lot of American people coming up to me talking about Wrexham and telling me how much they enjoyed the games and all the details. They knew about all the players and all the key moments”. “Yeah, it was a bit of a shock but it was equally great,” is how Parkinson explained this experience.

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Wrexham AFC owes its current success to the dynamic duo of Reynolds and McElhenney. The American actors took over the club with an ambitious vision of expanding its global reach. Through their passion and dedication, the owners have successfully connected with fans worldwide.

The release of ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ allowed audiences to gain a glimpse into the club’s rich history, culture, and aspirations, captivating fans, particularly those in the United States. The testament to this is the huge hype Wrexham saw for their first match on the pre-season trip against Chelsea.

Wrexham received a huge welcome to America

The influence of Wrexham in America has been through the roofs. It seems like fans in America were diligently waiting for the Welsh club to play on their soil as reflected from the ticket sales in their match against Chelsea. The match sold out all its tickets weeks before the match even kicked off.

And before the match, Aaron Nelson from the Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce made some huge claims. He said, “Oh, there are people coming from everywhere. Tickets were sold in all 50 U.S. states”. He further added, “We’re sold out and all of our hotels this week. Most folks with a two-night stay”. Despite all this, the result of the match must have been pretty disappointing for the Wrexham fans as the team got swept 5-0 by Chelsea. Despite the result, there is no question regarding the overwhelming popularity of Wrexham AFC among American fans.

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