Within four years, no one expected a non-league team to climb to the third division of English soccer, but Wrexham defied the odds. Since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over the small Welsh club, they’ve achieved back-to-back promotions. However, amidst this remarkable success, there’s a growing concern that a team, sharing the same name is being overshadowed. 

Wrexham A.F.C. Women, formerly known as Wrexham Ladies, compete in the Adran Premier, the top tier of women’s football in Wales. In March of this year, the club was awarded its first UEFA license, granting them semi-professional status, the first team in the Adran Premier to achieve this milestone. Much of this progress can be attributed to the impact of the ‘Hollywood’ takeover. 

Gemma Owen, the Head of Women’s Football Operations for the club, couldn’t be more grateful to the star owners. As one of the key figures in the relaunch of senior women’s football at the club in 2018, Emma Stone shared with Sam Mewis on her The Women’s Game podcast that she always knew the women’s team would receive equal support under the new ownership.

“When Rob and Ryan put out their vision for the club and speaking to Humphrey very early on it was clear, once they realized there was a women’s department, it was going to be even more of a connection,” says Gemma. In May 2023, the team’s training kit was sponsored by Betty Buzz, a beverage company which is owned by Blake Lively, Reynolds’ wife. 

“Not only because of the connection to the women’s team, but the knock-on effect from the men’s side of the club, we had a feeling that we were going to benefit from that if that’s the right way of putting it” added Gemma, highlighting that the women’s team did share some of the spotlight. However, the star owners have recently faced a few hiccups in their plans.

Reynolds and McElhenney win local Wrexham battle for new facility 

When the duo proposed plans to build a new training facility for the League One side’s youth team at Darland High School in Rossett, Wrexham, it sparked backlash. The construction of the facility was set to be on a green wedge, which drew angry reactions and resulted in more than nine objection letters submitted to the Wrexham Council.

Amid the objections, they have received the green light to proceed with construction. The project is crucial for the Welsh club to attain EFL Category Three status, and investing heavily in youth development is essential if they want to turn their Premier League dreams into reality.

Currently, Wrexham sits third in League One, just two points behind Wycombe and Birmingham, both of whom have games in hand. Meanwhile, Wrexham A.F.C. Women is set to face Cardiff Metropolitan Ladies, who are currently at the bottom of the Adran Premier.