Suffered $500K in Losses, Ryan Reynolds Invests Further in Wrexham’s Stadium to Fulfill Phil Parkinson’s Wish

Judging by the enthusiastic preparations, Wrexham‘s excitement to play in League One is palpable. Aside from making changes around the team, the Welsh club is simultaneously working on its home stadium’s infrastructure. In fact, despite suffering nearly a $500,000 loss, Ryan Reynolds isn’t compromising on the ‘quality of the pitch,’ fulfilling the wish of Phil Parkinson

While a team’s collective efforts result in clinching crucial three points, the STōK Cae Ras’ surface also plays a role in winning games, a sentiment shared by the Wrexham boss. This led Reynolds to remove the old pitch and make significant improvements completely. “We have got the work done early and that gives us a great chance to get the pitch ready for pre-season,” said Parkinson, as compiled by The Leader. 

The Red Dragons’ boss further praised the quality of the pitch, revealing how it helped them to improve their home form. “We were delighted with the pitch last season. It held up really well, especially with having a lot of rain throughout a very wet winter,” he added. Notably, in the recent League Two season, they had been beaten only three times in North Wales. 

Even during their National League-winning season, Wrexham never lost a game at the Racecourse, securing 22 wins and a draw. In Parkinson’s first season in 2021, they only lost twice at home. Certainly, Wrexham seems determined to maintain such records in the upcoming season. This explains Reynolds’ decision to endure a major loss due to the stadium.

Why did Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bear huge losses over building the STōK Cae Ras?

In the latest season of Welcome to Wrexham, the owners explained how this urgency led them to install a temporary 2,289-seat stand during their League Two campaign. Although the cost amounted to approximately $500K, the decision was regarded as ‘absolutely zero sense financially’  by everyone at the club. However, the owners remained optimistic that it would provide a competitive advantage during home games, with the atmosphere being ‘twice as loud.’ Fortunately, their risk paid off as they eventually secured a promotion.

Notably, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been working tirelessly to restore and construct the new Kop stand, which has remained unused since 2007. Despite ongoing preparations for a new 5,500-seat stand, progress was deemed too slow by the Hollywood owners, who felt pressured to accommodate more fans in the stadium. Hence, the temporary stand was unveiled on December 23 for their derby against Newport County, attracting 12,000 fans for the first time in 16 years. Undoubtedly, sacrificing financial gain solely for the fans is a testament to the owners’ dedication to the club.