“They Stood Up and Kept the Club Going” – Ex-Wrexham Boss Lauds Fans’ Heroic Campaign in Collecting $100,000 in 7 Hours to Rescue Club From Extinction

Wrexham has a fairytale-like story in real life. The Welsh soccer club faced innumerable challenges in the past. Due to the owners of the club who were not fully committed, the Welsh side dropped down the leagues and was on the verge of extinction in 2011.

In a recent interview, a Wrexham hero from that phase lauded fans for their continuous support and dedication. Little did they know that two Hollywood stars would knock on their door a decade later.

Dean Saunders lauds fans for their $100k gesture in 2011

In recent months, Wrexham has been a constant feature in soccer circles, as they managed to win back promotion to the EFL League Two after fifteen years. But the tiny Welsh soccer club has quite a mammoth history. On a recent episode of the Fearless in Devotion – Wrexham AFC podcast, Dean Saunders revisited a critical time in their history.

Saunders was Wrexham’s manager from 2008 – 2011. The former Welsh manager was part of the team when it was on the verge of not existing anymore! Keeping in mind its glorious achievements in the recent past, the ex-manager was really grateful to the fans. Firstly, he reminded everyone about the time when the fans raised $100k to pay the Football Conference for survival.

“The fans, they stood up and kept the club going. What is it, 10 – 12 years later? Imagine you would’ve said. By the way, just put this money in, and in about 12 years two film stars are going to buy the club and take this right through the leagues”.

“We’re going to make 8 million quid from a documentary. We’re gonna have banners up in LA. You can’t buy a shirt in America. Paul Mullin is a superstar in America. Who would’ve thought that? What a story!”.

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Without a doubt, Dean Saunders is quite a happy man in current times. But what exactly happened in 2011 to the Welsh soccer club? Let’s dive deeper.

How did fans save Wrexham?

Back in 2011, the Red Dragons were in a major crisis. Basically, they needed to pay a huge chunk of money to stay in the league. Prior to the 2011-12 season, the Football Conference kept their demands on the table. Wrexham had to pay $250k as a bond sum to stay in the league. But the club’s board could only raise $150,000. This is when the supporters stepped in.

In just seven hours, the fans managed to raise the additional $100k to save the club. The Wrexham Supporters Trust later commented that every person from the community made a contribution. At that time, they didn’t know that two Hollywood stars would buy the club one day. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney made quite a shocking purchase in soccer history.

With a $2.5 million investment, they took over the club in February 2021. And the rest is history. In a few weeks, they will kick off their campaign in the EFL League Two division. From extinction to aiming for Reynolds’ Hollywood dream, Wrexham and its supporters have come a long way.

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What do you think about these bone-chilling moments from Wrexham’s history? Let us know in the comments below.