Be honest: what would your first reaction be if your favorite actor coincidentally decided to buy a sports team you love? While rejoicing might be the natural response for many, others could find it hard to believe. So, when the news broke that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were taking over Wrexham, you can imagine the wave of disbelief among Red Dragon supporters. For Gemma Owen, at least, it was nothing short of a ‘huge shock.’

As a staunch supporter and a loyal employee of the Welsh club for over a decade, it would be expected for Owen to know behind the scenes during the time the Welsh club was under a takeover process in 2021. However, the Head of Women’s Football Operations was completely clueless alongside her fellow staff workers as the arrival of this Hollywood duo was indeed a bolt from the blue.

“No,” remarked Owen, when The Women’s Game podcast host Sam Mewis asked her if she believed that Ryan and Rob were coming to town to save her beloved team. “I initially thought it was someone else, we didn’t know. Even as staff, we weren’t aware early stages of who was going to take over the football club so we all had our own guesses as to who we thought it might be.”

There have indeed been other Hollywood stars and even renowned athletes to invest in soccer teams. Be it Will Ferrell being a part of LAFC or Natalie Portman co-founding NWSL side Angel City FC, the list continues to increase each day. But none of them matches how Reynolds and McElhenney joined forces with a team that was on the verge of becoming extinct and was competing in the fifth division of the English league system.

“Ryan and Rob were probably as far away from what you would even consider or think about. So it was a ‘huge shock’ if that’s the right word to use when it was announced that it was going to be the two of them that would get involved,” added Owen, who herself has been a part of the Red Dragons since 2012, starting as a Football Development Officer/Delivery Coach of The Racecourse Community Foundation.

This means Owen has witnessed all the ups and downs that the third-oldest professional association football team has experienced. That said, in recent years, it has been mostly the upward trend that Dragon supporters are enjoying, courtesy of these generous actors.

From sacrifices to glory, Wrexham AFC’s Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are the epitome of true ownership

A $2.5 million investment at the end of 2020 by these two Hollywood superstars has not only transformed the club but also their own lives. Since 2021, Ryan and Rob have been working toward their dream of reaching the pinnacle of the English football pyramid and playing in the Premier League. They began this journey by breaking Wrexham’s 15-year exile, winning the National League.

With two consecutive promotions under their belt, Wrexham is now determined to excel in their current EFL League One campaign. In fact aside from the on-pitch success, both Reynolds and McElhenney have transformed this less-known Welsh club into a global sensation. Not to mention, these star owners have brought the team to where it is today by covering $11.3 million in losses from their own pockets.

Such narratives make it clear that Ryan and Rob’s association with Wrexham is about more than just owning the club as an investment. Their personal determination and passion for the sport make this a truly unique tale in the history of sports ownership.