Wrexham women’s team striker Rosie Hughes is all praise for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Their astute management of the men’s team while giving undivided attention to the women’s squad has left a smile on Hughes’ face. However, Wrexham is still too far from reaching the equal pay milestone, which is a cause Rosie Hughes champions. Well, it’s not like the Hollywood duo does not want to pay their women’s squad equal to men. It is the complicated soccer league norms in the UK that stand in their way.

In his appearance on the May 9 episode of Welcome to Wrexham season four, Rob McElhenney revealed why he and Ryan Reynolds can’t implement equal pay with the Red Dragons. “We asked last year when they were in the amateur status, could we pay them. The answer was no, by rule. In this league, you have limits on what you’re allowed to pay them,” said the Always Sunny in Philadelphia star, as compiled by US Magazine. He added, “Just another one of the “really fun” U.K. regulations in football that hold you back from doing some of the things you want to do.”

Wrexham women’s team played amateur football till last year. In 2023, the club was granted a Tier 1 license and became eligible to sign players on semi-professional contracts. Wrexham’s men’s team, on the other hand, plays pro ball. Rosie Hughes, meanwhile, understands Reynolds and McElhenney’s difficulties in paying her and her teammates like they pay the men’s team. “I’d personally love equal pay within men’s and women’s sports, but I just know it’s not as simple as that. The advertisement for men is just a lot greater than it’s for women at the minute,” said Hughes in an interview with the US Magazine.

While the Dragons ladies’ team has yet to hit the equal pay milestone, it is striding on the right track to both boost popularity and empower women’s soccer.

Wrexham women’s squad makes new strides in soccer

“Not only are they focusing on the men’s side of the football, but they’ve also helped us women a lot by being there for us,” Rosie Hughes said in her interview referring to Wrexham’s Hollywood owners. In a testament to that Rob and Ryan took the women’s team to a US tour, just like they do with the men’s team. And guess what, Rosie Hughes and co. collaborated with Gatorade and Good Sports for a noble cause.

On a trip to Los Angeles, the Red Dragons’ women’s team, Gatorade, and Good Sports donated a soccer clinic and $20,000 to Empowering Leaders in Latina Athletes Sports Foundation. Rosie Hughes added that her team gave tickets to the ELLA foundation’s players to watch the Wrex Coast tour in the US. Before landing this collaboration with Gatorade, Wrexham women’s team became the first women’s team in North Wales to play first-tier semi-professional football.  Indeed, the ladies team is also thriving like the Wrexham’s men’s side. Perhaps it is not so long from achieving the equal pay goal.