Rob McElhenney, co-owner of Wrexham alongside fellow actor Ryan Reynolds, has spilled the beans on their winning formula.
The Red Dragons have soared to new heights with consecutive promotions since the dynamic duo took over in 2021. Now rubbing shoulders at the top of League One, the brains behind “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” credits a solid rapport with “Deadpool” protagonist Reynolds for their success.
Having never met face-to-face before buying the then-National League team, they’ve now woven a tight partnership, elevating Wrexham to EFL acclaim and even expanding into the beer business with Wrexham Lager in October.
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In conversation with Forbes, McElhenney said: “I think we just see the world in a very similar way and we see investment in a similar way, both economic and emotional. We both try to listen before we talk.
“Generally, as a rule, we will walk into a room and be okay being the dumbest people in the room, trying to learn as much as we can – especially, in a sport we don’t know and in a part of the world that we’ve not spent a lot of time. Because of that, we have similar worldviews and because we just genuinely enjoy each other’s company.”
At an electrifying shared reality event in Los Angeles, Rob McElhenney joined Danny DeVito amid frenzied cheers as Wrexham clinched a thrilling last-minute win with Ollie Rathbone’s goal. The duo wasn’t just there for the soccer – they were celebrating the launch of Wrexham Lager stateside.
Speaking about the investment in Wrexham’s time-honored brew, McElhenney said: “Wrexham Lager has been around for a very long time, as has the football club, and we felt like anything that we can do to continue to celebrate and invest in the town, we’re going take that opportunity.”
“We wanted to put out a product that we really believe in, that we could not only market, but that we would drink, and that when we share it with people, they genuinely enjoy it.”
Wrexham isn’t just business for McElhenney; it’s personal growth, too. Despite his initial disinterest in soccer, he’s now deeply embedded with the team and community, saying: “I’ve become so close with the players, with the staff, with everybody in the town that it just becomes a space for emotional growth.”
“I never considered myself a football fan – and now, I have devoted my entire life and a good portion of my business and an exceptional amount of my time and effort into the sport and into the town.”
He added: “It’s continuing to build a family. My kids are a part of the experience, my father and my stepmother and my mother are a part of the experience – my brothers and sisters – my extended family. To go to a town like Wrexham and have our entire family be welcomed into the town, just is an extension of our own family.”
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