Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have acknowledged that Wrexham would have faced severe financial difficulties if they had not clinched the National League title last season.
Wrexham, with Hollywood support, finally secured promotion back to the Football League after a 15-year absence by winning the National League in late April.
Despite their impressive performance, which saw them top the table with a record-breaking 111 points, the pressure on the Welsh club to secure promotion was immense.
In the first episode of Season 2 of ‘Welcome to Wrexham,’ the co-owners and actors, Reynolds and McElhenney, openly admitted that they would have been in dire financial straits if they had not emerged victorious in the league.
On the show, which premiered in the United States on Tuesday night on FX before being released on Disney+ in the UK on Wednesday, Reynolds said: “We’re heavily invested in building this club and the stadium itself, and if we don’t get promoted this year, the club is completely, totally and wholly unsustainable.”
McElhenney added: “If our goal from the very beginning was not just to win, not just to help bring some hope and optimism to the town, but to build a sustainable business, something that can continue long after we’ve gone.
“For us to put them in a position where, if they don’t get promoted this year, they are no longer sustainable in any real way, is counter to what our original promises were.”
To which Reynolds chimed in: “So its really ratcheted up the pressure, not just for us but for the players on the field, the people in the community. This year we have to get promoted.”
Ultimately, Wrexham secured promotion to League Two, and Phil Parkinson’s team has begun the new season on a positive note. They currently occupy the seventh position in the standings, with only one defeat in their first seven matches.
However, the ultimate aspiration is to see Wrexham reach the Premier League in the future.
Despite currently competing in English football’s fourth tier, Wrexham is gaining a global following, largely attributed to the prominence of Reynolds and McElhenney. They are actively leveraging their influence to bolster the Dragons’ brand.
Wrexham are back in league action on Saturday when they take on Grimsby Town