Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney's dad issues advice to city after second promotion
Never dismiss a dad's advice, especially one whose son is Wrexham's Hollywood co-owner.
Bob McElhenney, father of Wrexam co-chairman and It's Always Sunny television series star Rob McElhenney, has offered some profound advice after his son helped lift the club to new heights alongside Ryan Reynolds
The Hollywood duo took over the club three years ago and, after getting a cruel taste of the high-wire drama offered by English football in their first season, have overseen two successive promotions for the club to secure a berth in League One next season.
McElhenney and Reynolds have not only put Wrexham back into the English Football League, but they've put the former mining town onto the global map. Their documentary, Welcome to Wrexham has amassed an ardent international following, along with an Emmy award. Indeed, tourists from all over the world descend onto the city for a matchday or just to catch a glimpse of the Stok Cae Racecourse Ground, turning the area into a bustling and booming area of international interest and commerce.
And Bob McElhenney, Rob's dad, insists that the city of Wrexham must capitalise on the global coverage his son and Reynolds have helped to garner, adding that he and his family are just some of the many fans around the globe who are "falling in love" with the area.
"It was a town with a story to tell," Bob McElhenney told BBC, stressing that the potential of the area was the ultimate clincher in his son's decision to takeover the club.
"[Rob's] thought was 'well, what happens if you put a really very positive injection into that'," he added.
"And it was an explosion of positive things - positive things are happening for Wrexham because of the football club.
"We hope that the Wrexham hierarchies will take advantage of all that and see this as a golden opportunity."
The club have certainly viewed the takeover as a golden opportunity. A 15-year banishment to the National League was ended last season upon promotion to League Two and the club have only continued to soar at great heights with automatic promotion secured to League One after finishing second behind Stockport County, whom Wrexham play on the final day of the season on Saturday.
Whether Wrexham can continue to climb up the EFL at their current speed remains the nominal question heading into the next season. Where McElhenney and Reynolds' spending in recent years has quashed that of most of their opponents, the third tier clubs will be able to match and even outweigh the Welsh club's impressive spending.
Yet, the club's remarkable ability to generate cash has earned high praise. Indeed, Wrexham's most recent accounts for the year ending 30 June, 2023, showed Reynolds and McElhenney increased their funding of the club from almost £4m to £9m during the National League title-winning campaign, while turnover almost doubled to £10.5million, though losses did increase to £2.2million.
These accounts did not factor in the new big-money sponsorships with United Airlines, TikTok, M&S and HP.
The city itself has also relished the economic investment and attention poured into it as well, with new businesses emerging amid the sharp increase in economic activity.
And as the club is expected to remain competitive in League One, the local area is expected to become equally competitive in the global market as internal and external investment increases.
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