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Wales Online
Sport
Sam Portillo

The Americans who've fallen in love with Wrexham amid Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's Hollywood story

A win at the Racecourse on Saturday will be enough for Wrexham to secure their return to the Football League, but the club already has something that even some Premier League clubs cannot lay claim to: an international fan base.

When Wales' oldest football club needed a fresh lick of paint, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney pitched up with a story straight out of Hollywood. With star players on the pitch, A-list celebrities in the stands and an award-winning Disney+ documentary to boot, just how deep does Wrexham's support go overseas?

News that Deadpool and Mac from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia had taken over a "struggling" Welsh soccer club generated a buzz, but it wasn't until the release of the Welcome to Wrexham series on Disney+ that the club and town of Wrexham sunk into the American conscience.

Now, some have made the 4,000-mile trip to north Wales for what everyone hopes will be a day of history as the club bid to secure promotion back to the Football League.

Atlanta United fan Joe Brewing, 42, has travelled to Wales for the first time to watch the game. "I absolutely love it," Joe said. "Everyone has been so welcoming and kind. It's hard to believe that everyone has been so interested in a random person that has decided to travel over from Alabama."

He says he became "riveted" by the team's quest for promotion while watching Welcome to Wrexham, narrated by club co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

"I just went further and further down the rabbit hole until I was waking up at 6am on Saturdays to listen to the games," he said. "I started following the best I could after watching the series. I talked to some people online. The more I followed what was going on the more I became excited about experiencing it in person."

Joe has spent the week drinking at the famous Turf pub outside the Racecourse ground, filming staring contests with fans and sporting a Wrexham red goatee, which he says has "faded to more of a pink".

On Saturday, he will attend his first Wrexham game, with the chance to see them seal the National League trophy and seal their ascension to the Football League.

There will be, one would imagine, thousands of fans supporting the Dragons against Boreham Wood from across the pond.

One of those, 63-year-old John Hampton from Kentucky, says that costs are the only thing stopping him from making the 4,000-mile journey to Wrexham.

"I have wanted to come over to visit - if there's any way I can ever make it, I will be there!" John said.

John says he always found American sports boring and the Disney documentary was his first proper taste of the beautiful game.

"After I watched one match, I was hooked because of the constant state of motion. It looked like a gruelling game."

But the Kentucky native's love for the Welsh club is just as much about the people off the pitch as the sport itself.

"I was born and raised in Kentucky, the people of Wrexham remind me so much of the people here," John said. "They're just very hospitable from what I've seen. And they wear their hearts on their sleeve!

"Listening to the older women cry while they described keeping the club open and even having to pay the salaries at one time... that just reminded me of my aunts. There was so much smiling in the crowds and celebrations in the town look impeccable."

Of course, Wrexham's international reputation would have never exploded if not for the fame of Reynolds and McElhenney.

Jason White, 44, from Phoenix, Arizona, says he thought football was boring before watching the documentary, but he "gave it a shot" because he knew the celebrity duo were entertaining.

"Seeing the challenges they went through and hearing the story as to why they were doing it really captivated me," Jason said. "I wanted to follow them along this journey, and in the process, I fell in love with the club, the town and the people. I wanted nothing more than to see them succeed and see the club promoted."

Jason says he has not missed a Wrexham match since they have been available to stream online and his wife Karen, also 44, now wakes up early to watch the games with him.

He said: "We re-watched Welcome to Wrexham in two days. I even bought FIFA 23 for my PlayStation just so I could play as Wrexham and work my way up to the Premier League."

Jason is hoping to find a bar that will host watch parties next season where the community of Wrexham fans in Arizona can "call home".

Down in Florida, when Adam Womack, 50, saw a traveller asking for someone to watch a Wrexham game with in Orlando, he invited them to his home.

"It was the Barnet game, and kick-off was at 7.45am, so no bars were open!" Adam said. They cooked the special guest a southern American breakfast, only to find out he was one of the club's former community co-owners who even sat in the first Zoom call with Reynolds and McElhenney about the prospective takeover.

"He brought us a gift for hosting him at our home: a Wrexham scarf and coffee mug, which was too kind," Adam said. "It was great to have a personal connection with someone who has followed the team for so long and helped keep the team alive."

Since hosting the former club co-owner, Adam has created a bespoke "Wrexham FC Orlando" social media presence in an effort to find other fans and plan watch parties for next season.

"Americans love an underdog story," Adam explained. "The teams here have the luxury of knowing that they will come back and play the next season. That's what makes Wrexham's story so compelling - the team was on the brink of being erased entirely, and would have if not for the dedication and bravery of a town to step in and fight for their club. That's just something that is so foreign to us over here."

Wrexham-born Jamie Lewis, 29, moved to Baltimore, Maryland, after he met his wife and has watched his home club's reputation soar onto the same level as the Premier League's best.

"I could walk in any city in the United States that's got a good population and people would recognise the jersey and know the team," salesman Jamie said.

In the past, Jamie's support was limited to listening to match commentary. Now, he can afford a handful of homecomings each season - drinking at The Turf pub, talking with family and friends and taking a seat at the Racecourse to watch his team.

"I don't typically plan my trip back to see family, which sounds terrible," he admits. "I'm very fortunate. My wife - God bless her - she watches the kids six or seven weekends a year for me to travel. And I have two young children, so it's not easy.

"I've probably spent upwards of $12,000-15,000 on trips this last 12 months, so maybe I sacrifice doing other normal things to try to do that. I don't really go out drinking over here, because I don't like American beer. I don't smoke. But for me, it works. I'm living the American dream."

Jamie says that seeing his team clinch a return to the Football League would eclipse anything else they have achieved in his lifetime.

Meanwhile, Wrexham AFC gave Martin Davies memories that he will "cherish forever" before he moved to British Columbia in Canada in 1978. He used to help his dad deliver pop to all the concession booths at the Racecourse. While his dad spoke to the players, like Arfon Grifths, George Showell and Mickey Evans, young Martin was often given a ball to kick around on the pitch.

"Imagine the feeling that this young lad had being on that pitch, kicking the ball into the goal at the Kop end," Martin reflected. He remembers seeing "so many great games" - from the draw with Anderlecht in the Cup Winners' Cup, to the "heartbreak" of the 1976/77 season and the "triumph" of 1977/78.

"Living in Borras Park, we were surrounded by many great players living in the area like Billy Ashcroft, Eddie May, Mel Sutton and later Dixie McNeil. These legends always had time for us kids."

Life as a Wrexham fan was very different in Borras Park and British Columbia. Martin used to be able to see Wrexham's results in the newspaper, as he lived near the city of Vancouver, and received letters from friends at home. After the formation of the Premier League, Martin's relationship with his home club became stretched as newspapers stopped including information on lower leagues and letters from friends became less frequent.

"We were probably the last people in Canada to get internet!" Martin laughs. The Wrexham expat reconnected with the fanbase on social media around six years ago.

"I did a video the summer before the takeover was announced, saying that Wrexham are going to do better. That was well received. Then I did another, which people call my 'passion' video - that went crazy," Martin said. "In fact, the team sent me that year's shirt, which was awesome."

Friends and fans encouraged Martin to visit his old home, and then Covid came.

"I made a promise that as soon as it was safe to travel, I'd be home. That day came August 16, 2022. The welcome I received was out of this world. I got to meet all my old friends, new friends, see two games at the Racecourse and meet up again with my childhood hero Mickey Thomas. I'm so proud of where this team is now. It feels like '78 again. I'm happy for the team and the town."

The first team will spend a considerable amount of time in the States this summer, with a game against Chelsea on July 19 and a California meeting aginst Manchester United on July 26.

Reynolds and McElhenney have also promised to take the team on a "monster" trip to a city with "a lot of fashing lights" - likely Las Vegas - if they achieve promotion.

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