The name Wrexham may come as a mystery to football fans across the globe, but this Welsh city located in the borough of Wrexham county is quickly making a name for itself globally.
In a city of blue collar workers, they all share the same passion – their beloved Wrexham Association Football Club. A club that has some of the richest history that you will find across any sporting codes around the world. Founded in October of 1864, Wrexham AFC is the oldest Association Football side in the world. Nicknamed the Dragons, they are the heart and soul of this Welsh community and the football team competes in the National league, the English fifth tier.
The name Wrexham may be ringing a few bells in readers’ minds by now. The Dragons have rapidly rose to the top of football news tabloids across the globe in the past two years after its high profile sale to Hollywood Actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds in November of 2020. This created much noise around Wrexham, but what was to follow could not be imagined.
Whilst News outlets and football media pundits were debating the intentions of the club having American ownership, Wrexham was working tirelessly behind the scenes to put themselves back on the map. The rich history of the club, which includes the home ground of Racehorse Ground, is the world’s oldest international football stadium. The potentially bright future for the Dragons is one of the reasons why Reynolds and McElhenney jumped at the opportunity to buy at a price tag that cost the pair £2million ($3.32 million) in total.
With high profile owners, comes equally high profile opportunities. Disney+, the online streaming platform home to a whopping 221 million subscribers, saw the potential in the Wrexham AFC story – arguably one that is only just beginning. The documentary follows the club’s journey through the 2021 National League season in their pursuit to gain promotion into League 2. Reynolds and McElhenney have both stated that the goal for the club in 2022 is to be promoted to the next tier, with their long term vision for the Dragons eventually making a top flight appearance in the English Premier League.
Disney+ has done a compelling job in capturing the excitement and optimism surrounding the club. The ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ series paints the picture of a true underdog trying to survive and battle their way to the top. With the show’s episodes being released weekly in the midst of the club’s season, it has generated massive amounts of interest both domestically and internationally. A large focus has been tapping into the international markets and bringing Wrexham’s story to the world. In the United States, Wrexham merchandise sales spiked following the release of an episode. To measure the direct impact the documentary is having on its US viewers, a data science team from global e-commerce firm Pattern analysed consumer demand for Wrexham AFC merchandise on Amazon daily for the year to date. They found that merchandise sales skyrocketed by 47% on average the day after an episode is released – with Wrexham football shirts being the most in-demand item with an average increase of 113%.
With such an interest in the club, many new fans are asking the question of how they can watch Wrexham games. This is a key area of focus for Reynolds and McElhenney who both recognise the need for streaming of games being based in North America themselves. In a bid to capitalise on club interest, Wrexham approached the National League bosses with a proposal to stream Wrexham matches both domestically and internationally. The proposal was shut down which Reynolds described as ‘truly baffling’. Instead the National League is looking to create its own streaming service for the league.
Wrexham’s proposal to the National League was the idea of free international streaming to lure new fans towards the club and league. Domestic fans would pay £10 ($16) to stream live matches with all streaming profits being given to the National League. It’s obvious Wrexham’s new owners are trying to maximise the club’s growth by getting more eyes on the Dragons through live streaming matches.
The ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary has shown the power and reach of streaming to a global audience. Reynolds and McElhenney’s focus is on connecting fans of the documentary to the club’s live matches, giving fans full access to their journey. As mentioned earlier, the revenue will come with growing interest in the club, and the spike in merchandise sales is a sign of that growth.
