Five Biggest Moments in Wrexham’s Rise—And What Comes Next With Premier League Push

The Red Dragons have enjoyed a remarkable rise since Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac completed their takeover.

Phil Parkinson has led Wrexham to three successive promotions. | Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac were laughed at shortly after their Wrexham takeover was completed in February 2021, when they insisted the eventual goal was to reach the top tier of the English game.

Just three years after the Red Dragons won promotion from the National League, they now sit on the brink of a place in the Premier League. Wrexham director Shaun Harvey recently claimed it would be “the greatest sporting story the world has ever seen” if the club gained promotion to the Premier League this season.

Whatever happens next, it has been an incredible journey. Here’s a look at the five biggest moments that have taken Wrexham from non-League to the brink of the Premier League.

---

Phil Parkinson Appointed

The pressure is on Phil Parkinson to lead Wrexham back to winning ways. | Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images

The single most important decision Wrexham made was appointing Phil Parkinson as their manager. Mac spent 90 minutes on the phone with the experienced coach, laying out the vision for the club and convincing him to take the huge risk of dropping down to the fifth tier.

Parkinson, aided by his loyal coaching staff, has created a formidable winning mentality and a strong sense of togetherness at the club. He has also built an impressive track record for making difficult decisions and ultimately winning matches.

It would have been easy for Wrexham to attract egotistical managers who wanted to be the center of attention, but in Parkinson they have a no-nonsense, hardworking professional who is the perfect counterbalance to all the media attention and Hollywood razzmatazz.

Parkinson has signed the right players, implemented effective soccer, and rebuilt the team during its meteoric rise. He was recently granted the Freedom of the Wrexham County Borough to recognize the huge role he has played in transforming the club.

---

Wrexham Seasons Under Parkinson

Season	League	Finish
2021–22	National League	2nd (Lost in play-offs)
2022–23	National League	1st (Promoted as champions)
2023–24	League Two	2nd (Automatic promotion)
2024–25	League One	2nd (Automatic promotion)
2025–26	Championship	6th (currently)

---

National League Promotion

Paul Mullin was the hero when Wrexham secured the National League title. | Matthew Ashton/AMA/Getty Images

No matter what Wrexham go on to achieve in the future, it would take something truly remarkable to top the jubilation of winning the National League.

The Red Dragons had been marooned outside the professional top four tiers of the sport for 15 years, and it often felt like they would never escape. Even in the first season after the takeover, they fell short when they lost to Grimsby Town in the playoffs. It looked like the second season might also end in heartbreak when they met their match in Notts County.

An incredible season ended with a record points total of 111, as a Wrexham side inspired by the attacking brilliance of Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer combined with the artistry of Elliot Lee. Ben Tozer and Ayden Heaven were rocks in defense, and Ben Foster came out of retirement to etch his name into Wrexham folklore with that penalty save against Notts County.

Wrexham sealed promotion with a remarkable 3–1 win over Boreham Wood, with Mullin scoring two outstanding goals. The curse had been lifted—they were back in the Football League, and even North Wales pessimists began to believe in the American dream. They haven’t stopped dreaming since.

---

Record Spending

Wrexham broke their transfer record to sign Nathan Broadhead from Ipswich Town. | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Wrexham have broken their transfer record seven times since Reynolds and Mac completed their takeover, with significant investment required to take the club from non-league football to the top end of the Championship.

Ollie Palmer joined for $405,000 (£300,000) in January 2022 and formed a formidable partnership with Mullin that took the National League and League Two by storm. The record was broken again after Wrexham earned promotion to League One, first with the arrival of Ollie Rathbone for $675,000 (£500,000) and then with an undisclosed fee to bring Mo Faal to the club.

The Red Dragons spent big again to sign Sam Smith from Reading for $2.7 million (£2 million), and he proved to be the catalyst for their promotion to the Championship. Wrexham prepared for their first season back in the second division by breaking the record three more times to sign Liberato Cacace for $5.4 million (£4 million), Lewis O’Brien for $6.75 million (£5 million), and finally Nathan Broadhead for $10.12 million (£7.5 million).

Wrexham will never fully escape the fact that they have spent heavily during their rise, but it is an underrated skill to spend wisely.

---

Documenting the Success

Rob Mac (left) and Ryan Reynolds are set to release the latest season of their hit show. | Frank Micelotta/FX Networks/Getty Images

The reason Wrexham have so much money to spend is partly because they generate so much revenue in the first place.

Although the club does not earn money directly from the Welcome to Wrexham docuseries, the show’s immense popularity has played a huge role in their growth. The latest financial results showed sponsorship income rising to £17.34 million during the League One promotion season—an increase of £4 million. A typical League One club would earn somewhere in the region of £2 million from sponsorship.

Wrexham earn roughly £6 million a year from their front-of-shirt partnership with United Airlines, while Meta Quest serves as the back-of-shirt sponsor. The Welsh club also has partnerships with Ancestry, HP and Gatorade. They will be able to command even more next season after such a successful year competing near the top of the Championship.

It is estimated that since the first episode of Welcome to Wrexham premiered in the United States on Aug. 24, 2022, tourism to Wrexham has increased by 90%, boosting the local economy by roughly £191 million. Since its release, many other clubs have attempted to emulate its success, but none have been able to tell such a compelling story in such an authentic way.

---

Stadium Renovations

The Racecourse Ground has gotten a makeover. | Getty/Robbie Jay Barratt

When Rob and Ryan outlined their vision for Wrexham, they promised to modernize the club’s famous STōK Cae Ras stadium. The stadium has been Wrexham’s home since 1864 and is still the world’s oldest international soccer stadium, having hosted the Welsh national team’s first home international in 1877.

The most iconic stand is the famous Kop, which for a time was the largest all-standing terrace in the English game. It was deemed unsafe for use in 2008, and with Wrexham unable to finance its redevelopment, it remained a relic of the past and of happier times at the club.

Wrexham completed the transfer of the stadium freehold from Glyndŵr University in June 2022, another important step toward a sustainable future. Last year, plans were unveiled for a new 7,750-capacity Kop Stand, which will bring overall capacity to just over 18,000.

This will not only give Wrexham significant room for growth in matchday and hospitality revenue, but it will also be a symbolic step forward after so many supporters had given up hope of seeing their club restored to former glory. As the iconic fan chant goes, “Less than a mile from the center of town, a famous old stadium crumbling down. No one’s invested so much as a penny—bring on the Deadpool and Rob McElhenney.”

---