By Martin Graham
Half a decade has passed since everything shifted for Wrexham, when two Hollywood figures stepped into football ownership and altered the club’s direction forever.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney officially took control of the North Wales outfit on 9 February 2021, following overwhelming backing from the Wrexham Supporters Trust months earlier. What followed has been an extraordinary rise, driven not only by results but also by structural change across the organisation.
This is an account of progress that stretches well beyond matchdays.
Building the base for long-term success
Success on the field has been obvious, yet the transformation behind the scenes has been just as critical in supporting the owners’ long-range vision.
Supporters at Stok Cae Ras, along with a global television audience, have watched the stadium itself evolve. The historic Kop Stand, unused for 16 years, was torn down in 2023.
During the 2024-25 season, a temporary structure accommodating roughly 3,000 fans stood in its place before being removed to allow permanent construction to begin.
Early in the 2025-26 campaign, work started on a new stand with a capacity of 7,500, lifting the ground’s overall limit to 18,000. Completion is expected in early 2027.
Away from the stadium, limitations remain. Without ownership of the Colliers Park training base, sessions often take place elsewhere, including Carden Park or The Rock, now under club control. Even so, daily operations such as food provision and travel planning have been refined, including flights to certain fixtures to aid recovery.
Former captain Ben Tozer, who played 136 times and secured consecutive promotions, highlighted the shift in standards. He explained that while not every major upgrade has arrived, the systems supporting players have steadily improved.
Development has reached every corner of the club. Academy figures Gus Williams and Craig Knight now oversee youth progression, while the women’s team has surged from the Adran North to title contention in the Adran Premier.
They will meet reigning champions Cardiff City in the Adran Trophy final on 22 February, underlining their rise within Welsh football.
Recent arrival Davis Keillor-Dunn, returning after six years away, spoke of his excitement at seeing the club’s new stature, noting the visible rewards of sustained effort.
Manager Phil Parkinson stressed the importance of balancing infrastructure growth with immediate squad improvement, pointing out that years of financial strain had left the playing group in need of rapid reinforcement.
A climb few thought possible
Only 110 days after the takeover was confirmed, Dean Keates departed following a missed playoff place in the National League. Parkinson arrived soon after, inheriting a team searching for momentum.
His first campaign ended in heartbreak with a dramatic 5-4 playoff loss to Grimsby Town, yet that setback proved to be a turning point.
Across 213 league matches since then, Parkinson’s numbers are remarkable: 125 victories, 51 draws, and 37 defeats, with 407 goals scored. His side averages exactly two points per league game and just under two goals per match.
In 2025, Wrexham reached the second tier for the first time in 43 years, becoming the first club to secure three consecutive promotions within the English Football League.
Preparing for life in the Championship, the club shattered its own transfer benchmark three times in one summer, signing Liberato Cacace, Lewis O’Brien, and later Nathan Broadhead as record-breaking arrivals.
Further reinforcements followed in the winter window, with ambitions now firmly aimed at eventually reaching the Premier League.
From non-league to global attention
Defender Max Cleworth, alongside Ryan Barnett, stands among the few to have represented Wrexham across the National League, League Two, League One and the Championship during the current era.
After committing his future to the club in January, the academy graduate admitted he never envisioned playing second-tier football with Wrexham when he first turned professional.
When Reynolds and McElhenney were announced as owners, the team sat seventh in the National League. Today, they occupy sixth place in the Championship, a rise of 73 positions within the pyramid.
Online reach has expanded just as dramatically. Instagram following has surged from 41,000 before the takeover to 1.5 million.
Perhaps most striking is the financial growth. Club valuation now sits near £350m, representing a 17,400% increase on the £2m invested in 2021.
With a top-six finish still achievable this season, Cleworth summed up the journey simply, describing it as an unforgettable ride that he hopes continues.
