Ryan Reynolds is a massive movie star thanks to the Deadpool films, but to only think of him as an actor is selling the man short. He’s an entrepreneur and a businessman as well. At different points, he purchased Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile, and started his own Maximum Effort marketing agency. He’s made them all far more successful than they were at the beginning, but his greatest success may actually be his and Rob McElhenney's ownership of the Wrexham AFC soccer team, which is worth so much more now than it was when they bought it, it’s eye-watering.
Back in 2021, Reynolds and McElhenney purchased Wrexham AFC for about £2 million, a little over $2.5 million today. However, according to Bloomberg (via the BBC), Wrexham is now worth somewhere in the neighborhood of £150 million, or just under $200 million.
Ryan Reynolds And Rob McElhenney Have Done A Lot To Make Wrexham More Valuable
To some extent, the bolstered value of Wrexham can be chalked up to Ryan Reynolds himself. Certainly, having a major movie star as your owner, one who is regularly promoting the team, including using them in commercials, is going to increase the number of people who are aware of the team, which will lead to everything from greater ticket sales to more social media followers.
Reynolds and McElhenny also lead the docu-series Welcome to Wrexham, which can be viewed with a Hulu subscription. This introduced the team to an American audience that might not otherwise be paying attention.
Wrexham’s Success On The Field Has Really Helped To Increase Its Value
Of course, a big part of the team’s value also comes from its success on the field. In the last three seasons, the team has been promoted three times. Wrexham will play next season in the Championship League, a step removed from the top-tier Premier League. It’s the first time the team has played at that level since the 1980s.
The fact that Wrexham was playing at a lower level when Reynolds and McElhenny purchased the team likely put a ceiling on how much it would cost. Somebody looking to buy right now would be buying a much more successful team. Playing at the higher level means more endorsements, better TV revenue, and other significant financial benefits.
Interestingly, however, while the team may be worth a lot more than it was when the actors bought it, that doesn’t mean the team is actually making Ryan Reynolds or Rob McElhenney any money right now. The team still posted a loss of £2.72 million last year, though that was down from a £5.11 million loss the year before.
Playing in the better league next season may be enough to turn the corner to profitability. And if Wrexham can keep the streak going and gets promoted again, the team's stock will only continue to rise.
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