Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have now revealed which decision made ‘zero financial sense’ for Wrexham.
Wrexham’s progression under the ownership of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds has been incredible.
From the National League to League One in the space of two campaigns, the Hollywood owners have made some integral decisions that have fast-tracked their progression up the pyramid.
The decision to sign Paul Mullin from Cambridge United in 2021 has turned out massive while their capacity to land big sponsors such as TikTok and United Airlines have placed the Reds on a global footing.
Their success has been unparalleled and the fact they’ve led the Welsh side to a recording-breaking two promotions in a row speaks volumes of their impact.
Like with any ownership in football, though, McElhenney and Reynolds aren’t perfect, revealing they’ve carried out one decision that made ‘zero financial sense’.
Wrexham’s temporary Kop stand made ‘zero financial sense’
One of the first points in their Wrexham mission statement was to improve the stadium with a new 5,500-seater Kop stand.
Sadly, McElhenney and Reynolds discovered it wouldn’t be ready in time for the 2024/25 campaign and instead, the Welsh outfit announced a 2,289-seater temporary stand in December.
The stand welcomed fans for the first time when Wrexham hosted Newport County last December.
McElhenney previously said he loved the temporary stand, claiming it enabled an extra 2300 fans to buy tickets and made the whole stadium seem louder.
For all of the positives it brought last season, it did come at a huge cost to McElhenney and Reynolds, with the Hollywood duo revealing it cost them a whopping £360,000 to complete.
On the latest episode of Welcome to Wrexham, Reynolds said at the time it made ‘zero sense’ to the club financially, saying: “The Kop is very slow moving, it’s hard to get everything approved and moving at the rate that we want to move.
“Rob had proposed ‘What would happen if we put 2,500 seats in that area’ just temporarily.
“Makes absolutely zero sense financially.”
Temporary Kop stand helped Wrexham win promotion
The impact of having a temporary stand in place dragged Wrexham over the promotion line.
An extra 3,000 supporters watching the Reds helped preserve their strong home form having lost just three times in League Two last term.
The Welsh side flourished in front of crowds at the Racecourse Ground that they haven’t seen in years, with their match against Newport County bringing in 12,000 fans for the first time in 16 years.
It will be interesting to see how Wrexham perform when the 5,500 seater Kop stand is finally installed as the club aims to reach new heights.
