Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought non-league Wrexham football club, sparking dreams of on-the-pitch glory for its fans and bringing unexpected publicity for its sponsors.
Fans at Wrexham Supporters Trust voted to give Reynolds, the star of Deadwood, and McElhenney, who starred in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the lead role in their club.
In a comic corporate video, the two Hollywood stars announced the takeover and gave their team sponsor, Ifor Williams Trailers, a lift that no amount of paid advertising could earn.
In the video, they say: “Why are Rob and I pitching a North Walian trailer manufacturer?
"Well, we just became owners of Wrexham Association Football Club and they’re our team sponsor.
“You may have never heard of Wrexham, the Racecourse Ground or Ifor Williams … but you will.”
Some of the staff at Ifor Williams are also Wrexham fans and are dreaming of good times ahead for their National League team.
Project manager Rhys Davies, 40, has been a Wrexham fan all his life, and was a match day mascot for a game against Burnley when he was eight.
“Things have changed a lot since then. We’re in the fifth tier National League while Burnley are in the Premier League.
“I think the last 12-13 years have been very difficult for most fans and the club alike, but we have an incredible fan base and the club has the potential to be even bigger because Wrexham is a proper football town.
“When I heard about Ryan Reynolds being involved it seemed a bit far fetched. All of a sudden my partner wants to be a Wrexham fan.”
Fans of football and the actors are hoping they will attend matches at the club’s Racecourse Ground.
Production support worker Martin Bodden said: “This is just what Wrexham needed. We’ve got the investment now to go to the next level.
“Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have done their research on the club and on the area and the fan base is definitely there.
“The level they can go to is Championship minimum, but hopefully we can reach the Premiership.”
More than 98 per cent of the club’s supporters’ trust voted for the Hollywood takeover.
Carole Williams, a director at the sponsors, said she was delighted by the result of the vote – and their fame by association.
“We were totally blown away and humbled. Not unexpectedly, it was done in a funny and totally original way. It was just incredible.
“But make no mistake, Ryan and Rob are not taking their responsibilities lightly. They are utterly serious about revitalising the club and transforming it into a global force – but without forgetting its roots.
“Ryan and Rob have certainly got off on the right foot. Like all the other fans we’re dreaming of a happy Hollywood ending.”
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Mainz 0
RB Leipzig 5 (Werner 11', 48', 75', Poulsen 23', Sabitzer 36')
Man of the Match: Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)
The specs: Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 563hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 850Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 15L / 100km
In the Restaurant: Society in Four Courses
Christoph Ribbat
Translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli
Pushkin Press
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Who is Tim-Berners Lee?
Sir Tim Berners-Lee was born in London in a household of mathematicians and computer scientists. Both his mother, Mary Lee, and father, Conway, were early computer scientists who worked on the Ferranti 1 - the world's first commercially-available, general purpose digital computer. Sir Tim studied Physics at the University of Oxford and held a series of roles developing code and building software before moving to Switzerland to work for Cern, the European Particle Physics laboratory. He developed the worldwide web code as a side project in 1989 as a global information-sharing system. After releasing the first web code in 1991, Cern made it open and free for all to use. Sir Tim now campaigns for initiatives to make sure the web remains open and accessible to all.
Which products are to be taxed?
To be taxed:
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Disposing of non-recycleable masks
Use your ‘black bag’ bin at home
Do not put them in a recycling bin
Take them home with you if there is no litter bin
- No need to bag the mask
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
