Wrecsam: From Welsh football mecca to global brand
IF you’re left wanting more after bingeing through Welcome to Wrexham, there is good news – another Wrexham documentary series will be hitting the screen very soon.
S4C has a behind-the-scenes documentary series of its own which recounts the story of Wrexham’s stunning takeover by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, through the eyes of the fans and the people of Wrexham.
In a new three-part series which starts on Wednesday 12 October, Wrecsam…Clwb Ni! (Our Club!) will look at the impact of the takeover on the club, the town and the community. The series will bring the story from both sides of the Atlantic, hearing from Rob, Ryan and those close to them. We will also hear from some of the players and staff during one of the most momentous seasons in the club’s 156-year history.
And with the club’s famed support outnumbering that of most teams below the Premier League, most importantly, we’ll meet some of the loyal supporters who have stood by the club through thick and thin.
Rob McElhenney, who is best known for creating and starring in the hit sitcom series, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, told Wrecsam…Clwb Ni!:
“We were looking for people with whom we could identify. People that we grew up with. And I look around at the faces of the people of Wrexham; they’re my uncles and my aunts, and my cousins, brothers, sisters and the people I grew up with. A working class community, Philadelphia is certainly like that. They work hard and they expect the teams they support to give everything they can.”
Although he and Ryan admitted to knowing little about football, Wales or Wrexham before buying the club, their passion won fans over during a trans-Atlantic Zoom call to persuade the supporters to entrust the club to them.
He added: “On Zoom, it’s just a camera pointed right at you, and you can’t see them so you can’t see how they’re reacting. It was really terrifying. I remember talking to Ryan after it was over and he was dripping with sweat. He was so sweaty and I was like, ‘bud, what’s going on?’ and he was like, ‘I was so nervous’. I don’t know that I’d seen him nervous before, at least not like that. To me, it just showed that he cared as much as I did.”
One of the lifelong Wrexham supporters we meet in the series is Lili Jones, who at the tender age of 16, also plays for the club’s women’s team and the Wales Under 17s side.
She said: “They [Rob and Ryan] actually want to be part of the Wrexham community, and that’s incredible to us, and it actually brings an even bigger feeling of togetherness in our community.”
Watch Wrecsam…Clwb Ni! (Our Club!) at 9.00pm on Wednesday 12 October on S4C, and on demand on S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer. English subtitles available.
