“Welcome to Wrexham:” Inside the Team’s Historic Third Promotion

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, ANCHOR: Now, to the rise of Wrexham AFC. Four years ago, Hollywood Stars, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElheny decided to buy a struggling football team in a small town in North Wales. It was their mission to make the 160- year-old club flourish again, and it’s been climbing up the league rankings ever since. You can watch their success behind the scenes in the docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham.” For more on this remarkable story, the club’s executive director Humphrey Ker and Goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo joined Hari Sreenivasan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARI SREENIVASAN, CORRESPONDENT: Bianna, thanks. Humphrey Ker, who is the executive director of the Wrexham Football Club, as well as executive producer of the show, “Welcome to Wrexham.” And Arthur Okonkwo, the starting goalkeeper for the actual team. Thank you both for joining us. And for our fans, fair warning, we might discuss some spoilers. So, if you want to know what happens to the team along with the show, be warned. And so, Humphrey, this a story about a football club really in the middle of Wales, but also a town and so much more. You’ve kind of been there with Rob McElhaney and Ryan Reynolds, these two big Hollywood stars as they take over the team a couple of years ago. You’ve been there kind of from the beginning. How did this come together? Did they say, you know what, we knew this guy. He’s kind of English. Maybe he’d want to work on this football club with us?

HUMPHREY KER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, “WELCOME TO WREXHAM” AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WAFC: I mean, basically, yes. Yes, I had an English passport. I could travel internationally during lockdown. That was one of the of the — my many qualifications. Yes. I worked for Rob as a writer on his Apple TV show, “Mythic Quest,” and was a big football fan and kind of got teased by him a lot for being a football fan. He was very, if I may say this, very American about it and was like, come on, there’s not enough points. Nothing ever happens. You know, he was a big American football and basketball fan. He wanted more end-to-end action. I think. But I won him over, slowly but surely. And at the start of lockdown in 2020, he — I made him watch a documentary called “Sunland ‘Til I Die,” which explains kind of very brilliantly the relationship between fans and football clubs in the U.K., how much joy we take from our football teams, how much pain we suffer because of them, all those things. And then typical Rob, slightly crazy fashion, he was like, we should do this. We should buy a soccer team and turn it into a documentary. But whereas “Sunland ‘Til I Die” about a team that is kind of on the decline at that stage, they’ve since recovered, thankfully, he was like, we should do one about a club on the up. Why don’t we we start at the bottom and see if we can take one all the way to the top? And so far, so good.

SREENIVASAN: How did you guys find Wrexham and say, OK, this going to be an opportunity? Because that talent in like the first season which you’ve watched, is that the town was a little resistant to these Hollywood outsiders coming in and thinking they know what they can do.

KER: Sure. Yes. Well, I mean, Wrexham had a fantastic history, you know, it was a club that historically had played, you know, the second tier of English football. They, you know, played in Europe and had all sorts of extraordinary footballing adventures, third oldest professional club in the world. But yes, Wrexham had hit tough times and we had very unscrupulous owners in the past who’d, you know, really used the football club as a means of enriching themselves rather than being good stewards of it. And so, yes, when we came in, I think probably people were a bit like, why on Earth is the bloke from, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and the man from “Just Friends,” that’s how I think of Ryan, that’s my favorite Ryan Reynolds movie rather than all this recent Marvel stuff. You know, what are they doing here? Are their intentions correct? And, you know, fortunately, I think we were able to kind of allay those concerns early on, because you know it — what’s great is it’s very easy to present yourself as a good owner if you have the intentions of a good owner. You know, it’s hard to pretend to be people who care about the football club and you know, I think Arthur will be able to attest as one of our current players, you know, they are people who really care and they follow every kick of every game and they really — both of them have caught the bug, you know. And it’s — that’s very infectious. I think that’s very — a thing that our fans seeing them and love about them.

SREENIVASAN: So, Arthur, did you, had you watched the kind of first season of this show? Or do you, did you follow it on social? Or are you just a big Deadpool fan? I mean, I’m assuming that, you know, you were kind of, you were lent from this super club named Arsenal, for people who don’t know. And to, did you have to kind of Google, where is Wrexham when your agent or your manager called about this opportunity?

OKONKWO: Yeah. When my agents did tell me about the opportunity, I did have to search, Where is Wrexham? That’s me being honest, <laugh>. I knew that in the EFL. I think I knew a bit about the club, but I didn’t know how well they were doing. And yeah, obviously the owners are so well known and, you know, when, when they’re calling you and you are, you know, you’re looking at your phone and you’re speaking to them still, it still feels surreal. So yeah, it was, it’s always, it’s all been an interesting, slightly weird journey.

SREENIVASAN: I want to play a clip of Ryan and Rob really talking about the immeasurable kind of good luck that they’ve had and also how this has been such a rollercoaster journey for them.

ROB MCELHENNEY, CO-CHAIRMAN, WREXHAM AFC: We’re so fortunate that we keep getting really, really lucky. Yes, we have an incredible foundation of people that keep putting us into positions where we can get lucky, but we’re getting lucky.

RYAN REYNOLDS, CO-CHAIRMAN, WREXHAM AFC: The one thing we did do that I think we planned for and hoped for was that sort of symbiotic relationship with the community. The feeling in Wrexham and the club, the high tide raising all boats.

MCELHENNEY: There just feels like over the last four years it’s been this rollercoaster of magic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SREENIVASAN: Humphrey, kind of tell me a little bit about the connection and the impact that this club has had before this town before the docuseries got there and sort of after Rob and Ryan and the revamping of what is Wrexham today.

KER: Yes. Well, I mean, Wrexham AFC, the football club, has been really the kind of beating heart of the — of this — the town. You know, this a — as various industries went away, as the coal mining industry went away, the brewing industry went away, you know, we made a lot of steel in Wrexham as well I think at one stage, you know, these jobs disappeared. And the thing that kept everybody together was the football club. But you know, the fortunes of the football club declined over, you know, decades. And we spent 15 years in the National League, which is, for the people of racing, was a source of great shame. You know, I think they, they felt like this thing that they loved had fallen into the doldrums of football. So, then when we came along and injected, OK, yes, finance but probably more importantly, hope in a way into this institution and started getting people to come along back in droves and reclaim something that they had kind of lost in themselves. And then, yes, you know, we did get very lucky in hiring Phil Parkinson, our manager, who, you know, did this extraordinary job of assembling this group of players over the course of a few years who completely reignited the people of Wrexham’s love for the football club and that brought back, you know, hope and aspiration and excitement. And we’ve seen this extraordinary transformation really. Many people told me that when they would go away on business from Wrex, they’d go to London for some business meeting and people say, oh, where are you from? And they say, oh, I’m from near Chester. And now, people say I’m from Wrexham because they’re proud to be from Wrexham. they’re excited, reignited their passion for being from Wrexham. And we’re seeing — you know, young people that used to move away to Manchester, Liverpool, London, they want to stay in Wrexham, they want to be part of something that are bigger than themselves, and we’re so excited to have played even like a small part in that.

SREENIVASAN: Arthur, I had heard rumors and confirmed them or beyond whatever, but that in this process, I’m assuming you had opportunities from other places who’ve watched you on the TV show, watched your performances on the field, and probably offered you more money. Why did you choose to stay with Wrexham?

ARTHUR OKONKWO, GOALKEEPER, WAFC: Yes. You know, there’s a lot of rumors and (INAUDIBLE), potentials when you’re in that situation in the summer. And you know, you sometimes you just have to take a moment and think about what it’s that you really want and what you want to do and what’s the best move for your career. But I knew — I always knew that Wrexham was the right move for me. The fans wanted me back, the players wanted me back, you know, they couldn’t tell me anymore. And I knew it was a place where it’d be a good foundation for me to come back. And like I said before, I’m young. I need a place where I can play and somewhere where I enjoy my football and Wrexham was that for me.

SREENIVASAN: You know Humphrey, the, what’s interesting is, is as you, as people from the outside watch the show, you start to connect with some of the players. And now as you go up into these more competitive levels, what you also see is that as familial as it might be, and as you see, you know, Rob and Ryan’s Instagrams, and you see them palling around with some of these players, they’re kind of also hanging out with people who might not be continuing on with the club because there is pretty hard business side to it that if you want to become more competitive, you have to be buying or, you know, getting players with greater skill levels to be able to, you know, to play and perform.

KER: Really the cruelest irony of this whole thing is that the success that these players deliver for the club creates a huge challenge for them in terms of, in terms of their ability to continue with the club as it goes up through the levels. With Arthur, he’s a young player. He is got unbelievable potential, he’s already a fantastic player. So, you know, he’s someone that, you know, I think has, has a very long future with the club. If he so chooses. If we can hold onto him, you know, if he doesn’t go and get signed by Real Madrid or one of those scumbags. I mean, this summer we said goodbye, we said goodbye to, you know, in particular Steven Fletcher and Mark Howard, who have been, you know, Chomp as he’s known. Mark Howard is someone who’s been with us from the National League, right the way up. He’s had three promotions in a row. Fletcher’s had two promotions with us. And they’re not only fantastic players, but they’re great people. I mean, a huge basis of the success that we’ve enjoyed as a club has been the quality of the, not only the player, but the person that the manager has been able to bring in. And it’s brutal. It’s really, really tough. I mean it’s such a tight knit group. It’s such an incredible dressing room as we call it, locker room, as you think of it in the States. And that character is really the most valuable thing that we’ve been able to unearth. The individual players, you know, great players, great value in terms of transfer fees and wages and all that sort of stuff. But actually the thing that has delivered three successive promotions. That starts with the people, the characters, the personalities. And so, yeah, saying goodbye to those people is very hard. It’s very hard.

SREENIVASAN: So Arthur, ou know, you’ve also — you’ve been in the dressing rooms of, you know, super clubs where there is almost a separate Lamborghini parking lot for these guys who are making millions and millions of dollars, right, versus, you know, the tiny ramp that we see on the show where people are going in and everybody’s giving — asking you for autographs and really like this close to you and there’s no huge security failings.

OKONKWO: Yes. You know, I’ve seen both sides to it. When I was at Arsenal, the season I had with the first team, you’re literally escorted everywhere you go, you don’t see the fans. We have security everywhere. And I think that’s a special thing that’s at Wrexham at the moment. You know, you come in before every game, you sign everyone’s stuff and, you know, you feel good about it. It’s really special to be able to engage with the fans before the game, and that’s something you don’t really get, obviously higher up the levels. And I constantly said, I hope it stays at that, being able to engage with fans as much as you can. It’s always a special feeling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This man’s on fire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What a brilliant stretch by Okonkwo. Slow together.

OKONKWO: Early into the game, dash striker is running through on goal. I come to spread and smother and my hand gets caught in between him and Max. It happened so quickly. Going into halftime, I was thinking maybe I’ve just done a sprain or just a knock. Kev was able to strap up my hand, made a safe second half, and I was really in pain. But I just didn’t want to come off the pitch. I really wanted to stay on, try and help the team as much as I can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SREENIVASAN: There’s a time also, I should say, that you busted your jaw and you looked a little — had a phantom of the opera sort of mask going on for a few games, right.

OKONKWO: Yes.

SREENIVASAN: But I’m wondering what it is about being an athlete that makes you play through, I mean, playing with a broken, actual broken wrist even for two minutes must be excruciating. I mean, are you just bathed in adrenaline? Like what’s going on in your head that keeps you on the field?

OKONKWO: Yes, I think a little bit of it is adrenaline. I think the other part of it just wanting to stay on the pitch and wanting to win the games, wanting the finish the game. I think, you know, for a goalkeeper, the hardest thing goal is coming onto the pitch. So, I know if I come off, you know, Callum Burton or Trump (ph) is going to have come in and I know how that feels. So, part of me also thinks about that and it’s not easy coming into the game cold. But yes, it is very painful. But I’ve done it. I’ve done it last year, broken jaw this year, broken wrist. You’ll get used to it. Just playing and playing.

SREENIVASAN: So, going into this next league, you know, are you — do you have a different diet, you eating more broccoli? You — what kind of new drills are you doing? I mean, because you’ve watched enough of these games, you’ve played against some of these people before. You know the caliber of player and how good they are already. So, how do you prepare for that in increased intensity?

OKONKWO: Yes, just — it’s hard to prepare for a league I’ve never played in before. But the most I can do is obviously increase my training this summer, to make sure I’m physically ready. That’s the most important thing. And then, yes, you know, the manager will have plans in place on how we can achieve big things this season and what we need to do and taking those things on board. I think the biggest thing is adaptation, being able to adapt from league one back to the championship. Because it’s a huge trip. I think, you know, the manager or the players he brings in, the players we have, you know, have full confidence going into next season.

KER: But (INAUDIBLE) I’m going to jump out a lot of cupboards to surprise after. Just throw a tennis ball in his face every now and then, just see what happens.

SREENIVASAN: OK. Now, we know the trick. Got it.

KER: Arthur Okonkwo will catch it.

SREENIVASAN: Yes. So, I wonder, Humphrey, how does the organization adapt? Because you guys are now not anywhere close to the big fish. The type of money that the teams in this league will spend on their players is enormous. A lot of them have played in the Premier League and are just kind of holding their own until they get back up. The — even some of the first teams that you played have multi-billionaire backing. I’m not saying money automatically equals greater quality, I’m just saying that this is — you know, how do you compete?

KER: Look, I mean, it will be a huge challenge. You are right. I mean, there’s — as you say, there are a lot of temporarily embarrassed Premier League teams in there. There are teams that, you know, historically have spent most of their life in the top flight. There’s a lot of international players littered throughout the league. So, yes, you know, it will definitely be a challenge. But we — you know, I was, last season, very kind of — I banged the drum for quite a long time for like, look, 12th place. 12th place is fine. If we get 12th place, we should all be very proud of ourselves. And fortunately, Phil and Arthur and the rest of the lads are not sort of interested in that kind of nonsense. So, you know, this year I’m not going to say that. I’m going to say we’re going to go in and we’re going to, we’re going to give it our best, shoot our shot and all that kind of thing and see where we wind up coming the end of the season. But, yes. I have faith. It’s very difficult after watching three promotions in a row not to have faith in these guys.

SREENIVASAN: Arthur, what about you? I mean, what — how do you brace your brain to it? I mean, are you a kind of a take it one game at a time, guy? Do you have a goal?

OKONKWO: You know, I said the same thing last year, for me, it doesn’t make sense to hope for 10th or 12th, I’m always going to (INAUDIBLE) we’re going to go for promotion. And if we don’t, then that’s what it is. But yes, I think everyone should be positive and we’re going to try and go for it again. Obviously, this year is much more challenging, but it just doesn’t make sense in my mind to think about definition in the middle when there’s so much higher you can aim for.

SREENIVASAN: Arthur Okonkwo, head goalkeeper and Humphrey Ker, executive director of Wrexham AFC, thank you both for joining us.

KER: Thank you.

OKONKWO: Thank you.