Founded in 1864, Wrexham A.F.C. is the third oldest professional association football (soccer) club in the world. Though based in Wrexham, Wales the club plays in the much more competitive - and financially demanding - English leagues.
During the 1960s and 1970s Wrexham enjoyed considerable success. But following a series of poor seasons on the field, and financial difficulties in the back office, the club tumbled from the second tier of English football to the fifth; putting it outside the fully professional bounds of the "Football League". In English soccer, you see, as in many association football leagues around the world, there are not just many levels of competition, but clubs that succeed or fail move up or down in those levels. Moving up means more prestige, more money and more pressure. Going down means less prestige, less money ... and perhaps even more pressure!
And then, in September 2020, Hollywood actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds announced their intention to buy the club.
Welcome to Wrexham is the tale of that unlikely purchase, and of the even more unlikely love story between two Hollywood outsiders and the passionate local community that has supported the club for over 150 years. It charts the duo's initial acquisition of the club, the completion of the 2020/21 season, and their investments toward seeing Wrexham A.F.C. promoted out of the fifth tier of English football and into the fourth; a promotion challenge commonly considered the most difficult in the English system.
In the process, the show explores Welsh identity, the community of Wrexham itself, the lives of the club's fans and personnel, and the vicissitudes of fate both on and off the pitch. While in the process I felt it sometimes lays on the efforts at humour a little too thick, it's mostly a very engaging and seemingly authentic depiction of events, and does a good job of giving you an insight into the thoughts and lives of the people involved.
I also appreciated that that show frankly addressed the problem of football hooliganism and the security issues when holding matches. This is not at all a positive aspect of the game, and the show does not shy away from that fact.
If you actively dislike sports (particularly soccer) Welcome to Wrexham is probably not going to change your mind, but for anyone with even a neutral attitude to the game, it's an entertaining and engaging watch. You may well find yourself becoming strongly invested in the fortunes of the club. Particularly since this is all real: however 'fairy tale' the idea of two famous actors buying a struggling club might be, this is the real world, and football is a cruel game. A triumphant finish cannot be guaranteed.
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