Wrexham: Promotion to Premier League is the goal, CEO assures.

Wrexham’s CEO, Michael Williamson, is convinced that the Welsh club can reach the top of the Premier League in the future. As the team prepares to move up from League One to the Championship, Williamson explained that the expansion of the club’s global brand, driven by initiatives such as its tour of Australia and New Zealand, will help to “secure the future” of the club and ensure its permanence in the top category of English football. The Wrexham, owned by Hollywood stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, who acquired the club for just £2 million when it was playing in the fifth division in 2021, made history this season by finishing second in League One, earning them a place in the Championship and achieving consecutive promotions. However, the English second division represents a greater financial and competitive challenge. Wrexham’s average attendance of 12,757 spectators during the 2024-25 season in League One would have been the third lowest in the Championship, where Sunderland led the league with an average attendance of 39,000. In addition, clubs relegated from the Premier League, such as Ipswich, Leicester, and Southampton, will receive “parachute payments” of £39 million. Despite these challenges, few Championship clubs can match the global brand that Wrexham has built since the arrival of its Hollywood owners and the production of the documentary “Welcome to Wrexham”. The club is currently sponsored by United Airlines and, after touring North America in the previous two seasons, will land in Australia this week to play matches against A-League teams such as Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.

Going from League Two to League One was difficult. Now, going from League One to the Championship is a big step. It’s a very big step, a giant step.

Michael Williamson

Williamson emphasized the importance of the significant financial investment involved in competing against clubs recently relegated from the Premier League with substantial “parachute payments”.

More than 50% of Wrexham’s revenue comes from international sources. Pre-season tours and global product distribution, along with the broadcasting of matches on streaming platforms and linear channels worldwide, drive the club’s growth and sustainability. Williamson expressed his confidence that the club will reach the Premier League at some point, but stressed the need to “secure the future” to ensure that the team can stay in the top category and avoid a rapid relegation, as has happened with other clubs. Part of this strategy involves strengthening the connection with the growing global fanbase, beyond the image of its Hollywood owners or the documentary “Welcome to Wrexham”. The goal is to create a solid relationship with the fans at the grassroots level. Williamson, who previously worked for almost five years in Italian football with Inter Milan, acknowledges that the global presence of the documentary “Welcome to Wrexham” will open opportunities to expand in the Asian markets, where football is constantly growing. The documentary will allow the club not only to have a football presence, but also a brand presence through the narrative. Opportunities to expand the brand in Southeast Asia and Asia in general will be explored, especially in Indonesia, which has 280 million potential fans.