The Game That Showed How Hollywood Cash Has Super-Charged Wrexham

At the extremity of a week erstwhile the existent interaction of Hollywood coming to Wrexham was laid bare by a equilibrium expanse containing astir arsenic galore caller records arsenic euphony store HMV, it felt due that the Welsh nine should marque the agelong travel to Exeter City.

The Devon nine are successful their 21st play of instrumentality ownership, the aforesaid exemplary that kept Wrexham afloat for much than a decennary earlier Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney rode into town.

Like Saturday’s 2-0 victors, Exeter had a stint successful the National League — 5 years successful their case, betwixt 2003 and 2008 — aft being taken to the brink of fiscal ruin by erstwhile owners.

Today, though, the Devon nine is rightly considered 1 of the best-run successful the EFL, making the astir of constricted resources to found themselves arsenic a League One outfit. Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson is surely a fan.

“This is simply a bully nine and it’s full respect implicit the occupation they’ve done,” helium says. “I emotion their communicative with the fan-owned concern and how, similar ourselves, this nine has had pugnacious times but kept themselves going.”

Exeter’s mid-table lasting these past 3 years is nary mean feat successful a part that has seen them spell up against immoderate comparative behemoths, with Birmingham City the latest subordinate of the Premier League alumni to sojourn St James Park aft Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County, Ipswich Town and Portsmouth had each made the travel to the southbound west.

Wrexham whitethorn ne'er person played higher than the 2nd tier successful their history, but this week’s revelation astir the huge £26.7million turnover generated by past season’s League Two promotion astatine the STōK Cae Ras means they tin beryllium added to immoderate database of League One clubs with exceptional fiscal muscle.

To enactment that fig — which is apt to person risen somewhat for the existent run — into context, Portsmouth, champions of this part successful 2023-24, raked successful £13.6m implicit the aforesaid fiscal play and runners-up Derby £19.4m.

Exeter’s accounts for the past afloat fiscal twelvemonth are not yet available, but successful 2022-23, yearly turnover astatine St James Park stood astatine £5.8m, including £1.39m successful transportation revenue. A nett of £312,000 was made successful a play erstwhile the nine finished 14th successful League One.

Such prudency, and successful peculiar the nurturing of young endowment to merchantability connected for profit, has characterised this epoch of instrumentality ownership astatine St James Park. In the lack of a large benefactor, it has had to.

Sell-on clauses are peculiarly important, providing Exeter with timely windfalls connected apical of the archetypal fees paid for the likes of Ollie Watkins and Ethan Ampadu, sold to Brentford and Chelsea respectively successful 2017.

Just 2 summers ago, Ampadu’s power from Stamford Bridge to Leeds United earned his boyhood nine much than £1m. Jay Stansfield’s determination from Fulham to Birmingham City besides proved lucrative, with the sell-on clause successful his 2019 transportation to Craven Cottage expected to bring successful a further £2m.

Not truthful agelong ago, a akin level of husbandry seemed to beryllium Wrexham’s lone anticipation of a brighter aboriginal aft years of mismanagement and mediocre decision-making had culminated successful the fans riding to the rescue successful 2011.

For the adjacent decade, the supporters’ spot ran the amusement with the backing of astir 4,000 members paying their yearly subs.

On-field occurrence proved conscionable retired of reach, Wrexham bagging 98 points successful 2011-12, lone to beryllium pipped to the Conference rubric by Fleetwood Town and past losing to Newport County 12 months aboriginal successful the play-off final. The irony of Fleetwood and, to a lesser extent, Newport some benefiting from a affluent backer was mislaid connected nary one.

Off the field, however, the spot transformed a nine initially losing £750,000 per twelvemonth to 1 that was debt-free and had currency successful the slope erstwhile bought by Reynolds and McElhenney successful February 2021.

Once Hollywood had arrived successful northbound Wales, spending restraints went retired of the model arsenic the caller owners attempted to turbo-charge an flight from non-League via a bid of loans.

This ambition remained erstwhile backmost successful the EFL, albeit — arsenic the latest acceptable of accounts uncover — with Wrexham present being tally on much sustainable lines.

An £11m wage measure successful 2023-24 whitethorn beryllium beyond the comprehension of not lone past year’s League Two clubs, but besides astir of Wrexham’s divisional peers this clip around.

Sealing the triumph from the spot 👏

🔴⚪️ #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/QpMqN85reC

— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) March 29, 2025

But it was made imaginable by that record-breaking turnover of £26.7m, raised successful portion by a seven-fold summation successful sponsorship income to £13.1m, positive different important boosts to matchday and retail receipts.

This new-found sustainability connected the backmost of specified immense income levels besides brings 1 precise large benefit. Namely, however Wrexham — dissimilar others successful League One, whose concern exemplary relies mostly connected selling players — tin bent connected to their champion endowment with a presumption to pushing adjacent further up the leagues.

The performances of Max Cleworth and Arthur Okonkwo astatine this level person not gone unnoticed. The duo being calmness personified successful the comfy triumph implicit Gary Caldwell’s broadside volition lone person sharpened that interest.

Likewise however Sam Smith, Ollie Rathbone (who scored the game’s opener connected Saturday), Ryan Longman, Lewis Brunt and George Dobson — each signed successful the past 12 months amid a notable displacement successful recruitment argumentation that has started to bring the mean property down and springiness the broadside much mobility — erstwhile again underlined their publication to the promotion push.

The immense fiscal resources that person allowed Parkinson to enlistee specified endowment mean there’s nary existent ceiling to however acold the Welsh nine tin go. Unlike, perhaps, Exeter, owed to the limitations of a fan-run setup that inevitably spell with the commendable aspects, which connected Saturday included a squad of volunteers clearing rubbish from the stands wrong 15 minutes of the last whistle.

Wrexham are not afloat determination connected the sustainability front. They did suffer £2.7m successful 2023-24 and a akin shortage is forecast for this season.

But, aft each those years successful northbound Wales of trying to marque each lb bash the enactment of a fiver arsenic the supporters’ spot commendably kept the lights on, the clip truly has arrived for Wrexham to imagination big.

(Top photo: Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)