I was fortunate to have the opportunity to talk with Lesley Griffiths focusing on my research related to the interrelationship of sports and community, and in particular this interrelationship between the City of Wrexham and their now internationally famous football team, Wrexham AFC. The goal was to learn more about the Gateway Project that will make many improvements including the City of Wrexham and Wrexham AFC. The conversation provided me with additional insight into the amazing impact that started with the purchase of Wrexham AFC by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny.
The name Lesley Griffiths came up several times in conversations with individuals I connected with from the City of Wrexham. Lesley Griffiths is the Member of the Senedd for Wrexham. She is a Welsh Labour politician and is also a member of the Welsh Government. Lesley was first elected in 2007 and has held several ministerial positions since 2009. She is currently the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd and has held this post since her latest re-election in 2021. She was a key player and instrumental in gaining approval for the £25million ($31m) grant from the Welsh Government. I would consider her as one of the behind-the-scenes heroes, who is helping her Wrexham constituency in many ways, along with the needs of Wales more generally. Here is a little more information on the Gateway Project where the funds she helped obtain will be used.
“The aim of the gateway project is to develop one of the most important corridors into the city, the area around Mold Road, with upgrades to transport links coming alongside improvements that will help to drive further investment. Rail, bus, and car links are to be upgraded, as well as new office, hotel, and conference spaces being introduced. Wrexham AFC’s Racecourse Ground is also to be developed as part of the plans, following investment from its famous new ownership that has seen the club and city propelled into global news.” Source
Lesley began the conversation emphasizing the importance of understanding the history of Wrexham and Wrexham AFC. It is a history of triumph and challenges as the team rose within the ranks of the EFL, and eventually was relegated back to the National League in 2008. There were the glory years (1968 – 1982), even making it to the FA Cup in the 1976-79 seasons and playing the greats such as Tottenham Hotspur. The team nearly ceased to exist in the following years of financial decline and an owner nearly bankrupted the team. It was a dark time for both the City of Wrexham and Wrexham AFC causing a lot of skepticism initially when the news came that their football team was being acquired.
In 2008 it was described that most of the citizens of Wrexham were aware of their football team and stayed up to date, but it was only a smaller segment that was actively involved and engaged with the team. The famous Racecourse Stadium (world’s oldest international football stadium since 1877) attracted approximately 3,500 fans then, when capacity was 10,000. Another measure of this time was that few children wore Wrexham AFC jerseys, and instead donned the gear of their favorite Premier League team. In other words, it is similar tolike what we find with minor league teams here in the US.
Zooming ahead this all changed dramatically when Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney (Ryan and Rob) acquired Wrexham AFC in November 2020.The documentary “Welcome to Wrexham” does an excellent job of sharing this story. Many, including myself, were impressed with the true-hearted approach that Ryan and Rob took once they learned how important Wrexham AFC was to the City of Wrexham, and vice versa. Although it was one of many acquisitions for Ryan, a very successful businessman, where profit is a major motivation, Ryan and Rob spent a lot of time ensuring the citizens of Wrexham that they had their interest at heart. These comments were met with skepticism at first, until the fans witnessed the passion both had when attending and watching the games, along with their interest in the community demonstrated by spending an inordinate amount of the time demonstrating MBWA (management by wandering around), where they listened intently to the citizens and fans. The acquisition of Paul Mullin and replacing the turf demonstrated their willingness to put their money where their mouth is.
Today, Ryan and Rob have secured investments and cash flow for Wrexham AFC, along with providing financial support to various City of Wrexham functions. However, more substantial investment is needed to ensure that there is the capability to attract international games in North Wales, along with providing additional capacity for the growing international interest in travelling to Wrexham and attending a game. At this point, season tickets alone will meet the capacity of The Racecourse Stadium. The Kop, which used to exist years ago, needs to be rebuilt to provide some of the additional capacity for their growing fan base.
The Gateway Project will assist with this. It is worth noting that although funds were requested from the UK Parliament, it was only the Welsh Parliament that ended up providing the funds. It was justified since there was a need to increase capacity at the Racecourse Stadium for international games along with the growing demand for Wrexham AFC tickets. All of Wales will benefit from this investment.
What’s in this for Wrexham? The impact on Wrexham will provide new jobs for the stadium, team, and growth in tourism. This will bring new prosperity to the region and City. There is also a rebirth of excitement and involvement by virtually everyone in the City of Wrexham, which was evident in the parade celebrating Wrexham AFC’s promotion. There is hope in the air, which was generated by Ryan and Rob’s acquisition, but more so, commitment to the community of the City of Wrexham. This resulted in a strong bond of trust between this community and their new owners.
However, this trust and commitment will need to be sustained. There will no doubt be challenges that come with progress and success. Already noted is the inability to get tickets by the City of Wrexham inhabitants, along with the increased prices everyone will have to pay, including the local citizens. One must understand the economics of this region. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross Value Added in Wales has increased since 1999, although remains lower than the UK average. The Gross Disposable Income per head is approximately £17,500, which is 82% of the UK average. The growth in prosperity overall for Wrexham since the acquisition of Wrexham AFC was surely received with open arms and may very well continue to improve the economic situation of Wrexham and Wales.
The interrelationship between Wrexham AFC and the City of Wrexham is clear. As Wrexham AFC improves its stature within the EFL and continues to be promoted, this will continue to have a positive impact on the City of Wrexham in terms of economics, growth, pride, jobs, happiness, and more. The two-go-hand-in-hand.However, the growth of prosperity can also produce new challenges. One is to ensure that the local citizens’ basic needs are being met and that they share in this new prosperity so to preclude more separation of the haves and have-nots. Second, is that they can afford attending the games and merchandise that will no doubt increase in price as demand growth internationally. Third, is that the local culture remains intact when there may be pressure to modernize which can lose the luster, charm, and history of the City of Wrexham. It will require a delicate balance between profits and community. We have seen this in the US where sports have become big business. Teams, and players, no longer demonstrate loyalty as they take up and move to secure more profits. Wrexham AFC must also find ways to proactively promote tourism across the region since they are a major stimulus for international guests to arrive in the region.
It is also important to grow and nurture the community of international Wrexham AFC fans who will play a key part in prosperity for Wrexham and Wrexham AFC. In addition to cheering on Wrexham AFC, they can also learn how to support, donate, and even participate in activities to help the Women’s Soccer Team, community events, fund raisers, and acquiring products made or for sale in Wrexham. Wrexham AFC will also need to understand the needs and wants of their global fans and ensure systems are set up to accommodate these. This will include merchandise, access to view the games across the globe, support for international fan clubs, and use of social media to stay connected.
In summary, what I learned from my conversation with Lesley is that there is a new birth of optimism across the region and that many efforts are underway to sustain this optimism by growing the prosperity of the region. The Gateway Project is a great example of this collaboration between government and communities. Ryan and Rob have established a strong bond of trust and commitment, overcoming a lot of early skepticism, so efforts on their part will also need to be maintained and nurtured. The story of Wrexham and Wrexham AFC will be watched by many to understand a recipe for building and maintaining a strong interrelationship between sport and community.
Lesley Griffiths deserves a loud round of applause and recognition for her continued efforts to improve the economics and prosperity of the region, along with the recent win with the Gateway Project. She is characteristic of the interrelationship of sports, local community, and government. What an amazing example for the rest of the world to view and consider. Yet one must be aware of the many ingredients that were needed to make this recipe for the acquisition of Wrexham AFC successful, AND ensure that that the recipe continues, keeping the basics in place, to ensure a win-win-win for everyone.
As we watch and learn, hearing the stories of the history of Wrexham, along with the history being made, I hope you find a way to connect to this amazing community of people, like Lesley Griffiths, who are doing everything possible to keep this dream going.
Michael McGinnis
gowrexham.com @gowrexhamfc gowrexhamfc@gmail.com
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