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Topics: Ryan Reynolds, Wrexham, Rob McElhenney, EFL Championship
Josh Lawless
Topics: Ryan Reynolds, Wrexham, Rob McElhenney, EFL Championship
Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds came up with a unique proposal that was immediately rejected by manager Phil Parkinson.
The Red Dragons are preparing for a historic season in the Championship, their first in the second tier since 1982, after achieving a third successive promotion.
Wrexham are looking forward to another exciting season and will prepare for the campaign with a pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand - following on from on two consecutive trips to North America and games with the likes of Chelsea, Bournemouth, Manchester United and Vancouver Whitecaps.
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This time around, Wrexham will take on A-League opposition on Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.
The first game kicks off on July 11 at the aptly named Marvel Stadium and concludes with a meeting against Wellington eight days later.
Reynolds pitched for Wrexham to have a fourth game against Auckland FC, who were only established in 2024 and are owned by Bill Foley, who is also in charge of Bournemouth and hockey side the Las Vegas Knights.
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Auckland won the A-League Premiership in their first season and Reynolds was well in favour of a meeting between the two clips until Parkinson put a stop to it.
“I really wanted us to play Auckland FC, which is a new team, and they finished first in their first year,” Reynolds said on the Men in Blazers podcast.
“I just liked the idea of the third-oldest football club playing one of the newest, but Phil was like ‘absolutely not, we’re getting these players back to Wales ASAP after Wellington’."
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The Championship season kicks off the weekend commencing 8 August, meaning it would be a rather quick turnaround for Wrexham.
In 2023, they played a pre-season friendly against Philadelphia Union in 2023 - just a week prior to the start of the League Two season.
The club's pre-season trip will serve as another step in promoting their global brand, with key sponsors Aviation American Gin, Gatorade, Meta Quest, United, Visit Wales and Wrexham Lager all set to be involved.
In a statement earlier this month, the club said fans can expect fast-paced, competitive fixtures and that the addition of the key partners will help "bring the unmistakable spirit of Wrexham to fans across Australia and New Zealand".