Wrexham AFC has seen a boom in attention since Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought the club in late 2020. The FX docuseries Welcome to Wrexham also helped bring the history of the relatively small Welsh team to light. Despite currently playing in the fifth tier of English soccer, Wrexham’s games have essentially become a must-see for many soccer fans in the United States.
The popularity at Wrexham, thanks to a Cinderella FA Cup run, encouraged ESPN to broadcast Wrexham’s final game on ESPN2. The game was a repeat of the fourth round at the tournament on Tuesday. While the Welsh team were knocked out of the competition, many fans tuned in. In fact, the game averaged 139,000 viewers over the 90 minutes on ESPN2.
This figure does not include ESPN+ users. The streaming service is usually a go-to for sports fans during weekday work hours. Combining the two ways of watching the game, the audience would be in the same ball park as other soccer leagues. This would include Major League Soccer, Germany’s Bundesliga, as well as USWNT friendlies. It’s also worth remembering that the Wrexham game was played on a Tuesday at 3pm ET. That is not the ideal time for the audience in the United States.
Sports Network reports strong interest in Wrexham match
Sheffield United-Wrexham was the most followed soccer match on the ESPN website between February 1 and 7, according to an ESPN spokesperson. Other matches played during this time period include major matchups: Chelsea vs Fulham, Arsenal vs Everton, Manchester United vs Crystal Palace, and Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City. By football game content, ESPN refers to its scores, game broadcasts, and other forms of media on the website.
In fact, Tuesday’s match between Sheffield United and Wrexham was the fourth most followed soccer match on the ESPN app. Only Barcelona vs Sevilla, Betis vs Barcelona and Tottenham vs Manchester City managed to beat Wrexham.
Welcome to Wrexham streams stay high during the autumn months
Along with the actual games, the aforementioned Welcome to Wrexham docuseries have certainly helped fuel this craze. According to Reelgood, the series experienced 79 times more views and interactions last August compared to the average show on Hulu during this time period.
Wrexham’s show even held its own in viewing figures for months after its launch. In fact, from August through November, Welcome to Wrexham always had at least 10 times more views and interactions than the average TV show on Hulu.
FA Cup, documentary and hit launch Wrexham’s popularity
Wrexham have also revealed statistics on how much the club has grown since taking over new ownership. The club claims that its official Twitter account has gone from 79,589 followers in February 2021 to 367,665 now. His Instagram follower count has skyrocketed from 41,000 two years ago to 434,316 today.
The team’s jerseys have been sold out for much of the current campaign. Wrexham have reported that they have sold a whopping 24,000 shirts during the season. In October it was revealed that Wrexham shirts were being resold at exorbitant prices.
While they have been knocked out of the FA Cup, promotion to League Two is obviously Wrexham’s goal. They are currently second in the National League, three points behind league-leading Notts County. However, Wrexham have played two games less than the leaders. Fans can stream National League games by visiting the club’s website or by joining National League TV.
PHOTO: IMAGO/PA Images
