Wrexham AFC, a Welsh club in the fifth tier of the English league system, has leapt into the consciousness of the football world in the past two years. To help tell their story, we spoke to a football commentator (and lifelong Wrexham supporter) to find out more about the history of Wrexham AFC.
After being purchased by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in late 2020, curious fans around the world have been keeping an eye on the National League team.
In 2022, the documentary series Welcome to Wrexham premiered on FX to critical acclaim, winning even more fans for the club. Now they have boosted that profile even further with a deep run in the FA Cup.
But the history of Wrexham AFC goes beyond the recent spotlight. It is a club rich in tradition. A story full of triumphs, anguish and struggles. It’s a big part of the reason why the club has endeared itself to so many people.
Early days of Wrexham AFC history
Wrexham AFC have been around long before they became a household name. The club was founded in 1864 in the Turf Hotel, the pub that still stands right next to the stadium. That makes them the third oldest professional soccer team in the world. Their stadium, the Racecourse Ground, is the oldest international football stadium on the planet still in use for international games.
The club won the inaugural Welsh Cup in 1878 (they would win it again in 1883). The year 1883 was the first time they had also competed in the FA Cup.
Recommended display option:
Watch Wrexham in the FA Cup
Also includes: Bundesliga, La Liga and more
Register
life in the football league
After spending its first five decades in competitions such as the Combination League, Welsh League and the Birmingham and District League, Wrexham were elected to the Football League Third Division North in 1921. They would remain at that level for the better part of the next half-century, before spending most of the 1960s on the fourth level.
A memorable moment from this stretch was their 1957 FA Cup match against the “Busby Babes” of Manchester United. United thrashed Wrexham 5–0, but it was a crowd of almost 35,000 at the Hippodrome, which is still a club record.
The return to normal form in the 1970s was capped by their first promotion to the second division in 1978. They would spend four seasons in Division Two (their highest position) before returning to the fourth tier for much of the decade. from 1980.
Wrexham would finish bottom of the Football League in 1991, but thanks to that year’s reorganization of the leagues they were saved from relegation.
The following season brought one of the most remarkable moments in the club’s history. On 4 January 1992, Wrexham faced reigning First Division champions Arsenal, handing them a shock 2-0 defeat in the FA Cup third round.
Leeds United TV commentator Bryn Law is a lifelong Wrexham fan. He was there when Wrexham beat Arsenal.
“I was at the end of the Kop behind the goal for that game,” Law recalled. “That was brilliant because at the time we were in the Football League, we were at the highest level. We weren’t very good, but we were on it. That was a brilliant day.”
The 21st century has not been kind so far
At the turn of the millennium, Wrexham supporters found themselves at odds with the club’s chairman. Alex Hamilton acquired the team, but also the Racecourse Ground through a separate company, and was trying to evict the club so he could redevelop the ground. While Hamilton’s shady deals were shut down in court and he was eventually ousted as president, the difficulties did not end there.
The 2008-09 season saw the Red Dragons relegated to the Conference (now the National League), the fifth tier, where Wrexham remains today. And again the club was sold in 2011, but this time to the Wrexham Supporters’ Trust. A group of community members committed to the club, the Trust kept things alive for the past decade, until 2020 when, well, chances are you’ll know the story from there.
Reynolds and McElhenney bought the club in the autumn of 2020 and have since embarked on improvements to the Racecourse Ground (including regaining control of the club). In addition, they have brought in new manager Phil Parkinson and new players on a quest to return to the Football League and, perhaps one day, the Premier League.
That, according to Law, is essential for the club. The FA Cup race is simply a bonus.
“FA Cup games are great,” Law said. “Now, however, there is only one priority for Wrexham.
“The FA Cup stuff is a glorious distraction, but it’s not more than that. The only objective this year is for the football club to have to go up”.
In fact, Law says that’s where all the pressure comes from for the club. The monetary benefit of television rights deals and sponsorships with the Football League is immense. As a lifelong fan, he doesn’t get stressed by watching FA Cup games, but league games do have that effect.
Americans are making pilgrimages to North Wales
With what appears to be a financially stable and committed estate and a new fan base around the world buoyed by a popular TV series, things are looking up in North Wales.
Law added that every time he goes to a Wrexham game, he meets new fans. For example, he met a whole group of Canadian fans who came to watch a game and plan to do it again. He once was in the Wrexham Club Shop and saw people with suitcases. They were in the UK to watch the Manchester Derby but had to pay tribute to the Racecourse Ground.
“There’s kind of a pilgrimage element going on right now,” Law said. “People put [Wrexham] on their itineraries, even if they can’t get tickets. Wrexham will have to start thinking about how to accommodate all these visitors.”
Near misses in recent promotion campaigns and solid form so far in 2022-23 make a return to the Football League seem inevitable.
But whether or not Wrexham AFC is promoted, the club is sure to make more history in the years to come.
