Wrexham’s FA Cup replay on Tuesday will be broadcast live for viewers in the United States of America.
Following Saturday’s exciting draw at Blyth Spartans, Wrexham’s FA Cup fourth qualifying round replay airs live Tuesday on ESPN+ at 2:45pm ET. Therefore, viewers from across the United States can watch Wrexham AFC play in front of their fans at the Racecourse Ground. Consequently, it is a stadium that viewers of the hit series Welcome to Wrexham already know very well.
Wrexham’s FA Cup replay another bonus for ESPN
Saturday’s draw between the Blyth Spartans and Wrexham on ESPN2 was for viewers in the United States. It was the first FA Cup qualifying round match to be broadcast on American television.
Surprisingly, ESPN hired its own team of talent to call the game and provide pre-, half-time and post-game analysis. With commentators Guy Mowbray and Alan Smith calling the game exclusively for the US audience, they were helped along by on-field talent with host Angus Scott. He was joined by analysts Steve Watson and Hal Robson-Kanu.
The late draw by the Blyth Spartans meant a replay was needed to determine a winner. However, Monday’s FA Cup draw for the first round will reveal who plays the winner of Wrexham-Blyth in the next round. A win for Wrexham against Blyth certainly improves his chances of appearing on ESPN again.
The Wrexham connection to ESPN
ESPN’s connection with Wrexham AFC is a marketing dream that helps both companies promote each other.
First, there’s the series Welcome to Wrexham on Hulu (season 2 was greenlit), which is available as part of the Disney bundle. Second, Welcome to Wrexham is broadcast in Europe on Disney+. Third, viewers are drawn to Wrexham games on ESPN+ due to the popularity of Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Fourth and last, ESPN+ promotes many of its other football shows during Wrexham games. For example, Saturday’s Blyth-Wrexham match promoted El Clasico as well as the DFB-Pokal Cup.
However, the most important thing is the narrative aspect. Welcome to Wrexham has done an amazing job of telling us the stories of the players, staff, volunteers and fans involved with the club. And they have done it in such an endearing way. We feel sorry for the Wrexham community. At the same time, the series has also helped us feel part of the community.
May that continue for a long time.
Photo Credit: IMAGO/Pro Sports Images
