On the brink: The scenario facing Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham
The champagne is on ice for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney
On the brink: The scenario facing Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham
Show all 3Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The champagne is on ice for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Soccer is the new love of the Hollywood celebrities and there's a big day in store for the Welsh club they bought unexpectedly in 2021.
Wrexham, which has been thrust into the spotlight because of its famous owners, could seal promotion from the fifth tier of the English game on Saturday. It would mark the realization of the first part of their dream of ultimately getting Wrexham all the way up to the Premier League, the world's most popular soccer league.
A look at the scenario facing Wrexham and what the team can look forward to:
WHAT'S THE SITUATION?
It's simple: Wrexham has a four-point lead over Notts County in the National League and needs three points from its final two matches to guarantee promotion to League Two, which is the fourth tier of the English soccer pyramid. Its first shot comes against Boreham Wood at home on Saturday. There is only one automatic promotion place in the National League, with another spot coming from the playoffs, in which Wrexham lost last season.
WHO'S IN LEAGUE TWO?
By gaining promotion to the 24-team League Two, Wrexham would be playing in the same division as Salford, the Manchester-based club owned by five members of Manchester United’s Class of 92 — Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt. In 2009, the league had star power in the form of Notts County, which briefly came under ownership of a consortium from the Middle East that brought in Sven Goran Eriksson as director of football and former England defender Sol Campbell as a player.
IS THERE A TV DEAL?
Sky, the British broadcaster owned by Comcast, has a deal with the English Football League — the three divisions below the Premier League — worth around $150 million per season through 2024. The vast majority of live matches are in the second-tier Championship.
IS THERE A CASH BOOST?
In League Two, each club receives around $1 million per season, half of which comes from a “solidarity payment” from the Premier League. Since Reynolds and McElhenney came on board, Wrexham has typically had home attendances approaching 10,000 per match, which would be one of the highest in League Two.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.