Glamorgan excited by potential investment from Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney
The Hollywood duo became co-owners of Wrexham in 2020 and they have been tipped as potential investors in Cardiff-based Hundred side Welsh Fire.
Your 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.Glamorgan have welcomed the “exciting proposition” of Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney branching out into cricket by investing in Welsh Fire.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has handed a 51 per cent holding in each of the eight teams to the host counties and is currently seeking bidders for the remaining 49 per cent stakes.
Reynolds and McElhenney became co-owners of Wrexham in 2020, overseeing the club’s return to the Football League and documenting the journey in the popular Disney+ series ‘Welcome to Wrexham’.
They have been tipped as potential investors in the Cardiff-based Hundred side, which is anticipated to fetch considerably less than the most highly sought-after outfits stationed at Lord’s and the Oval, and any interest from the A-list pairing would appear to be welcome.
Glamorgan chief executive Dan Cherry confirmed that a tentative approach had been initiated in an attempt to determine their interest.
He told ESPN Cricinfo: “It is a feasible option. Contact’s been made. There’s not been anything substantial come back yet, but we’re in the process and I know that they’ll certainly be included in any process that we’ve got going forward.
“All bids and offers that are going to come in are going to be interesting to us, and we’re going to have to evaluate what the best bid is for us.
“There’s obvious interest in what Ryan Reynolds and the guys have done at Wrexham, which has been fantastic for football in North Wales. That doesn’t necessarily mean to say that it’ll be the right option for us, but if they’re interested in talking to us, obviously it’s an exciting proposition.
Contact's been made. There's not been anything substantial come back yet, but we're in the process and I know that they'll certainly be included in any process that we've got going forward.
“We want to make the right decision for the club and the game: we want to find the right partner, the right investor that’s going to improve what we do and support us along the journey – not take over.
“We are keen to build a partnership where people can add value to us as a club, whether it be on the cricket side, around players and coaches and sharing academies, or more on the commercial side. We’re looking for a true partner that can add value – not looking to lose control and sell our soul, as some people would have it.”
Prospectuses have been sent to interested parties, believed to include affiliates of all 10 Indian Premier League franchises, sovereign wealth funds and private equity groups.
The ECB’s director of business operations, Vikram Banerjee, said this month the process had attracted a “diverse mix of investors globally” and that the sale represented “the most significant private investment opportunity in the history of cricket in our country”.