Why Wrexham are in Australia for pre-season

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Wrexham CEO Michael Williamson has made a startling revelation astir the club’s determination to pitchy down nether to Australia for their pre-season tour.

The Dragons made it back-to-back-to-back promotions nether owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney past play arsenic they finished 2nd to runaway leaders Birmingham successful League One. Promotion to the Championship means Wrexham volition play successful the 2nd tier of English shot for the archetypal clip successful implicit 40 years.

Their ascent up the English shot ladder has drawn wide adulation, with a Disney+ docuseries outlining their occurrence nether the Hollywood A-listers.

Welcome to Wrexham is present acceptable for a 5th play arsenic the nine propulsion for promotion to the Premier League. And their circuit down nether is akin to their ‘Wrex Coast Tour: 2024’ arsenic they played Chelsea, Bournemouth and Vancouver Whitecaps successful the States.

Their summertime circuit volition spot Wrexham instrumentality connected Melbourne Victory connected Friday (11 July), pursuing that up with meetings with Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix earlier they instrumentality to Wales to decorativeness their pre-season preparations.

And in an interrogation with ESPN, Williamson has discussed the Australia trip, and however these sorts of tours are captious for gathering and maintaining planetary fanbases.

“But implicit 50% of our revenues are from planetary sources. So having these types of preseasons but ultimately, conscionable being capable to link and prosecute with our fans done planetary organisation of merchandising, being capable to beryllium disposable for our matches connected streaming and linear channels worldwide. All of that drives that continued maturation and sustainability, due to the fact that that’s truly what this is about,” Williamson said.

“I person nary uncertainty we tin get astatine Premier League astatine immoderate point, but what I privation to marque definite is that we’re future-proofing, truthful that erstwhile we get there, we’re capable to enactment there, and that we don’t conscionable travel falling, crashing backmost down, similar you’ve seen different clubs do.”

Wrexham reaping the rewards of Reynolds and McElhenney ownership

These pre-season tours are cardinal for teams, particularly those who anticipation to person a planetary scope with Wrexham reaping the benefits of their occurrence some connected and disconnected the pitch.

Sponsorship wealth outlined successful the club’s 2023/24 books leapt from £1.8m to £13.1m, proving that Reynolds and McElhenney’s program is working.

Reynolds and McElhenney, 2 Hollywood actors made celebrated by their respective roles successful Deadpool and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, respectively, co-own Wrexham having bought the nine successful 2021.

In their 2nd afloat season, Wrexham finished apical of the National League, earlier finishing 2nd successful League Two successful 2023/24 and 2nd again successful 2024/25 to publication their spot successful the Championship.

Wrexham get their home play underway astatine Southampton adjacent month, the southbound seashore broadside having been relegated from the Premier League aft a disastrous instrumentality to England’s apical tier.