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The unlikely takeover of Wrexham AFC by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has been formally approved by the Financial Conduct Authority
The Deadpool star and the It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia creator and actor’s bid to buy the club was approved by Wrexham’s Supporters Trust Board in November.
Now, their takeover has been approved by the FCA, paving the way for them to take control of the club next week.
“Both parties shall now work to formally complete the sale of shares in Wrexham AFC next week,” the Supporters Trust said in a statement.
“We would like to thank supporters for their patience in this process and reassure you the Wrexham Supporters Trust will make a full statement once this is completed.”
The Wrexham Supporters Trust Board formally voted to approve McElhenney and Reynolds’ takeover in November, with an overwhelming 98.6% of members approving it – only 26 of the 2,000 members voted against, while nine abstained.
“To the Wrexham Supporters Trust, thank you for your faith and trust in us,” McElhenney said in the clip, with Reynolds adding: “We’re humbled, and we’re already getting to work… holy shit, this is really happening”.
In their original bid, the pair stressed that they would protect the heritage of the club, as well as reinforcing Wrexham as a “leading force for community good in the town” and retaining and enhancing the club’s reputation as “inclusive and forward-thinking”.
The pair’s advisor, former Liverpool FC chief executive Peter Moore, said that they are “in it for the long term” with their involvement with the club, also revealing that McElhenney was initially spurred into the prospect of football ownership by watching the Netflix documentary Sunderland ‘Til I Die, which apparently brought him to tears.
“He started to think about that and talked to Ryan about how can they – people who have been very fortunate in their lives – give back and football, soccer seems to be the way that they could do it,” Moore said. “And lo and behold, they discover Wrexham.”
Filming has already begun on a documentary about Reynolds and McElhenney’s Wrexham takeover.
Recently, McElhenney donated £6,000 to a Wrexham fan with cerebral palsy to help him adapt his home to help with his disability. The pair also donated money to the club last month so the team could be strengthened with new signings in the January transfer window, despite the takeover not yet being complete.
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