Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham secures its latest Hollywood linkup

Thu, May 25, 2023
Other News (AP)

WREXHAM, Wales (AP) - Wrexham's shirts will have a taste of Hollywood next season.

The Welsh soccer team has secured its latest celebrity linkup and Hollywood co-owner Ryan Reynolds is keeping it in the family.

The Deadpool star's wife, Blake Lively, will sponsor the team's training kit from next season through her non-alcoholic beverage company Betty Buzz.

"Our team had, of course, heard of Wrexham AFC but once we officially learned about their refreshing vision, we knew it was the right official fit for our refreshing sparkling beverage," Lively said.

Wrexham has gained a global following since it was bought by Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney for $2.5 million in 2021.

A documentary series about the team has streamed around the world and has made household names of its players, management and fans.

Reynolds and McElhenny have used their own celebrity to raise the profile of the club, which spent 15 years out of the English Football League before earning promotion in dramatic fashion last month.

Soccer

The growing exposure of Wrexham led to a shirt sponsorship deal with social media platform TikTok, while there has also been a link with Expedia.

Lively has attended games alongside her husband as Wrexham won the National League with a record total of 111 points. After reaching the fourth division of English soccer, Reynolds and McElhenney rewarded the team with a trip to Las Vegas.

A new 5,000-seat stand is being built to raise the capacity at the club's Racecourse Ground to 15,000. The team is also touring America this summer, when it will play LA Galaxy II and Premier League teams Manchester United and Chelsea.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports