King Charles visits Wrexham AFC, the soccer club owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney
Talk about Hollywood royalty.
King Charles and the Queen Consort visited Wrexham AFC on Friday, the soccer club owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The royal visitors met the co-owners on the pitch as part of a guided tour of the Racetrack Ground – the world’s oldest stadium, according to Guinness World Records.
Charles and his wife Camila were in Wrexham to celebrate its new city status and spoke to Reynolds and McElhenney about their plans for growing the club that they bought in 2021.
“A little earlier today, I had the opportunity to see one of the other wonders of Wrexham, namely the football club, which is busy putting Wrexham on the map as never before,” Charles told dignitaries on Friday, per Reuters.
Wrexham – the world’s third-oldest football club, currently plays in England’s fifth tier, far removed from the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.
When the Hollywood friends took over the struggling Welsh team, both had ambitions of moving up the footballing pyramid while improving the community around the club.
The team has seen improvement in the last year and its popularity has certainly soared.
“We’ll do anything to uplift and elevate this community and this club and having the King pay a visit is certainly one way to do it, that’s for sure,” ‘Deadpool’ star Reynolds told reporters on Friday. .
Much of the increased interest has also been down to Disney’s “Welcome to Wrexham” – a docuseries which tracks the club’s trials and tribulations through the season.
Now with its fan base increasing, the co-owners will hope their side can gain promotion this season with the team currently sitting in second.
Charles spoke with the first-team players during his visit and wished them luck for their next match away at Eastleigh on Saturday.