In Wrexham, the ‘Rob and Ryan effect’ goes beyond the soccer club as tourism and investments grow

AP Sports Writer

WREXHAM, Wales (AP) — A former market and mining town in north Wales has become a new and unlikely tourist destination in Britain after its soccer team was bought by Hollywood celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Wrexham is thriving on and off the field following the 2021 takeover. Its notoriety has only increased since Reynolds and McElhenney launched a fly-on-the-wall TV series called “Welcome to Wrexham,” which has turned the team’s players and some of Wrexham’s residents into familiar faces on screens around the world. Tourism is soaring in Wrexham, businesses are moving to the area and optimism is now rife in a city that was long overlooked and often slighted.