Skip to main content

Wrexham ripe for Netflix series?

Here's what the Financial Times Scoreboard has to say about the takeover at Wrexham by two Hollywood stars:

The unlikely narrative was swallowed up by global media. Wrexham supporters told BBC Radio they expect to fly up the divisions as a result of the £2m the Hollywood pair have pledged to invest into the club. And the new owners’ rib-tickling video to announce the takeover went viral — as they surely intended.

Plenty of US investors have flooded into football in recent years, attracted by the huge worldwide interest in the sport and its multibillion-dollar broadcasting deals. 

These huge TV contracts rarely trickle down to Wrexham’s level. When Texas millionaire Kent Teague poured his fortune into lower league side Leyton Orient two years ago, he told the FT that he fully expected to lose money, but that the investment was mainly for him to have fun.

By contrast, Reynolds and McElhenney’s takeover, brokered by New York-based Inner Circle Sports, appears to be a serious attempt to make money. 

The pair are tapping into the insatiable appetite for media content in a different way. The men have begun filming a documentary about their trip into football club ownership. 

This follows the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United and Sunderland, which have been the focus of major behind-the-scenes shows in recent years. Apple has backed Ted Lasso, a sitcom about a hapless American coach at a fictional English football club.

As Bloomberg’s Alex Webb explains, a Netflix-style series on Wrexham could make enough cash for the new owners to recoup their investment, while ensuring the club turns a tidy profit. The free media earned by the takeover is further brand building for Reynolds and McElhenney, a boost for whatever comedic project they move on to next. 

Perhaps the deal is a win-win for all concerned. Yet such a plan puts the cart before the horse, the show ahead of the football. If the team doesn’t achieve as much success on the pitch as the Wrexham documentary does off it, fans will not see the funny side.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Fulham requires big funding from owner

After lengthy delays, Fulham’s shiny, new Riverside Stand has finally opened, creating “a unique Thameside destination with first class facilities for supporters and partners on match days, as well as for the wider community year-round”. This ambitious project has increased Craven Cottage’s capacity by around 4,000 to 29,600, while it has also taken advantage of the club’s fantastic location and wealthy catchment area by including two Michelin star restaurants, a rooftop swimming pool, corporate hospitality and event space, all benefiting from views of the Thames. Chief executive Alistair Mackintosh observed, “Fulham is the sort of club that can have a business class or first class and have fans that turn left on a plane.” Indeed, there is also an exclusive members club – with a football season ticket as an optional extra. It’s fair to say that “the times they are a-changing”, as this is a long way from the traditional pie and a pint. However, in a world where clubs face the tw...

Threat of financial calamity removed from Baggies

West Bromwich Albion had effectively been in decline ever since the club was sold to a Chinese consortium in August 2016, paying a figure north of £200m to buy former owner Jeremy Peace’s stake. Controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai’s ownership was fairly disastrous for the club, but his unloved tenure finally came to an end after Bilkul Football WBA, a company ultimately owned by Florida-based entrepreneur Shilen Patel and his father Dr Kiran Patel, acquired an 87.8% shareholding in West Bromwich Albion Group Limited, the parent company of West Bromwich Albion Football Club. This change in ownership was urgently required, due to the numerous financial problems facing West Brom, including growing high-interest debt and serious cash flow concerns, following years of no investment from the former owner. Indeed, West Brom’s auditors had already rung the alarm bell in the 2021/22 accounts when they cast doubt on the club’s ability to continue as a going concern without making player s...

A poor financial record, but new hope at Everton

I recently saw an amusing video online in which a group of Everton fans were rebuked in jest for being hopeful.  Football fans in general tend to swing between excessive optimism and excessive pessimism, but for many it seems that moaning is in their bloodstream (Spurs fans probably take the trophy).  However, Everton fans have had plenty to moan about on and off the pitch.   Let’s hope that a new era is about to begin for this grand old club. Everton’s 2023/24 financial results covered a fairly momentous season, when they ended up 15th in the Premier League, though they would finished three places higher if they had not received an 8-point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Regulations (PSR). It was a worrying time for Everton fans, as the club faced a “perfect storm” of issues, including large financial losses, an ever increasing debt burden, a challenging stadium build and the tortuous sale of the club. There were eve...