It’s Always Sunny in … Wrexham? Philadelphia-Born Rob McElhenney Buys Welsh Soccer Team

Written By Kevin Shelly on November 18, 2020 - Last Updated on December 21, 2020
Always Sunny in Philadelphia Fans Have a New Team to Cheer On

Rob McElhenney, the Philly-born dude who created and stars in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” and some Canadian guy named Ryan Reynolds, best known for wearing superhero garb in the movie “Deadpool,” are now hawking for Williams horse trailers, made in Wales.

Why?

The trailer company is the primary sponsor of the Welsh soccer organization known as Wrexham AFC, a team the aforementioned duo just purchased. And their trailer ad on Twitter got 4.6 million views in just one day.

Actors bought the Welsh team with lofty goals in mind

Fans previously owned the Wrexham club, and they want the organization to rejoin the English Football League.

The team, established in 1864, was relegated from the EFL in 2008. McElhenney and Reynolds plan to reverse that.

The pair also plans to invest about $2.6 million to make the team competitive again.

Make Wrexham your ‘Always Sunny’ semi-Philly team

Given the quality of the play of the Eagles, the Sixers and the Flyers of late, maybe it is time to adopt a new, somewhat local team.

After all, their away kit already features an Eagles green shirt.

Many things for a Philly ‘Always Sunny’ sports fan to love

McElhenney is already pretending that he does not know renowned footballers David Beckham and Pelé.

FX renewed “Always Sunny” for a record 15th season. That beats “Ozzie and Harriet” in terms of longevity.

On the show, he plays Mac, a bossy c0-owner of Paddy’s bar, obsessed with appearing tough and making money. Mac is a bad Catholic. Oh, and as it turns out after 11 seasons, Mac was a closeted gay man.

McElhenney’s real-life Twitter feed is filled with all things Philly.

Wrexham is feeling Always Sunny

The Welsh soccer team has embraced the purchase.

Club President Dixie McNeill told BBC Wales:

“They’re pretty young; they are really alert about the football club and where they want it to go. [The new owners] were positive, and I think the fans were looking for that. They were talking about getting the club as global as they possibly can.

“After all the time we’ve been run by the supporters’ association, I think it’s time now for the club to move forward. The Trust have run the club brilliantly, but we’ve had no money, and everybody knows in football you need money to move forward, to buy players, and this is a great opportunity for us.”

The club plays next this Saturday.

Sports betting

While the Red Dragons, as they are known, are not featured on US sports betting sites, British-based Betfair is taking off-beat bets on wagers based on the team’s future, but not so much actual matches.

A Betfair spokesman told an overseas soccer site:

“They’ll need to use their high-profile contacts to bring in some of the world’s best players. Welshman Gareth Bale is a 66/1 shot to join next summer, while Lionel Messi is 200/1 to leave scorching Barcelona for North Wales — let’s hope it quickly turns Always Sunny in Wrexham.”

Lead image credit: AP Photo/Matt Slocum

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Kevin Shelly

Kevin C. Shelly is an award-winning career journalist who has spent most of his career in South Jersey. He's the former assistant city editor of The Press of Atlantic City, where he covered the casino industry and Atlantic City government as a reporter. He was also an investigative, narrative enterprise, and features reporter for Gannett’s Courier-Post.

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