If Birmingham City had their way, their team’s League One game against Wrexham on Thursday night would be taking place in the USA, though the EFL are understandably reluctant.
But the so-called ‘Hollywood derby’, pitching Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney against City’s Tom Brady may still prove to be the most watched British third-tier game of all time, with CBS broadcasting it coast-to-coast in the USA, Sky Sports and talkSPORT broadcasting it live, and nearly 3,000 US fans watching it on ‘immersive’ domes in Los Angeles and Dallas.
There are strong suggestions that Brady, the former American Football quarterback who had David Beckham with him when City beat Wrexham 3-1 at St Andrews in September, will be present in North Wales.
As always, Wrexham’s co-owners’ plans are a closely guarded secret, though the LA fires may have affected any plans McElhenney had to travel. It is thought that Birmingham’s guests may use a landing spot for three helicopters at Wrexham’s JCB factory. Reynolds often uses the local Hawarden Airport.
Such is the surreal new world of these clubs, both of whom have claims to grandeur coming into the game. City have certainly been the superior side in the season to date – two points clear at the top of the table with two games in hand, thanks to the largest spending spree in League One history last summer, which secured strikers Jay Stansfield and Alfie May and Japanese defensive midfielder Tomoki Iwata.
Stansfield and May have scored 22 goals between them this season, while Wrexham have struggled to find the net, with Paul Mullin, star of Reynolds’ and McElhenney’s documentary ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ a shadow of past seasons, and Jack Marriott out injured since October.
Wrexham vs Birmingham could be the biggest and most surreal third-tier game in history
Wrexham’s rise up the divisions has been funded by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney
NFL legend Tom Brady has a minority stake in Birmingham and took in the reverse fixture in the company of David Beckham
Wrexham, third in the table, lay claim to the biggest support of any British side within the US, thanks to the award-winning documentary, which has turned the former coal mining town into a tourist destination for tens of thousands of Americans and Canadians.
The documentary, taken with Reynolds’ prolific marketing skills and smart social media output, has helped seal a raft of big-ticket sponsors, like United Airlines and Gatorade, whose cash has financed Wrexham’s signings.
But when it comes to spending power, Birmingham are in charge. Though Reynolds and Brady’s net worths are fairly similar – between $300million and $350m according to the Celebrity Net Worth website – the Blues principal funder is the ambitious investment firm Knighthead.
Birmingham’s average home attendance – 26,622 – has also dwarfed the club record 12,689 Wrexham have averaged this season – helped by a temporary stand called ‘the Fourth Wall’, after the American whiskey brand which sponsors it. The promised replacement for Wrexham’s demolished Kop has been plagued by planning issues.
Wrexham face competition for the football attentions of Reynolds and McElhenney, who do not attend as many games as in their first few seasons at the club and are looking to replicate their success at the club in other countries.
It was announced this week that the pair are part of a consortium of investors who have taken over the Colombian side La Equidad, based in the country’s capital of Bogota.
This, after they acquired a minority stake last April in Mexican top-flight team Club Necaxa. Reynolds and McElhenney will be executive producing a docu-series entitled ‘Bienvenidos a Necaxa’ (Welcome to Necaxa).
The profile of Thursday night’s match has been heightened in the US by its screening at the two immersive ‘shared reality’ domes in Dallas and LA, established by the company Cosm, who also gave Wrexham’s New Year’s Day loss at Barnsley their treatment. The LA event will be used as a fundraiser for victims of the city’s fires.
Thousands of fans will be watching in ‘immersive reality’ domes in Los Angeles and Dallas. The above image shows supporters watching a gigantic screen
The ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary has catapulted their popularity over multiple series
Birmingham, who have more spending power, ran out 3-1 winners last time in September
Wrexham drew a crowd in the USA when they played Manchester United in Dan Diego in 2023
Wrexham’s preparations were not helped when captain James McClean was involved in a car accident on his way to training on Wednesday.
No other car was involved, though footage on social media showed substantial damage to the car. McClean is said to be ‘fine.’
The club, who lost 2-1 at cross-border rivals Shrewsbury on Sky Sports and CBS last Thursday, are trying to shut out the razzmatazz.
‘We have to take lessons from the defeat in Birmingham,’ said manager Phil Parkinson. ‘And we have to put Shrewsbury behind us, too.’
