Welcome to Wrexham! :Soccer:

Welsh Lolfa SSiW Lounge
#1

It’s no longer fresh news that Actors Rob McElhenney (‘Always Sunny in Philadelphia’) and Ryan Reynolds (‘Deadpool’) bought the historic Welsh football club Wrexham A.F.C. in early 2021.

The story of how the idea came about and was executed is fascinating and you can learn all about it by watching Welcome to Wrexham the American documentary series which follows the the Hollywood pair’s ambitious purchase and their attempts to revive Wrexham AFC - the third-oldest professional association football team in the world.

Here’s a couple of trailers for the series -

I’m not a football fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve really enjoyed watching this series, they’re also very respectful of the Welsh language and give it a decent platform. It can be viewed on Disney+

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#2

Here’s a funny Video where they test each other’s knowledge of football, Welsh and Wrexham…

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#3

Wrexham’s been so depressed since the loss of the coal, steel and brewing industries, and you get used to only ever hearing about it in the context of poverty, unemployment and drug abuse. Even Duolingo’s Welsh course only ever mentions it when there’s a question involving death or crime! It’s nice to hear people talking about the town in a positive way.

ETA - funny it should take a couple of Americans to make that happen though.

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#4
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#5

So what did you think of that brilliant episode 7 Wide World of Wales, which was all about Wales?

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We loved it, but it would be great to know what you thought?

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#6

Loved it too! Really good to see what they are doing for for the club, the town, the country and the language too.
They seem to be doing everything for the right reasons, and in the right way.
I haven’t been to the Cae Ras since the 1980s when my Taid used to take me, but I’ve joined as a member on the back of the Rob/Ryan stuff, and I’m looking forward to getting back there and meeting up with fellow SSiW-er @phil-egan (who is a season ticket holder).

(p.s. Rob & Ryan definitely need to enlist SSiW in some way, don’t they!?).

#7

We have loved the show, and since I write novels set in medieval Wales, we did a little video reply to them and to their North American viewers :slight_smile:

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#8

Welcome to Wrexham is now in its second series!

This heartwarming, feel-good story of hope, from a once-depressed town, devastated by the loss of industries, is an easy cheery, watch.

Welcome to Wrexham is available to watch on Disney+ in the UK, and is available to watch and stream on FX-on-Hulu in the United States.

Have you seen the first few episodes of the new season? What do you think?

#9

I didn’t start watching S1 until a few months ago, and now I’m utterly hooked! It’s not just that Rob and Ryan are doing amazing things for the football club and for Wrexham itself, or that they’re showing a level of respect for the language that really sets a fantastic example to a lot of perhaps more sceptical people, it’s that the way they tell the stories of the club, the town, the language and the people is second to none. They really know how to make stories compelling, and I’m as obsessed with that as I am with Wrexham’s story.

Oh, and I’m apparently now a Wrexham fan, especially of their Women’s team, who won every match they played last year!