An historic day in the history of Wrexham football club - and a lucrative one for their celebrity owners as well.
The win over Boreham Wood confirmed The Red Dragons will return to the football league for the first time since relegation in 2007/08. And whilst comparisons to their promotion bid and a Hollywood script may be deemed inevitable, the story has undoubtedly been one to capture the imagination.
Before they even kick off their League Two campaign next August, Wrexham will be considerably stronger financially. For being in that division alone, they will receive a payment from the EFL of £1.1 million, with their TV income/sponsorship and the annual Premier League solidarity payment incorporated into that amount.
Of course, further TV payments will follow every time the club’s matches are shown live by Sky Sports - with £20,000 paid to the home team per game and £10,000 away. And with the searing publicity around Wrexham and their US chiefs, they will be likely candidates for a string of televised matches.
And the income boost to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney won't end there. The EFL’s streaming service will also be lucrative, especially given their new army of US based fans won't be subjected to the infamous 3pm blackout.
But to the credit of the Hollywood stars, they've already pledged a chunk of the winnings will go to the players themselves. And safe to say the bonus amounts have never previously been matched by previous players of National League champions.
Each individual will receive a £250,000 bonus not that promotion has been secured. And on the official club website, executive director Humphrey Kerr stressed that the owners were not obliged to offer such incentives.
“Rob and Ryan wanted to recognise the players’ confidence that they can reach this season’s play-offs and provide an added financial incentive to achieve this," said Ker. “There was no obligation to address this, but it felt like the right thing to do in order to support the existing playing squad who are all playing for their futures at the club."
Reynolds and McElhenney have promised further investment too. Reynolds has already been granted copyright protection in America and the UK for a number of names related to the club, with a variety of branded items to be on offer to fans on UK and American shores. The pair have also vowed to fund a state of the art training complex.
