Hollywood A-lister Ryan Reynolds has found his box office presence on the big screen cuts no ice with the National League when it comes to following Wrexham games on his laptop.
Club sources say he has been left feeling exasperated at the National League board for dithering over the decision to let him and other Wrexham fans watch a live stream of their matches, starting with today’s game against Gateshead.
The Welsh club first submitted plans to launch their own domestic and global streaming service in April 2021, two months after the Deadpool star took control of the club with fellow A-lister Rob McElhenney, and had wanted to take advantage of interest raised by the current Disney+ documentary.
However, their latest request to permit an approach to BT for access to content has not even been considered by the league authorities.
“After months of maximum effort, the decision (through inaction of the @Vanarama National League) to not allow domestic/international streaming of matches of Wrexham and the other clubs in the league is truly baffling,” Reynolds said on Twitter. "It deprives every team in our league of the chance to expand the fanbase, while adding to league revenue benefits everyone.”
The club’s owners have been staggered by the lack of leadership being shown at a time when finances are particularly difficult lower down the pyramid.
“Unbelievably, the request hasn’t even been considered by the Board of the National League yet, never mind a decision made,” the club’s statement said. “The club feels let down and can only assure fans, both new and old that we have done everything we could to provide the opportunity to watch the game live, both in the UK and overseas.
“On Tuesday, there will be at least 39 games available for a UK audience to watch across various platforms and probably more to the international market, so why there is a reluctance from the National League to allow the game to be broadcast is difficult to understand.”
A spokesman for the National League said: “There are wider discussion about streaming for all clubs that are subject to ongoing contracts and we are working with partners to deliver the best solution for all.”
