A Surge in Interest and Investment Brings Glamour to the Lower Rungs of English Football

The recent takeover of Wrexham by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has sent shockwaves through the English football pyramid, injecting a much-needed injection of glamour and investment into the lower leagues. But the impact of this phenomenon, dubbed the “Wrexham effect,” goes far beyond the Welsh town, with a growing number of celebrities, entrepreneurs, and foreign investors flocking to non-league clubs across the country.

At the forefront of this movement is Peter McCormack, co-owner of Real Bedford, a semi-professional club in the 10th tier of English football. McCormack, a former advertising executive turned podcaster, has secured a £3.6m investment from Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the billionaire founders of Facebook, to aid his cause. “My co-owners are worth 10 or 20 times what they are,” McCormack boasts, “Really, Ryan Reynolds is the budget Winklevoss.”

McCormack’s ambition is to take Real Bedford all the way to the Premier League, a goal that seems increasingly achievable given the club’s recent success. “Our club is unstoppable with what we want to do,” he says. “Football disruption is great. The downstream benefit is the expansion of football itself. It’s new energy.”

The Wrexham effect has also brought a significant increase in attendances across the top four non-league tiers, with average weekly attendances reaching an all-time high of 117,586 last season. This surge in interest has been driven in part by the growing number of celebrity owners and investors, who have brought a much-needed injection of glamour and excitement to the lower leagues.

Stormzy and former Crystal Palace footballer Wilfried Zaha, for example, bought ninth-tier Croydon Athletic in 2023, with the rapper’s investment helping the club to win promotion in their first season. Other notable examples include Boyband stars Brian McFadden, Shane Lynch, and Keith Duffy, who have become the unofficial public faces of National League North club Chorley, and Line of Duty actor Vicky McClure, who sponsored Merthyr Town’s kit through her production company.

Social media has also played a significant role in the popularity surge, with clubs using platforms like TikTok to market themselves and attract new fans. At Walton & Hersham, a 10th-tier club, a group of teenage friends have built a massive following online, earning over a million TikTok followers and rapidly promoting the club three times.

The Wrexham effect has also spread beyond the UK, with foreign investors putting money into semi-professional clubs across the country. Former England striker Andy Carroll, for example, has signed for National League South side Dagenham & Redbridge, while a Qatari takeover has been announced for the club.

For Elliot Stroud, who runs a website for people looking to invest in football clubs, the Wrexham effect has been a game-changer. “People saying they want to ‘do a Wrexham’ has become a bit of a term,” he admits. “It’s definitely had an impact.”

As the Wrexham effect continues to spread, it remains to be seen whether the glamour and excitement it has brought to the lower leagues will be sustained in the long-term. But one thing is certain: the English football pyramid will never be the same again.