Wrexham
Wrexham Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Wrexham, Wales, founded in 1864, making it the oldest club in Wales and the third-oldest professional football team in the world. The club competes in the EFL Championship at the Racecourse Ground, which is the world's oldest international stadium still hosting international matches. Domestically, Wrexham has won the Welsh Cup a record twenty-three times and achieved three consecutive promotions from 2022 to 2025, becoming the first team ever to accomplish this feat in the English Football League. The club gained global recognition following its 2020 takeover by actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, which sparked unprecedented international interest through the Welcome to Wrexham documentary series.
History
Overview
General information about the club
Wrexham Association Football Club was formed on 4 October 1864 in The Turf Tavern by members of the cricket club who wanted to provide sporting activity for young men throughout the winter months. This makes them the fifth oldest association football team, the third oldest professional club, and the oldest in Wales. The club was originally founded according to temperance principles by a group including Evan Morris, Charles Edward Kershaw, and Joseph Wilbraham Clark, who were members of the Denbighshire County Cricket Club.
Most recent season and achievements
During the 2024–25 season, Wrexham secured their third consecutive promotion by finishing second in EFL League One behind Birmingham City. This achievement made them the first club in the history of England's top five football divisions to achieve back-to-back-to-back promotions. The club's valuation increased to approximately £150 million according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, representing an increase of 7,400% within four years. The season began with Wrexham's first League One match in 19 years, marking their 5,000th recorded league match.
History
Early years
The club's first game was played on 22 October 1864 at the Denbighshire County Cricket Ground against 10 men of the Prince of Wales Fire Brigade, which they lost 1-2. In these early years, Wrexham were leaders of the campaign to restrict teams to eleven players on the pitch. In 1876, when the newly formed Football Association of Wales organized the Welsh national team's first international match against Scotland, trials were held at the Racecourse Ground and two Wrexham players made the squad.
In the 1877–78 season, the FAW inaugurated the Welsh Cup competition, and Wrexham won the inaugural final, defeating Druids F.C. 1–0 thanks to James Davies scoring the winning goal. Disputes with landlords resulted in the club playing at Rhosddu Recreation Ground during 1881–82 and 1882–83, even changing their name to Wrexham Athletic for one season. However, they returned to the Racecourse Ground in 1883–84 and have played there ever since.
Successful period
In 1921, Wrexham became a founding member of the newly formed Third Division North of the Football League. The 1970s marked the beginning of their most successful period under manager John Neal, who guided the club to promotion to the Third Division in 1970. With Welsh clubs now able to qualify for the European Cup Winners' Cup by winning the Welsh Cup, Wrexham played their inaugural European match against FC Zurich in Switzerland on 13 September 1972.
The 1975–76 season saw Wrexham reach the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup, narrowly losing 2–1 to eventual winners Anderlecht. Under Arfon Griffiths as player-manager, Wrexham finally achieved promotion to the second division in 1978, winning the Third Division Championship. The club established a reputation as cup "giant-killers," most notably upsetting reigning league champions Arsenal 2–1 in the 1992 FA Cup with goals from Mickey Thomas and Steve Watkin.
Crisis and recovery
The early 2000s brought severe financial difficulties. In December 2004, the club was placed in financial administration owing £2,600,000, becoming the first League club to suffer a ten-point deduction under new administration rules. Despite winning the 2004–05 Football League Trophy, defeating Southend United 2–0, the points deduction condemned them to relegation. The club was eventually relegated to non-League football in 2008, ending their 87-year stay in the Football League.
During the non-League years from 2008 to 2020, Wrexham struggled to regain their Football League status despite several playoff attempts. The club faced continued financial difficulties and finished 19th in 2019–20, the lowest position in their 150-year history at that time.
Current period
In November 2020, American actor Rob McElhenney and Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds bought the club through their RR McReynolds Company LLC, with 98.6% backing from the Wrexham Supporters Trust. Under manager Phil Parkinson, appointed in 2021, the club began their remarkable rise. In 2022–23, Wrexham won the National League with a record 111 points, securing promotion back to the EFL after a 15-year absence.
The 2023–24 season brought a second successive promotion as runners-up in EFL League Two, followed by another second-place finish in 2024–25 EFL League One, completing their historic three consecutive promotions to reach the EFL Championship.
Achievements and Honors
Domestic competitions
Wrexham has achieved significant success in domestic competitions throughout their history. In league competitions, they won the Third Division Championship in 1977–78 and were runners-up in 1932–33 and 2024–25. They also finished as runners-up in the Fourth Division/League Two in 1969–70, 1992–93, and 2023–24, with additional promotions in 1961–62 and 2002–03. Most recently, they won the National League championship in 2022–23 and were runners-up in 2011–12 and 2021–22.
In cup competitions, Wrexham holds the record for Welsh Cup victories with twenty-three wins, spanning from their inaugural triumph in 1877–78 to their most recent in 1994–95. They also won the FAW Premier Cup a record five times between 1997–2004. Other notable cup successes include winning the Football League Trophy in 2004–05, the FA Trophy in 2012–13, and the Football League North Cup in 1943–44.
Continental and global competitions
Wrexham competed in European competition multiple times through their Welsh Cup successes, participating in the European Cup Winners' Cup/UEFA Cup Winners' Cup on several occasions. Their best European performance came in 1975–76 when they reached the quarter-finals, defeating Djurgårdens IF and Stal Rzeszow before narrowly losing to eventual winners Anderlecht. They also achieved notable victories against top-tier opponents, including beating FC Porto and drawing with teams such as Real Zaragoza.
However, following changes to the Welsh Cup competition in 1995, Welsh clubs playing in the English Football system were no longer permitted to enter European competitions via the Welsh Cup, requiring qualification exclusively through the English system.
Symbols and Colors
Current logo and logo history
The club has used six different badges throughout their history. The first, used between 1950–1975, was an adoption of the Wrexham borough coat of arms from the 1850s. In 1973, following a design competition in a local newspaper, Wrexham adopted their current badge design with three prominent segments: the top section features the feathers of the Prince of Wales with the motto "Ich dien" (meaning "I serve" in German), the middle section displays two dragons representing Wales and a football, and the bottom section contains the club name and founding year.
Different iterations have involved changes to the team name and founding year, with the founding year amended from 1873 to 1864 following the discovery of documents revealing the club was founded earlier than previously thought. From the 2015–16 season onwards, the club crest has effectively been the 1973 design with the founding year corrected to 1864.
Traditional home and away kits colors
Wrexham's home colors are red and white, consisting of a red shirt with white shorts and socks since the late 1930s. The club first appeared in their now-familiar red and white kit colors during the 1939–40 season. Traditional away kit colors have featured an inverted color scheme with a white shirt and red shorts/socks, though various colors have been used in recent years.
In 2014–15, to celebrate the club's 150th anniversary, Wrexham wore a red and black hooped home shirt as this was the club's first ever recorded home shirt. Following the 2021–22 season, the kit includes the number "1934" embroidered on the back neck in remembrance of the Gresford disaster. Since 2016, Macron has been the kit supplier.
Traditional club anthem
The source material does not contain specific information about a traditional club anthem.
Traditional Rivals
Chester
Wrexham has a fierce rivalry with Chester, contesting what is known as the cross-border derby. The clubs are located just 10 miles apart but represent Welsh and English football respectively. The first match was held in 1888 with Wrexham winning 3–2 at Faulkner Street, while the most recent was played in March 2018 with Wrexham winning 2–0 at the Racecourse Ground. Wrexham leads the head-to-head rivalry with 67 wins compared to Chester's 50.
Games between the two clubs are classified as "high risk" for potential disorder and are generally moved to early kick-offs with a large police presence. Former Chester City player Lee Dixon described the derby as "a real derby" that "could get ferocious," while former Wales and Liverpool striker Ian Rush called it "as intense as they come" and likened it to "Wales v England."
Shrewsbury Town
Wrexham maintains a fierce rivalry with Shrewsbury Town due to geographical proximity. Like the Chester derby, these games are often moved to early kick-offs in accordance with police wishes to minimize potential trouble between the clubs' supporters.
Tranmere Rovers
The rivalry with Tranmere Rovers is also based on geographical proximity and has resulted in significant incidents. In 2003, 32 hooligans were jailed after a Tranmere v Wrexham match at Prenton Park, and trouble was evident again when the clubs met in a 2013 friendly at the Racecourse Ground.
Club Traditions and Behind the Scenes
Sponsors
From 2016 onwards, Macron has been the kit supplier of Wrexham AFC. On 7 July 2025, Ancestry.com was confirmed as an official club partner, with their logo featuring on the front of 2025–26 training wear.
Nicknames
The club's official nickname is the 'Red Dragons', introduced in the 2001–02 season to help promote the club and broaden its Welsh image. This change was made to differentiate the club from Bristol City, Swindon Town, and Cheltenham Town, who shared the same nickname as Wrexham at the time ('The Robins'). The club's official mascot is 'Wrex the Dragon', who made his debut in a testimonial match against Manchester United on 4 August 2001.
Ownership and finances
Wrexham AFC Limited is wholly owned by Wrexham Holdings LLC, which is majority owned by the R.R. McReynolds Company LLC. Ownership of R.R. McReynolds Company LLC is split equally between Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. Minor stakes include five percent held by Al Tylis and Sam Porter (who also own around fifty percent of Mexican Club Necaxa), and over 10 percent owned by Red Dragon Ventures LLC.
The Allyn family of Skaneateles, New York, was announced as a new minority investor in October 2024, reportedly taking a near-15% stake, raising the club's worth to £100 million. In December 2025, Apollo Sports Capital acquired a minority stake, though details were not disclosed.
Traditions and culture
Wrexham is regarded as "the heart and soul of this Welsh community" since its founding in 1864. The club has strong community ties, demonstrated when fans raised £127,000 in a single day in 2011 to prevent expulsion from the Football Conference. The Wrexham Supporters' Trust took over day-to-day running of the club and at one point had 4,129 adult members as joint-owners.
Following the 2020 takeover and the global success of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary series, the club experienced unprecedented international popularity. Wrexham is represented by a hooligan firm known as the 'Front Line' that has been involved in major disorder since the early 1980s.
Stadium
Wrexham's home stadium is the Racecourse Ground, which has been their home since the club's formation in 1864. It is the world's oldest international football stadium that still hosts international matches, having been the venue for Wales' first home international match in 1877. The record attendance was set in 1957 when 34,445 spectators watched a match against Manchester United.
The current capacity is 10,500, temporarily peaking at 13,341 during the 2024–25 season due to an expanded Kop. In March 2025, Wrexham County Borough councillors approved the proposal for construction of a new 5,500-seater Kop stand, aimed for completion by the 2026/27 season when the stadium is scheduled to host UEFA European Under-19 Championship matches.