Sports
What you need to know as Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac commentate on historic Welsh derby against Swansea
Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, co-owners of Wrexham, are set to provide commentary for their club’s Championship clash against Swansea this Friday.
The all-Welsh derby at the Racecourse Ground will be broadcast on Sky Sports, marking five years since the pair acquired the North Wales side.
Wrexham are currently sixth in the Championship and eyeing a remarkable promotion to the Premier League while Swansea will be hoping to keep their own play-off hopes dreams alive.
This is everything you need to know about the show.
What’s going on?
Wrexham AFC owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac are set to offer a unique, partisan commentary experience for their club’s upcoming match, airing this Friday on Sky Sports Football.
Sky is promoting the event as a “first-of-its-kind broadcast,” promising insights from the Hollywood duo that will be “anything but impartial.”
The celebrity owners are also expected to host a number of guests during the live coverage.
While regular commentary will be provided by Daniel Mann and Andy Hinchcliffe, the focus will undoubtedly be on Reynolds and McElhenney.
The famous owners attended last weekend’s extra-time FA Cup defeat against Chelsea, with Reynolds also present at Tuesday’s 2-1 home loss to Hull.
What have they said?
Announcing the broadcast, Reynolds and Mac said: “As with our decision to take over Wrexham five years ago, we genuinely have no idea how this is going to go, but we will give it our best.
“Neither of us have called a sporting event of any variety, let alone a sport we basically learned the rules of five years ago.
“Either way, it will be another unpredictable day at the Racecourse and we can’t wait. We’re grateful to our partners at the EFL and Sky Sports, the latter of which we hope is ready with the bleep button.”
What’s the background?
Hollywood stars Reynolds and Mac bought Wrexham for around £2million in 2021, and the club has undergone a transformation since then.
They have made English football history with three consecutive promotions taking them from non-league football to the Championship, and they are in contention to make it four in a row as they are still in the top six despite Tuesday’s loss to Hull ending a run of three straight league wins.
Their progress has been documented in the popular series Welcome to Wrexham, which has won 10 Emmy Awards and put the club in the global spotlight.
All-Wales clash
The match is Swansea’s first visit to the Racecourse Ground for a league fixture since Wrexham beat the Swans 4-0 in the old Division Three in 2002.
But earlier this season City beat Phil Parkinson’s side 2-1 in south Wales.
Swansea are the second Welsh side to visit the Racecourse this season after League One Cardiff upset them in the Carabao Cup in October.
No Snoop Dogg?
Swansea have plenty of star power in their own boardroom, with hip hop star Snoop Dogg, AC Milan playmaker Luka Modric and American billionaire and television personality Martha Stewart all holding minority shares in the club.
Snoop caused a huge stir last month when he pitched up at the Swansea.com Stadium for their home game against Preston last month, whipping up the crowd and, according to visiting boss Paul Heckingbottom, leaving the “smell of weed in the tunnel”.
But unless Snoop is one of the promised special guests, Friday night’s broadcast will be a one-sided affair.