Wrexham will have to adapt to life in the Championship both on and off the pitch with owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney continuing to develop the club.
Phil Parkinson’s side are currently in Australia preparing for their first pre-season clash against Melbourne Victory.
Off the pitch, the club are taking a number of measures to get the club in line with their Championship rivals and the new Kop Stand development is well underway at the Racecourse Ground.
Reynolds suggested Wrexham are worth £350m recently but that figure will continue to rise as their popularity increases. The latest advancement comes with the announcement of a new training kit.
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Ollie Rathbone and James McClean in action during Wrexham AFC Media Opportunity And Training Session.
Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
Wrexham fans are divided over the new training kit and the club have announced a new sponsor in Ancestry.com.
Wrexham Insider has spoken to finance expert Adam Williams for a further insight into the new sponsorship and what it could mean for the club moving forward.
The wording of the sponsorship is another telling sign that the progression of the club and in particular the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary has appealed to fans across the globe.
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Williams stated: “I think it’s telling that Wrexham characterise this deal as a ‘global partnership’. Most EFL clubs don’t speak in those terms, but with Wrexham that isn’t just posturing. Over half their income comes from the international market.
“Training kit sponsorships are a bigger-ticket item than they once were. The timing – just before Wrexham go on their Down Under Tour – isn’t coincidental. They’re going to be getting a lot of international media coverage. In all the shots of the players disembarking the planes and so on, they’re probably going to be wearing this kit with the Ancestry logo front and centre.
Wrexham's Jacob Mendy in training.
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“With the aesthetics of the training kit, they’re clearly going in a bit of streetwear direction. Any club with big commercial aspirations is going down this route now – football kits are a fashion item. It’s the Paris Saint-Germain model, which they have executed to perfection.
“Most EFL clubs couldn’t dream of creating a genuine streetwear brand, but with Wrexham it’s ambitious but realistic. They aren’t going to be the next PSG, but they can have their own take on that kind of commercial strategy.”
Wrexham fans could sign-off on future club badge change
Wrexham’s increased revenue upon entering the Championship will help the club improve their squad but they are up against some of English football’s biggest clubs in the second tier.
Owners Reynolds and McElhenney have to think outside the box when it comes to strengthening the club and improving finances. Williams believes one strategic move could involve the club badge in the future.
Williams explained: “As a side note, I personally wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a badge change at some point towards more of a logo-style crest, or at least the introduction of a monogram emblem that we’re seeing a lot of clubs go for.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds after Wrexham AFC v Charlton Athletic FC - Sky Bet League One
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
“They’d have to handle that very sensitively though, and it will have to be bedrock Wrexham fans who have the final sign-off on that. It’s their club.
With a training kit, you can go in more of a left-field direction. You aren’t married to your club colours as much and you don’t have to worry about what it’s going to look like on the pitch, so you have much more freedom to create something that people will want as everyday wear.