Birmingham City and Wrexham both have their A-list celebrity owners, and both clubs would argue that theirs is the best. But despite the likes of Rob Mac having no sporting background, he’s certainly a match for the Blues’ Tom Brady.
Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds at Wrexham and Tom Brady at Birmingham City have helped to shape a new era of football club ownership, in the UK especially, where celebrities buy in and give the club a whole new marketing element.
But in both cases, Mac and Reynolds, and Brady, have all helped their respective club in huge ways. It cannot be denied that Mac and Reynolds have business brains and that they’ve put that to tremendous use at Wrexham.
When they bought the club in 2021 they paid just £2million. Now, it’s understood that Wrexham is worth more than £150million, with talks of a Mac and Reynolds selling a £350million stake in Wrexham at some point too.
Both Wrexham and Birmingham City have been put on the global map by their ownership structures. And next season the pair will go head to head in the Championship once more.
Tom Brady ahead of Birmingham City FC v Wrexham AFC - Sky Bet League One
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Tom Brady’s speech to the Birmingham City players before win over Wrexham
Back in September last year, Wrexham lost 3-1 against Birmingham City. The defeat mattered little as Phil Parkinson’s side went on to finish 2nd in the league. The reverse fixture at the Racecourse ended in a 1-1 draw back in January.
But before that game at St Andrew’s, Brady reportedly gave a rousing speech to the players. Speaking to Daily Mail, Birmingham City’s £14million signing Jay Stansfield recalled that speech, saying: “When he gave that speech, you could see how motivated he was, and how committed to the club he was.
“The things he says are very clear and having such a big leader is great motivation. It’s a privilege to have such a big name so close to the club, someone you can contact whenever you need to. If you need anything, any motivation, he’s always there.”
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A seven-time Superbowl champion, Brady has endless experience to pass on to the Birmingham City dressing room. And Mac, a Hollywood actor, might not have the same expertise as Brady, but that doesn’t stop him from rallying up his troops in Wales.
Rob McElhenney at The Alliance for Children's Rights 33rd Annual Champions for Children held at The Beverly Wilshire
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The speech Rob Mac gave the Wrexham players ahead of Blackpool
Back in April, Mac attended Wrexham’s game away at Blackpool. He sat in the stands with the travelling fans and watched on as the Dragons claimed a hugely important 2-1 win on their way to promotion.
And Mac gave a speech to the Wrexham players before that game. He told them to go out and play as if they were kids again, relieving the pressure somewhat after Wrexham had suffered a disappointing draw against Bristol Rovers in the previous game.
George Dobson spoke about Mac’s speech before Wrexham, too, saying: “It was unbelievable. The Wigan and Bristol Rovers games it maybe looked like we were a tad more cagey than we had been and [Mac] just said there’s no pressure whatsoever, just go back to that 12-year-old boy and play as you would as a kid with your friends.
“It was a really inspirational, motivational speech and the whole group really bought into it.”
For all of Brady’s sporting expertise and motivational skills, Mac has so far proven himself to be a good match for the former New England Patriots quarter-back. Next season will be a huge test of both ownerships and both clubs, both managers and so on. Who comes out on top remains to be seen.