Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s plan to invest into women’s football in North Wales
Trinidad & Tobego warm up pre match. Wales v Trinidad & Tobego International friendly at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham.
Wrexham Women are to receive a £50k cash boost from Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as part of a plan to give women’s football in North Wales a massive boost.
The duo are planning to invest in many new initiatives at the club and have outlined women’s football as one of the key areas.
Head of female football at Wrexham’s Racehorse Community Foundation, Gemma Owen, told the BBC: “Both Ryan and Rob and their representatives are recognising that women’s football and girl’s football is a growing sport in this country and in North Wales particularly.
“The participation is increasing quite significantly. For them to recognise that is huge in itself.
“The fact that they are recognising that is going to go such a long way and for us to help continue to grow the game here.
“It’s going to be huge for the wider area and women’s football in north Wales generally.”
Wrexham Women, who currently play in the North Wales Women’s Football League – Division 2, recently applied for a tier two license, as the FAW plans to revamp Women’s in Wales ahead of the 2021/22 season.
They were one of 14 teams in the north that applied for the license.
The Welsh Women’s Premier League is currently dominated by South Wales teams, eight of the nine teams in the league are from the south with Aberystwyth the most northerly club.
Wrexham AFC Women were first founded in 2003, under the name Wrexham Ladies, and were founding members of the Women’s Welsh Premier League in 2009.
Having established themselves as the leading female side in North Wales, the Reds were forced to pull out of the league before the 2016/17 season due to a lack of players.
In 2018/19 the side were reformed by the Racecourse Community Foundation and currently boast teams in age ranges from under-8s to under-16.
Gemma Owen is hoping that the investment can help fill the gap left by not having an under-19’s team: “It’s a huge, huge boost to the female programme that we’ve got here at the foundation at Wrexham Football Club.
“We’ve got a significant gap in there as well where we need an Under-19s to fit into that gap.
“Not only for the player pathway to be smooth transition all the way through from six years old all the way up, but also it’s going to be part of the criteria needed for the women’s team to eventually become a Welsh Women’s Premier League side.
“Obviously that’s the ambition for the women’s team and we want to get those building blocks in place ready for that.”
Welsh international Natasha Harding has backed the announcement and is hoping that the investment can help unearth some “hidden gems”.
“We have so many hidden gems in places all over and especially in North Wales! My early years in the senior team was filled with talented football players from North Wales,” tweeted the Reading captain.
