Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney interested in acquiring stake in Welsh Fire following Wrexham success - Reports
Renowned Hollywood actors and businessmen, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have reportedly expressed their interest in acquiring a stake in The Hundred 2024 franchise, the Welsh Fire. The duo have a deep-rooted connection with Wales after their successful takeover of football club, Wrexham AFC.
The football club has witnessed a massive turnaround ever since the takeover in 2020. The actors' popularity coupled with intense marketing and documentaries have led to a spike in popularity off the field, while the performances on the field have also seen a drastic change.
The club have secured back-to-back promotions, and are currently placed atop the League One standings, with Premier League football touted not to be far away.
According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, with the ECB seeking private investment in exchange for ownership of the franchises, Glamorgan have spoken to several interested parties over the last few months.
However, among the potential candidates, the prospect of Reynolds and McElhenney is by far the most attractive, with chief executive Dan Cherry also leaning towards the same.
"It is a feasible option. Contact's been made. There's not been anything substantial come back yet, but we're in the process and I know that they'll certainly be included in any process that we've got going forward. All bids and offers that are going to come in are going to be interesting to us, and we're going to have to evaluate what the best bid is for us," Dan Cherry told ESPN.
"There's obvious interest in what Ryan Reynolds and the guys have done at Wrexham, which has been fantastic for football in North Wales. That doesn't necessarily mean to say that it'll be the right option for us, but if they're interested in talking to us, obviously it's an exciting proposition," he added.
Reynolds and McElhenney have globalized Wrexham in a manner that the Welsh Fire definitely need. Wrexham played against Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea in the pre-season across the last two seasons, while their striker Paul Mullin played the role of 'Welshpool' in the recently released Deadpool vs Wolverine movie.
The Welcome to Wrexham documentary series has also been a huge hit among fans and a financial boost for the club. It has been recently renewed for a fourth successive season.
Glamorgan believe Welsh Fire is an attractive investment
The Welsh Fire are comparatively not among the most glamorous franchises in The Hundred, both on and off the field. The men's team have failed to make it to the knockouts in four attempts, even finishing at the bottom of the table in the second edition.
The women's team, on the other hand, finished at the bottom for the first two seasons, but have been a dominant outfit over the last two years.
The Welsh Fire boasts the lowest-capacity stadium in The Hundred, and their hub, Cardiff, is secondary to big cities like London, Manchester, and Birmingham. According to reports, the Welsh Fire only has the 1/4th valuation of the London-based teams, which have already attracted interest from IPL franchise owners.
This leads to Glamorgan believe that the Welsh Fire is an attractive acquisition, although they do wish to retain the majority stake of 51 percent.