September 22: Wrexham’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have bought The Turf pub next to the racecourse ground in a move designed to “safeguard the club’s future”.
It’s a purchase steeped in history. Wrexham AFC, Wales’ oldest football club, was founded in what was then called the Turf Hotel in October 1864, and the pub, along with its owner Wayne Jones, have become a regular feature of the award-winning documentary series ‘Welcome to Wrexham’.
The deal, the club said, “will preserve the history and traditions of the historic public house which is inexorably linked to the Racecourse Ground and Wrexham AFC”, putting the club, stadium and pub under single ownership. It also opens the door to further investment, including improving the ventilation area at Mold Road.
The racecourse hosted its first match in Wales in March 1877 and is the oldest football stadium in the world still hosting international matches.
Minority investor Eric Allyn said: “Since we invested in Wrexham AFC through Red Dragon Ventures in 2024, the town, the community and the football club have become a second home. By bringing The Turf into the group, we are securing the pub’s long-term future and with it preserving its history.”
Owner Jones will continue to run the pub as part of the deal.
