Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney Sell Minority Stake in Wrexham Football Club, Acquire U.K. Brewery

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are making some big changes in Wrexham.

The actors, Welcome to Wrexham stars and owners of the football club Wrexham AFC, are selling a minority stake in the club, and also acquiring a local brewery, in a bid to grow the club and its influence.

Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are selling the stake to the Allyn family, a wealthy family based in upstate New York. They will become minority owners of Wrexham AFC, and are also involved in the acquisition of a new company: Wrexham Lager Beer Co Ltd, through a new JV called Red Dragon Ventures.

“Wrexham has earned the world’s attention and we are focused on bringing on board world-class partners to help with the next phase of our growth,” Reynolds and McElhenney said in a statement. “We have been fortunate to get to know the Allyn family and we are blown away by their intelligence, kindness and commitment. They are exactly the type of partners we will need for this amazing endeavor.”

“For more than a century, our family has focused on building great companies, while also uplifting wonderful communities,” added Eric Allyn, manager and chief investment officer of the Allyn’s Family Office. “Our decades-long efforts in the Syracuse region are similar to what Rob and Ryan have started in Wrexham. We view Red Dragon Ventures as a vehicle to invest in a world-class football club, and, importantly, in the welcoming community of Wrexham.”

As for the brewery, Wrexham Lager was founded in Wales in 1882, and is the oldest lager brewery still operating in the U.K. The Roberts family, which has owned it since 2011, will remain co-owners of the brewery. The company plans to begin distribution in the U.S. and Canada in the coming months, hoping to attract the attention of Welcome to Wrexham fans and others.

Wrexham lager was available on the Titanic, and last year Reynolds commissioned an expedition to the shipwreck site to try and retrieve a few bottles.

“As Co-chairmen of Wrexham AFC we have learned a lot,” McElhenney and Reynolds said. “The connection between club and community, the intricacies of the offsides rule and the occasional need for beer – especially after finance meetings. Wrexham Lager has a 140-year-old recipe and a storied history and we’re excited to help write its next chapter.”