Major stars gather to watch new ‘Hollywood’ fixture between Wrexham and Birmingham
By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — A few years ago, a fixture between Wrexham and Birmingham would pass a lot of people by. Nowadays, the game is a Hollywood affair.
Almost 30,000 fans gathered at the St. Andrew’s Stadium on Monday for the League One soccer match, along with some of the biggest stars from sport, film and television in attendance.
That’s because both clubs have received huge investment by well-known American owners in recent years – NFL legend Tom Brady now owns a minority stake in the Blues, while actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have transformed the fortunes of Wrexham since taking over the club in 2021.
Brady and McElhenney both traveled to the Birmingham to watch the game, which the host eventually won 3-1.
The pair, who had poked fun at each other on social media in the buildup, were joined by stars such as David Beckham and his son Romeo in the stands. At one point, McElhenney even video called co-owner Reynolds, turning his phone around so fans could see who he was talking to.
The injection of superstardom certainly gave the fixture a new dimension and created a feverish atmosphere with the match shown live on the UK’s Sky Sports.
It’s unusual for a third division game to be given such a prime-time slot, but fans of Birmingham and Wrexham have become used to the extraordinary in recent years.
“This is exactly what we hoped it would be when we bought the club, that we could bring this kind of energy and excitement to our matches and really create an environment where people want to be a part of it,” Birmingham chairman Tom Wagner told Sky Sports before the match kicked off.
“Where folks at home can enjoy it and feel that energy. It speaks volumes about the attractiveness of English football to have this much excitement on a Monday night between two League One teams.”
The game itself certainly lived up to the hype, with Birmingham completing a comeback after going behind early in the game. There was also a red card for the host’s Krystian Bielik which only added to the drama.
The result was a bit of a rude awakening for Wrexham, who had been unbeaten in the league this season before Monday.
The Welsh side still sits top of League One but looked to struggle against the power of Birmingham, which was only relegated into the third division last season and boasts superior spending power due to the size of the club.
The Blues now sit second in the table, behind Wrexham only on goal difference having played one less game.
If the start of this season is anything to go by, the two teams could be competing for promotion the next time they meet on January 25.
US appeal
Due to the heightened American interest, there had been some suggestion that this fixture could be played in the US this year, but the notion was quickly rejected by the league.
Birmingham City CEO Garry Cook had told BBC Sport that he thought it would be a “great idea” to one day move the match to the US, but admitted the history and tradition of English soccer would make it very unlikely.
On Monday, NFL legend JJ Watt – who has also invested in English soccer club Burnley last year – said he didn’t want the new wave of US owners to change too much about the game.
“The beauty of the English game is the history, the tradition, the passion,” Watt wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“These clubs have been around long before any of us arrived and they’ll be around long after any of us are gone. Modernize some aspects that need it, sure. But let’s not mess with what makes it great.”
The-CNN-Wire
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