US-owned Birmingham City ask for their game with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham to be played in America, as per reports.
One month ago, Birmingham Live reported that football finance expert Dr Rob Wilson, director of VSI Executive Education, tipped it to be the first EFL game played overseas.
He said to www.olbg.com: “Wrexham vs Birmingham City is a good bet for the first Football League game to take place abroad.
“Reading into some data from the The Customer Lifetime Value Group, they say that there are tens of millions of football supporters in the United States that are undecided on which team to follow. That’s a market of huge significance.
“You’ve got high profile American investors that have got a celebrity following at both Wrexham and Birmingham City, so having a game in a place like San Diego or New York in an iconic venue could attract fans and definitely work. But Wrexham are of a much higher profile than Birmingham City at the moment.”
BirminghamLive said at the time “It is worth noting there is certainly no suggestion from anyone at Blues that this is even a prospect under consideration.”
However, now just days before the League One fixtures are released, Mail Sport are saying Birmingham’s US bosses wanted their visit of Wrexham to be played across the Atlantic, however this was quickly declined by EFL bosses with insiders revealing Birmingham got “short shrift from those in charge and came away feeling let down.”
Birmingham mooted the idea of playing it in the US in an bid to jump upon growing American interest in the English domestic game.
While no official request was made to the EFL, but the club were informally told recently that such an idea would be flatly turned down.
Despite attempts to try and play Premier League and EFL games abroad, both league organisations remain opposed to the idea.
EXCLUSIVE 🇺🇸
🔵Birmingham City asked to play Wrexham next season in US
❌Proposal was turned down by EFL bosses
📺Match between US-owned Blues & Hollywood Wrexham would have been historic first overseas
🖊️https://t.co/oTYFkMtEOC— Mike Keegan (@MikeKeegan_DM) June 24, 2024
Sounds like EFL dismissed it without a second thought
— RobRyanRed – Wrexham AFC Podcast (@RobRyanRed) June 24, 2024
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, will come face to face with Tom Brady next season.
McElhenney previously said: “The question is are we going to get Tom to come to us, or are we going to have to come to Tom. Maybe both!”
Reynolds meanwhile had been open to Brady and Birmingham: “I know Tom a little bit and I don’t think you need to know him to know he has the spirit of a lion and a competitor in every way, shape and form. Whatever he has cooked up for Birmingham, he is going to bring it. Come on in, the water is warm! ‘”.
A source of Brady told the Daily Mail that Wrexham’s rise inspired him to invest in Birmingham: “He has seen what Ryan Reynolds did with Wrexham and is doing with Wrexham and he wants a piece of that for himself.
“He is going to fully support [Birmingham] in his time as part owner, he is all in and will do anything to see it work out.”
This is how fans reacted as US-owned Birmingham ask for their match against Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham to be played in America…
@connor_mh: Fuck off out of the English leagues if you wanna play in the US @Wrexham_AFC @BCFC
@johnwood04: Never thought I’d say this but well done EFL
@killersam101: Ffs just keep English football in England. Sick and tired of American businessman trying to take what isn’t theres
@caldini4: Americans are a bigger danger to football than oil money
@ryanbcfc94: Let’s we what the OSC’s say about this then 😂
@BucketsGaming23: Yeah I smell 4 years of 11th for Birmingham while the fans arrogantly say they should be walking the league
@beardywxm: As a long standing Wrexham fan, I’m sure I speak on behalf of most fans when I say this isn’t what we signed up for, we play our home games at Y Cae Ras, the day we play a competitive fixture overseas will be the day I oppose the current ownership. Leave things be.
@seanly_not: grim
@DanCooney555: Game is ruined
@bwfc454: Hope all teams are united against Birmingham this season if there owners plans are to do stuff like this. How can there own fans lap up there owners when there trying take away games from there own fans
@greg_herriett: What a ludicrous suggestion. The clubs have zero respect for their fans.
@WxMMorgan: Embarrassing
@RuytonShrew: Rare W for the EFL. Down with this kind of nonsense, and protect us so-called ‘legacy fans’…
@BluesBulletin_: Any chance the chuckle brothers (Cook and Wagner) could put together a team to get us back into the championship rather than organising fixtures which ignore the fan base and telling every Tom Dick and Harry how much cash we have
@joshwba__: Calls for a relegation to non league imo
@GeorgeJonesWxm: This is absolutely disgusting
@ryan_higgins: Owners putting their fans first I see
@iambigjohn84: Definitely would be messy in regards of the loyalty points ect Racecourse Ramble –
@racecourserambl: I’m gonna guess the request is rejected but it is coming, so we should all start to get used to the idea in the coming 5 to 10 years
@GeorgeJonesWxm: surely this is a joke
@WrexhamCanada: Not a fan of this in the slightest.
@robj_j: No thanks!
@amorrisracing: Would be a tragedy for this to happen.
@WrexhamATX: No thanks. No benefit to this for Wrexham.
@Osianwills1: Games gone
@JackDazzler: What a joke of a club. They’re not very good at running a football club are they?
@MatthewEllis72: No thanks.
@Merchycrinc: Just no
@gradybridges: Tom Brady vs Rob and Ryan. For those saying it’s not logistically possible, it is. Leave Tuesday or Wed for the Saturday game. Don’t play till the following Saturday. Play in the right area you can get 50,000 + to show up plus it be nationally televised in the US. Big $ game
@dubd4n: Said it before and will say it again. As much as this would piss me off as I’d love to go! This would bring in soooo much money!!! Can only be a good thing! I know I’d be in the minority saying this!
@Hwxm2004: Will lose all respect I have for our owners if this is allowed to happen
@HappyAbode1875: Fuck off! #KRO
@Jayfuz: I wouldn’t want to be in Birmingham either tbh
@toniliscious: Is it a good idea? Probably. Will it benefit the club? Definitely. Will it be fair for the long time fans? Absolutely not!
@bh_bryn: The amount of fans from other clubs who are gonna slag us and the owners off cos of this 😂
@evansmatty98: Piss right off
@Jackeo02: i beg this is a wind up
@spencer_178: Please no
Well they can just………. pic.twitter.com/sPHcXfgckB
— John Driffield (@JohnDriffield) June 24, 2024
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