Why Wrexham’s global fanbase is about more than fame and gloryImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Wrexham are the oldest football club in Wales and the third oldest professional club in the worldByMolly StephensFootball reporterPublished20 minutes agoWhat do football fans in Norway, Dubai and Iceland have to offer a club in north Wales? In the case of Wrexham, the answer is a global following that defies the norms of football fandom.How did a club in between the Welsh mountains become meaningful to fans in places with no obvious geographical or cultural ties to the city?Club owners and actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac (formerly McElhenney) may have been the spark for some, the Welcome to Wrexham documentary series the catalyst for others, but sustained fandom requires something far deeper.With Reynolds born in Vancouver, Mac hailing from Philadelphia and the pair having a heavy Hollywood presence, you may expect there to be many Wrexham fans in the USA and Canada. But what about beyond that?From Norway to Dubai, Australia to IcelandThe Norwegian Reds are the biggest official Wrexham supporters’ group, with 440 members. Steinar Pedersen is the founder, having discovered the club through his friend’s son – a sports scientist with Wrexham.”Four years ago, when we were in non-league, Owen [Jackson] told me ‘something big is going to happen – you have to start a Wrexham supporters’ club in Norway’,” Pedersen stated.Pedersen, a fan of Rosenborg in his home country, wanted to find out what all the fuss was about. After following the highs and lows of Wrexham’s penultimate season in the National League – when they lost their play-off semi-final in extra time to miss out on promotion in 2022 – he had seen enough to want to start the Norwegian Reds.
“It started quite small, but after people watched the Welcome to Wrexham series, it just flew.”
As for Dylan Owen, an expat originally from north Wales, Wrexham was all he’d ever known, having watched games at the Racecourse Ground since the early 1980s. So, when he moved to Dubai in the mid-90s, it was important that he carried Wrexham with him.
“Dubai being Dubai, we have a multitude of supporters for different clubs here,” stated the co-chairman of the Dubai Reds.
“A few of us Wrexham fans ran into each other in a bar where we’d always watch football… we couldn’t watch the non-league football on TV so we’d wait for the results to come through together.”
A fellow expat, and co-chairman, Rhys Davies decided to arrange a meet-up for the Wrexham fans, and so the Dubai Reds were formed. The fans now meet at an Irish pub in the Middle East to watch every match.
