Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have taken Wrexham's men to a different level, but what about the women's team?
Wrexham owners Rob McElhenney, left, and Ryan Reynolds celebrate on a shared bus parade following promotion for both men's and women's teams last season. NEWPORT, Wales -- Wrexham A.F.C. are in a cup final. The weather might be dismal, but the rain is certainly not dampening the spirits of the loud Wrexham fans in the club's signature red shirts and singing at the top of their lungs on the way to Newport Country's Rodney Parade stadium.
Wrexham Ladies were created as an amateur team in 2003 and joined the North Wales Women's Football League before they reformed as Wrexham F.C. in 2009 and co-founded the Welsh Premier Women's League, the top tier of women's football in the country at the time. "It was important for us to because it puts value on what the players are doing," Gemma Owen, Wrexham's head of women's football operations, told ESPN."It highlights that we're on a step to hopefully professionalising and we're in the place that we want to be in. Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future we can be even further on. This has come around really quickly, so you never know what's going to happen in another year or two.
"Hopefully I can carry on like I am and then one day play for the women's team because whenever I wear the shirt, I'm just so proud, and I love the club; I love all the people," she told ESPN."When they got promoted, they invited me on the pitch for photos and to hold the flag, and all the players from the under-19s and the women's team are just so nice to me."
"Trying to follow suit with the men and the ambitions and the achievements that they're looking to gain, our women's team can have their equivalent," she said."We want to work towards that and keep growing the game as much as possible." But while the one-club mentality adopted by Wrexham's owners has created a joint sense of growth and success, they will have to guard against something that could impact the fans who have been with the women's team from the beginning.
All of that preparation paid off. Wrexham's first game in the top flight was one of the hardest as they faced one of the favourites, six-time champions Swansea City. But a 3-3 draw with goals from Rebecca Pritchard, Rosie Hughes and Hannah Keryakoplis set the tone for their season. It was evident from that game that the club had laid the foundation to be able to compete with the best of the best in their new league.
"Usually teams that go up a division tend to struggle, and I don't think we did that," Owen said."I thought we really made a statement of intent that we're here, we're not here to mess around, we're here to compete, which we did."In stark contrast to their league form in defence, Wrexham reached their first cup final under the new regime without conceding a single goal.
"I think we've got to look back with it's been a great achievement. Everything that we've done this season, we've gone about ourselves with a purpose. We're a bit frustrated that we haven't closed the gap, but that just shows how determined we are and how much expectation we have on ourselves here at the club."
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