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Wrexham targeting long-term Premier League stay with Australia-New Zealand tour as platform

Kieran Francis

Wrexham targeting long-term Premier League stay with Australia-New Zealand tour as platform image

Wrexham A.F.C. are the only English League football team in history to secure three consecutive promotions.

As the Welsh club, owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, prepare for a campaign in England's second tier Championship with a pre-season tour in Australia and New Zealand, they aren't shying away from their goal of being a long-term Premier League team.

Matches against A-League opposition including Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix in July will form important preparation for Wrexham's upcoming season as they target a fourth promotion in a row.

After being in the National League when Reynolds and McElhenney took over the club in 2021, the club narrowly missed promotion in the 2021-22 season. losing the playoff semi-final.

TICKETS: Get your tickets now to watch Wrexham play

However, three promotions followed in the subsequent seasons, with Wrexham rising to League Two after the 2022-23 season, moving into League One following the 2023-24 campaign and ultimately being promoted into the Championship after their most recent season.

But Wrexham believe they can reach England's biggest competition - the Premier League - and chief executive Michael Williamson revealed the sustainable plan that will hopefully propel the club into one of the world's biggest leagues.

"I've been focusing a lot on making sure that when we arrive to Premier League, because I'm confident we can arrive there at some point and when we arrive there, that we stay there and we don't find ourselves just getting relegated very quickly," Williamson told The Sporting News.

"That can start a very downward spiral very quickly. Look at Luton, who was in Premier League two seasons ago and the Championship last season. They just got relegated to League One.

MORE: Wrexham pre-season in Australia and New Zealand: Schedule, dates, tickets for Ryan Reynolds-owned club's visit Down Under

"For us (to be strong long-term), that means a lot of investment in infrastructure. How do we invest in in stadium facilities? How do we invest in Academy and making sure we're developing the future pipeline of players for the first team. How do we invest in training facilities?

"We're also trying to make sure that we stay rooted to what we are, which is a community football organisation. For us to arrive to Premier League, we need to make sure that we are a community football club."

There is no doubt Wrexham are a serious football club with their extraordinary results and success speaking for themselves.

As with all clubs that venture to this part of the world for a pre-season tour, Wrexham are keen to get themselves in the best shape to tackle the Championship in 2025-26.

"The number one priority is preparing for the upcoming season - in this case, the upcoming season and Championship," Williamson said.

"We will be working with the first team and making sure that we have the right schedule, the right training facilities and the right competition to be able to give players on the squad minutes that they need so that they're ready and we hit the ground running."

TICKETS: Get your tickets now to watch Wrexham play

But, with Wrexham being led by Hollywood entertainers Reynolds and McElhenney, there is a fun vibe around the club that permeates through their press releases, press conferences and even CEO Williamson.

And their Australian/New Zealand tour is expected to be no different with Williamson teasing about the possibilities.

"You're gonna see some some really quality football and most importantly, you never know who you might see right?" he said.

"I've walked into the the suite in Wrexham, and suddenly you have Channing Tatum in there, and you're like, 'what are you doing here?', he says, 'Oh, just a super bowl commercial'.

"And first match of the season Eva Longoria was there, and I'm just like it's just insane.

"That's kind of the excitement. So you never know what to expect.

 "I think it's probably the best thing that I could tell the fans - that we're excited and it's going to be fun."

Wrexham Australia/New Zealand tour schedule

FixtureDateTime [AEST]Venue
Melbourne Victory vs. Wrexham AFCFriday 11 July7:30 pmMarvel Stadium, Melbourne
Sydney FC vs. Wrexham AFCTuesday 15 July7:30 pmAllianz Stadium, Sydney
Wellington Phoenix  vs. Wrexham AFCSaturday 19 July7:00 pmSky Stadium, Wellington

When are Wrexham tickets available to purchase?

Pre-sale tickets for club members will be available for purchase from 11:00 a.m. AEST/1:00 p.m. NZST on Wednesday, 14 May 2025.

For the general public, tickets will be available to purchase on Friday, 16 May 2025 from 9:30 a.m. AEST/11:30 a.m. NZST.

Where to buy tickets for Wrexham pre-season games

Tickets are available through TEG Sport. For Australian fans they can be purchased here. For fans in New Zealand, tickets are available to purchase here

Tickets start at $39 for children and $59 for adults.

Kieran Francis

Kieran Francis is a senior editor at The Sporting News based in Melbourne, Australia. He started at Sportal.com.au before being a part of the transition to Sporting News in 2015. Just prior to the 2018 World Cup, he was appointed chief editor of Goal.com in Australia. He has now returned to The Sporting News where his passions lay in football, AFL, poker and cricket - when he is not on holiday.