Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney-owned club’s FA Cup fourth round qualifier will be shown by ESPN

Rob McElhenney Wrexham S4C

National League side Wrexham is to have its FA Cup fourth round qualifier v Blyth Spartans broadcast by ESPN in the US.

Since being taken over by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the Welsh football club has been the subject of documentaries from FX and S4C. These, plus the pair’s involvement, have seen the club gain fans across the pond. Broadcast Sport, shortly after the takeover, wrote about how Hollywood stars and storytelling techniques are moving into sport production.

Reynolds’ high profile may have also affected the broadcast landscape over here, with the National League launching an OTT platform for the second half of the season following the actor’s complaint that there wasn’t one for games that are not shown on BT Sport while being outside the 3pm blackout.

The match between the fifth (Wrexham) and sixth tier sides will be shown by ESPN 2 in the US, as well as its streaming platfomrm ESPN+, when it takes place at 3pm BST on Saturday. It takes place several days after the final episodes of the first season of FX’s Welcome To Wrexham are released.

The winner will go into the first round proper, and have the chance to play against League One and League Two sides. Premier League and Championship teams enter the draw from the third round.