WREXHAM, WALES - SEPTEMBER 9: Paul Mullin of Wrexham celebrates victory during the Sky Bet League Two match between Wrexham and Doncaster Rovers at Racecourse Ground on September 9, 2023 in Wrexham, Wales. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER – Vanni Sartini has only seen a handful of episodes of “Welcome to Wrexham.”
But the head coach of Vancouver Whitecaps FC said that was enough for him to understand the value of the platform that is being offered when his squad squares off against the Welsh side from the FX docu-series in an international friendly on Saturday at BC Place.
“A lot of the fans that (will be) here are Whitecaps fans that come regularly,” Sartini said Friday. “But maybe some of them are coming because they’re fans of the documentary, or they hope to see if Ryan Reynolds is coming.
“We have a big chance to appeal to a group of people that maybe aren’t following the Whitecaps closely every week. I think we have a responsibility to put on the best show possible.”
Saturday’s match will be the first-ever in Canada for the Red Dragons, who are closing out their “2024 Wrex Coast Tour” after a pair of draws against English Premier League sides in California.
It’s all part of the plan to nurture a global fanbase for the historic club, which was founded in 1864 and is the third-oldest pro soccer team in the world.
Wrexham AFC has risen to prominence since being acquired in 2020 by Reynolds — a Vancouver native — and fellow actor Rob McElhenney.
“Welcome to Wrexham” has become a smash hit and captured the club’s meteoric improvement under its new ownership group. The docu-series won five primetime Emmy awards in 2023, is nominated in six categories in 2024 and has now been renewed for a fourth season.
