Wrexham Manager Phil Parkinson Lifts Lid on Conversation with Hollywood Star Will Ferrell
Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has opened up about handling celebrity visitors at the Welsh club, revealing details of a conversation he had with Hollywood star Will Ferrell during a visit to the Racecourse Ground. The encounter occurred in February 2023 when Ferrell, accompanied by co-owner Ryan Reynolds, met with Parkinson in his office.
Parkinson, who took charge in July 2021, has led Wrexham to three successive promotions from the National League to the Championship. Throughout this period, the club has garnered global recognition following the takeover by Reynolds and Rob McElhenney five years ago, attracting numerous celebrity guests and film crews for the Welcome to Wrexham documentary series.
Recalling the Encounter with Will Ferrell
In an interview with The Telegraph, Parkinson recalled the ten-minute chat with Ferrell and Reynolds. "I chatted to him [Ferrell] in my office with Ryan for about ten minutes. He loves the sport and was asking about a few of our players," Parkinson said. He emphasized that celebrities like Ferrell are "just normal people" and expressed hope that they enjoyed their experience at Wrexham.
Parkinson added, "What player at that level gets that opportunity? I never want to deprive people that chance because that's part of being here." This reflects the unique atmosphere at the club, where players interact with high-profile visitors while maintaining focus on their football careers.
Balancing Celebrity Attention with On-Pitch Focus
The manager also discussed the juggling act required to prevent the extra scrutiny from interfering with matters on the pitch. "We've met celebrities when Rob and Ryan come to town, but we've been very conscious to separate the two – 'Yes, that's great, but now the focus is back on the training pitch. We're ready again to go,'" Parkinson explained.
He acknowledged the unprecedented exposure for a club at Wrexham's levels, stating, "The exposure and the attention we've had since day one has been unprecedented for the levels we've operated at. It's been different, but it's been a really enjoyable challenge. Lots of balancing acts to try and get right. I feel, so far, we are doing a good job of it."
Owners' Confidence and Financial Realities
Reynolds and McElhenney have shown enormous confidence in Parkinson, declaring this week that he has "a job for life" at the club. Parkinson praised the owners for their approach, saying, "The game is littered with stories of owners coming in and finding it very tough. Rob and Ryan have come in, they're on the other side of the Atlantic and they're learning about the industry as they go along. But they've put really good people in place. The key to it is they've trusted people to do their job and they've been rewarded."
Addressing perceptions of limitless financial resources, Parkinson clarified the club's spending. Wrexham acquired 13 players for a combined fee of £33 million during the summer, with three additional signings in January. However, Parkinson noted, "We've spent money and people love to make a bigger thing of that on the outside. Every time we bid £2m for a player, it's £6m in the press. If we offer a player X a week, somewhere it filters that we've offered about four times that."
He assured that the club exercises caution, stating, "People love to exaggerate that, but I can assure you there's plenty of deals we've moved away from when we haven't felt there was value for money or we felt the player was not coming here for the right reasons." This highlights the strategic management behind Wrexham's rise, balancing ambition with financial prudence amidst the Hollywood spotlight.
