Reynolds and Mac sell stake in Wrexham AFC to major sport investors
Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds have sold part of Championship football club Wrexham AFC to Apollo Sports Capital.
The sports investment company recently acquired a majority stake in LaLiga giants Atletico Madrid and will now add a minority holding in the Welsh team – Reynolds and Mac will continue as controlling owners.
Reynolds and Mac reportedly owned 85 per cent of the club before the stake sale to Apollo.
Apollo Sports Capital’s investment will also include financing for the redevelopment of Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground, which the owners hope will be included in a successful Home Nations bid for the 2035 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
Apollo’s Lee Solomon said that “Wrexham is on an incredible journey,” adding that “we are thrilled to be a part of it and to support the Club, the Wrexham community and Rob and Ryan.
“This is a multi-faceted investment where Apollo Sports Capital can provide long-term, patient capital to help Wrexham reach its goals.”
Wrexham have enjoyed three consecutive promotions in the years following Reynolds and Mac’s acquisition in 2021, and are currently 12th in the second-tier Championship. They were advised on the deal by Gibson Dunn, led by Stefan dePozsgay.
Latham, who worked on recent investments in Brentford and Rangers, advised Apollo.
Apollo Sports Capital has reportedly lent £80m to Premier League side Nottingham Forest, leveraged partly against the club’s City Ground stadium, which could be expanded to 50,000 seats in the near future after plans were unveiled last week.
The sports investment vehicle, according to the Financial Times, lent horse racing fan and football agent Kia Joorabchian’s Sports Invest Holdings £40m at an interest rate of 10.25 per cent.
Not first Wrexham stake sale
In October last year Wrexham announced a minority investment by the Allyn family, behind a well-known US medical device company, of New York through Red Dragon Ventures LLC, a joint venture between the wealthy Americans and Wrexham’s Hollywood owners.
And they have enjoyed a healthy roster of international sponsors, including United Airlines, HP, Meta Quest and M&S Food.
Wrexham AFC co-chairmen Mac and Reynolds said: “The dream has always been to take this club to the Premier League while staying true to the town.
“Growth like that takes world-class partners who share our vision and ambition, and Apollo absolutely does. We have known Al Tylis, the chief of Apollo Sports Capital, for many years and are thrilled to now have ASC join the Wrexham family as we take the next step forward together.”
Apollo has around $900bn of assets under management across a number of sectors with Tylis, co-chairman of Mexican Club Necaxa, part of the group that invested in Colombian top division side La Equidad alongside Reynolds and Mac.
Tylis reportedly held a small investment in Wrexham ahead of the Apollo announcement.
Wrexham’s first match since the announcement will see them travel to Hull City on Wednesday before hosting Watford at the weekend ahead of a Welsh derby with Swansea before Christmas.