What’s it like to be a player in the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ fishbowl?
Lots of Americans watch the Welsh soccer team thanks to Philly native Rob Mac’s popular TV show. But actually playing for the Red Dragons is its own experience.
If you watch the popular “Welcome to Wrexham” TV show, you might think you’ve gotten to know the Welsh soccer team’s players. And if you’re in Philadelphia, local favorite Rob Mac’s role as part-owner offers another reason to watch.
But the scenes that unfold are real life, with real players in a real English soccer league. They actually live through everything others watch from their couches.
That will happen again Sunday, albeit in exhibition form, when Wrexham plays Sunderland of the Premier League at Subaru Park (noon, ESPN). It’s Wrexham’s second visit to Mac’s hometown, three years after the first included a friendly against the Union’s reserves.
What’s life in the fishbowl actually like? Centerback Max Cleworth knows better than most. Though he’s just 23, he has been with Wrexham since his youth days and has been with the first team since 2019 — a span in which the Red Dragons have earned historic promotions from the fifth-tier National League to the second-tier Championship.
“It’s been pretty surreal, to be fair,” Cleworth told The Inquirer. “When I first heard of it, it was probably just over six years ago now, it was a bit like I didn’t believe it, wasn’t sure. And then, obviously, the cameras come in, and I remember the lads at the time were a bit unsure of the whole thing.”
American sports fans are accustomed to behind-the-scenes shows, such as NFL Films’ famed Hard Knocks series. There are countless others these days, including in American soccer.
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But they are rarer abroad. Locker rooms traditionally aren’t open to the media in the world’s game the way they are in many U.S. sports (including MLS), and that’s especially true in Europe. So it took some convincing to make this show happen.
These days, Cleworth said, Wrexham’s players are used to having cameras around all the time.
“At first it was a bit strange, especially because of the level we were at — it’s [the] National League, not much coverage of that sort of league at all,” he said. “It’s gotten better over the years, but it was really a small amount of coverage. And then as you go up the leagues, the cameras become more and more, and the publicity becomes even bigger. So it’s something I’ve gotten used to, certainly, and something I’ve quite enjoyed, to be fair.”
This season will be Wrexham’s second straight in the Championship, a level they hadn’t previously reached since 2004. Last year, they finished a remarkable seventh in the 24-team standings, just two points short of the playoffs for promotion to the Premier League.
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“I think we surprised a few people coming into last year,” Cleworth said. “The people we signed, the squad we had, we knew we’d always have a good chance, and the success we’ve had, we had that momentum that we just wanted to keep pushing and we knew how high we could finish. Obviously, everyone was a bit down after the last game of the season, but that’s past us now, and I think we’re certainly looking to be up near the top again going into this season.”
It’s a wild rise for sure, even though cynics have pointed at the big sums of money (and, of course, publicity) offered by Mac, fellow celebrity co-owner Ryan Reynolds, and the sponsors they’ve attracted.
This has led to a lot of roster turnover along the way, though that isn’t as much of a surprise. No one would expect too many fifth-tier players to be as good many levels higher.
So it’s a compliment to Cleworth that he has made it all the way. He played 45 games last season, chipping in three goals along with his defensive work.
“There’s been kind of an unwritten policy here that the gaffer only signs good people first,” he said, using England’s slang term for manager in referring to Phil Parkinson. “So, in that sense, it’s made easier because I’ve never had to share the changing room with what would be considered a bad lad or anything. … I’ve just tried to work hard every day and see it as a challenge to stay within a big part of the group, and I’d like to think I’ve done that over the last few years.”
As for Mac and Reynolds, Cleworth said he has met them “a lot of times,” including at parties to celebrate promotions.
“They have the fame that comes with them, but they’re two really down-to-earth and humble people that do anything they can to help not only us as individuals, but as a collective,” he said. “I have a really good relationship with both of them, and am looking forward to seeing them.”
And yes, he knows about Mac’s rabid Eagles fandom.
“He hasn’t complained too much to me, to be fair,” Cleworth said. “I know a bit about the NBA — my NFL knowledge is a bit worse.”
