Wrexham’s exploits since being bought by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have helped lift “the bonnet” on lower-league English football and boosted its popularity in the United States, former West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand told AFP.
The 40-year-old, who is now an ambassador for the Hammers, said Wrexham’s climb up the English Football League (EFL) pyramid had “opened people’s eyes across the pond on such a great league”.
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The Wales-based club have scarcely looked back since Reynolds and McElhenney’s surprise purchase of them for around £2 million ($2.7 million) in 2021.
Wrexham are just one promotion away from the Premier League after becoming the first club from the top five divisions of English football to secure three consecutive promotions.
Ferdinand has been a keen follower of football in the US since West Ham played in the 2008 MLS All-Star game against a team featuring David Beckham.
He cites CBS Sports’ four-year contract to broadcast 250 EFL and League Cup matches a season until the end of the 2027-28 campaign as evidence of the impact Wrexham have had.
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“I think what Wrexham have definitely done is open people’s eyes to outside the Premier League,” he told AFP in an interview.
“So for people, especially Americans who only see really the Premier League, Wrexham has allowed people to look underneath the bonnet, which is the Football League.
“It is the reason why the Premier League is so great.”
But Ferdinand believes lifting trophies and reaching the pinnacle of the English game should not be the only barometer of success, and is a champion of grassroots football.
Ferdinand, who played over 130 times for West Ham, said a recent visit to the US highlighted to him how broad a cross-section of American youth are interested in the sport.
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Ferdinand ran an assembly and football clinic in May for over 150 students at Washington Elementary school in Kearny, New Jersey.
“The Premier League is massive for them over there, you know, and I can certainly see the way it’s changed over the years,” he said.
“You know, it’s not just one demographic of people that like soccer, it’s becoming more diverse.
“A lot more different generations that want to tap into it.”
– Similar backgrounds –
Ferdinand, who played 17 times for England’s Under-21s, also visited a local club called Ironbound, who provide opportunities for players of all backgrounds to participate and forge a career in football.
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One barrier to entry though is prohibitive costs, which in some cases can be as much as $5,000 just to register a child to play. That is before factoring in travel expenses for matches in other states.
Ferdinand’s family may be football royalty — brother Rio and cousin Les both played for England and went to World Cups — but that has been achieved by hard graft.
He saw similarities between his background and the youngsters he met at Ironbound, based in Newark.
“It wasn’t a well-to-do area,” he said.
“It was similar to where we grew up, and there’s a lot of challenges that come with growing up in places like Peckham (London).
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“We have a lot of decisions that need to be made and the wrong decision, if we’re being quite frank, could end up being the wrong one for you in terms of life.”
West Ham are a historic club and their community-based ethos, Ferdinand says, is the reason why there are over 40 official fan clubs spread over the US.
“I’m indebted to West Ham United because they allowed me to be Anton Ferdinand, not Rio’s brother,” he said.
“If I never had that, I probably would never have made it.”
Ferdinand says he can also relate to the ‘American dream’.
“You know there’s a lot of similarities for me with these kids,” he said.
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“We talked about the American dream and I had my own West Ham dream, which was to play for the club I supported and loved as a kid.
“I was able to fulfil it.
“For them it’s going to be a rollercoaster of a ride, but it’s how you deal with adversity and stuff that comes your way, whether it’s good or bad.”
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