Wrexham sells minority stake to Apollo Sports Capital
Welsh football club Wrexham AFC has sold a minority stake to Apollo Sports Capital, the United States private equity firm that also holds a majority interest in Spanish giants Atletico Madrid. The investment marks a new phase in the club’s rapid rise through the English football pyramid under the ownership of Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The deal, announced in December, brings together one of sport’s most unconventional ownership stories with a major global alternative asset manager. Reynolds and McElhenney, who purchased Wrexham in February 2021 for about $2.5 million, will remain majority owners. Apollo’s role is to provide long term capital to support stadium redevelopment and the club’s ambition of reaching the Premier League.
Central to the agreement is funding for the ongoing transformation of the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham’s historic home and the world’s oldest international football stadium still in use. The club is building a new Kop stand that will increase capacity to more than 18,000 seats, with completion scheduled for summer 2026.
Lee Solomon, a partner at Apollo and co-portfolio manager of Apollo Sports Capital, described the move as a long term commitment. He said the firm aims to supply patient capital to help Wrexham meet its sporting objectives while contributing to the continued renewal of local infrastructure and the surrounding economy.
Reynolds and McElhenney said their goal remains unchanged. In a joint statement, they said the ambition has always been to take the club to the Premier League without losing its connection to the city. They added that growth at this scale requires world class partners who share their vision and long term outlook.
Apollo’s involvement in Wrexham follows closely on its announcement that it will acquire a majority stake of between 51 and 55 percent in Atletico Madrid, in a deal that reportedly values the Spanish club at €2.5 billion. That transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026. Apollo Sports Capital, launched in September 2025, has said it plans to deploy roughly $6 billion across the global sports and live events ecosystem.
According to sources cited by Bloomberg, Apollo’s stake in Wrexham is just under 10 percent and includes a seat on the club’s board. The valuation is reported to have approached £350 million, potentially placing it among the highest pre money valuations recorded for a Championship club.
Founded in 1864, Wrexham has secured three consecutive promotions since Reynolds and McElhenney took control. The club is currently sixth in the Championship, occupying a playoff position. Before last season’s promotion, Wrexham had not competed at this level since 1982.
The latest investment follows an earlier minority stake sale to the Allyn family of New York in October 2024. That transaction drew scrutiny because Wrexham had also received around £18 million in non repayable grants from the Welsh government for stadium redevelopment, prompting debate about the role of public funding alongside private capital in the club’s expansion.
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