Wrexham finished off their preseason tour of the United States Friday night in Philadelphia. The Welsh side completed their final friendly stateside with a 1-1 draw against Philadelphia Union II. While the Red Dragons performed well during their four games on their US tour, the club also succeeded off of the pitch as well.
Preseason friendly results rarely mean much for teams. However, after losing to Chelsea, Wrexham managed to beat LA Galaxy II and Manchester United academy teams fairly easily. Along with the aforementioned draw, the League Two team can hold their heads high after wrapping up their U.S. tour. Nevertheless, the best thing to come out of the excursion was the fact that Wrexham helped grow their fanbase across the pond.
Wrexham’s USA tour attendance surpasses 50,000 for game vs Chelsea
Despite being a relatively small Welsh club, Wrexham helped attract an impressive amount of fans to their games this summer. In fact, the average attendance during their four friendlies was 27,599. This was highlighted by over 50,000 supporters filling the seats during a matchup with Chelsea in North Carolina.
Held at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill football stadium, the friendly was an overwhelming success off of the pitch. The university is expected to net a six-figure profit for hosting the match featuring Wrexham. “We were hoping for a sellout and we got it,” Clint Gwaltney, senior associate athletics director at UNC, stated after the game. “We’re still riding the high of the success of the event.”
Welsh club felt the love in Philadelphia
Being able to play against Chelsea and Manchester United certainly helped increase these attendance figures. However, the figures from the two domestic B team matches are also very impressive as well. An estimated 15,000 fans showed up to watch Wrexham take on Philadelphia Union II.
Playing a match in the City of Brotherly Love this summer made sense for multiple reasons. Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney is from the city and stars in the hit show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The city is essentially the adopted American home of the club. With the tour now complete, Wrexham now return to their actual home in Wales to prepare for the new season. For instance, The Red Dragons face Wigan Athletic on August 8th, live on ESPN+.
Average attendance during Wrexham preseason friendlies in the U.S.:
Wrexham-Chelsea – 50,596
Wrexham-Man United academy – 34,248
Wrexham-LA Galaxy II – 10,553
Wrexham-Philadelphia Union II – 15,000 (estimated)
In total, that’s 110,397 paying fans who came out to watch Wrexham this summer in the United States.
