Ryan Reynolds has explained why Wrexham AFC and the Racecourse Ground still feel real to him during Welcome to Wrexham Season 5 Episode 7, Touching Grass, as the club’s story continues to reach far beyond North Wales.
The Wrexham co-owner spoke in the episode about the contrast between online life and the feeling of being connected to a place, a club and its supporters.
The W2W episode also followed Wrexham’s Championship playoff push, including the away win at Sheffield United, the heavy home defeat to Southampton and the loss at Birmingham City.
For many Wrexham fans, the strongest part was not about celebrity ownership or global attention. It was Reynolds explaining why the Racecourse Ground gives him something the internet cannot.
Ryan Reynolds explains what makes Wrexham real
Ryan Reynolds said the club has changed how he thinks about attention, online life and being present.
“I think we live in a world where there are two very different and distinct realities. There’s a digital reality and then there’s a real reality. That’s the one that we live and breathe every single day.”
His comments in Welcome To Wrexham S5E7 built towards a wider point about the role Wrexham now plays in his life.
“Anything that is digital or online, I feel like it has an asterisk, it’s not real. I am exponentially happier, and I’m exponentially better at my life and my job when I unhook and I kind of take part in the world.”
He then tied the thought directly back to Wrexham:
“Wrexham AFC is now and has always been a form of touching grass for me. Even thinking about Wrexham, watching Wrexham from New York, you know, play at matches, touching grass, you know. I look forward to it all week.”
The Racecourse Ground message Wrexham fans will recognise
The most powerful moment came when Reynolds spoke about the physical sensation of being inside the Racecourse Ground.
“If you feel that energy in the stadium, if you go and you put your feet and your hands in that grass, I mean, it’s real. Everything about that is real.”
He also revealed that he still has grass from his first visit to the stadium, a small detail that showed how personal the connection has become.
“That entire bowl in there of folks, all four sides, three right now, but four again soon, you know, that is a place where everybody goes where they all feel true togetherness and really kind of be present. There’s very few places like that on Earth. It ain’t in your phone, it ain’t in a comment section.”
That line matters because Wrexham’s audience has grown far beyond North Wales, but the club is still measured most honestly by the people who fill the ground every week.
Later in the episode, Rob McElhenney made a similar point about those who have been around the club longest.
“One of the things I love about being cochairman of this football club is meeting the people who stick around the longest. They’re not in the headlines, they’ve seen it all, and they understand it. And when the noise gets loud, they keep us all grounded.”
The wider Championship context of the episode was difficult at times, with pressure rising during the playoff race and criticism following poor results.
Yet Reynolds’ message was still positive for Wrexham supporters. The club has become a global story, but his words showed that he understands where its real strength remains.
It is still in the ground, in the town and in the shared experience of being there.
About The Author
