Wrexham players Ben Sheaf and Josh Windass (Credit: NEX)
Josh Windass and Ben Sheaf have stepped away from the pitch for an unusual Wrexham AFC assignment, joining co-chairmen Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac for a mock player interview in Nex Playground’s latest campaign.
The Wrexham pair sit alongside the club’s owners as part of a four-man panel tasked with assessing a potential new signing. There is a twist, however, because the candidate is not another Championship footballer but a young Nex Playground player.
The campaign was released this week and marks the first time Reynolds and Mac have appeared for Nex since the active gaming company announced its partnership with Wrexham earlier this year.
Windass and Sheaf join unusual Wrexham recruitment panel
The advert, created in collaboration with Maximum Effort, borrows the language and pressure of football recruitment and applies it to a completely different type of player. Windass and Sheaf play along as Reynolds and Mac lead the interview.
The panel makes it clear that Wrexham have no interest in being “mid-table” before telling the youngster they need her to be “ruthless”. When asked for the meanest thing she has ever said, she instead writes something down and slides it across the table.
The contents are not revealed, but the reactions from the four interviewers do the job. The youngster eventually gets the verdict she was waiting for: “Welcome to the squad.”
For Windass and Sheaf, it is a rare off-field assignment since becoming part of Wrexham’s Championship squad. Their involvement also gives the campaign a genuine first-team connection beyond simply putting Reynolds and Mac in front of the cameras.
Nex takes Wrexham partnership beyond shirt sponsorship
Nex became Wrexham’s official active gaming partner and shirt sleeve sponsor in June, with its branding appearing on both the men’s and women’s first-team shirts for the 2026/27 season.
The new campaign takes that relationship beyond conventional sponsorship. By bringing two first-team players together with the co-chairmen, Nex has built its promotion directly around Wrexham and the recruitment narrative that has accompanied the club’s rise through the divisions.
Nex Playground uses motion-controlled games designed to encourage active play, with its Play Pass catalogue continuing to expand. The campaign also coincides with Sonic Forces joining Play Pass on 7 October.
Windass and Sheaf are accustomed to competing for places in an ambitious Wrexham squad. This time, they are sitting on the other side of the recruitment table and helping decide whether somebody else has what it takes to join the team.
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