Wrexham’s Australian Tour Highlights Club’s Dramatic Transformation
MELBOURNE, Australia — Fresh from securing a historic third-successive promotion, Wrexham AFC has commenced its first-ever preseason tour of Australia and New Zealand, with the next challenge being a season in the English Championship. For Wayne Jones, a fan favourite from the “Welcome to Wrexham” docuseries, the trip marks a stark contrast to his last visit two decades ago.
In 2005, Jones was concluding a two-year backpacking journey across the country, taking on odd jobs from picking bananas in Tully to factory work in Perth. Simultaneously, his beloved club faced a bleak future, becoming the first Football League team to receive a 10-point deduction for entering administration, a crisis that ultimately led to relegation and nearly saw the club dissolve.
Fast forward to today, and the landscape has been completely reshaped. Now owned by Hollywood actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, the Red Dragons are preparing for their first season in England’s second tier since 1982. Jones, the landlord of the now-famous Turf pub, has also found himself in the global spotlight thanks to the documentary chronicling the club’s incredible resurgence.
“To be back here, two decades to the year, now a Championship club with very good owners who want nothing but the best for the club… it’s a vast contrast to where we were,” Jones said. “It’s literally one end of the scale to the other. My life has clearly changed. I’m walking down the street and people recognise the shirt.”
This newfound fame is a world away from his previous experience. “When I spoke to anybody here 20 years ago, I was saying ‘I live in Wales, which is next to England.’ The town didn’t have much to shout about,” he recalled. “Now we get stopped everywhere. Everybody recognises the badge. They didn’t know us 20 years ago, but they certainly do now.”
As part of their tour, the Welsh side is set to face A-League Men’s outfit Melbourne Victory at Marvel Stadium. However, the four-time Australian champions are just one week into their own preseason and will be significantly understrength.
Several key figures, including Socceroos Kasey Bos, Daniel Arzani, and Ryan Teague, have departed for European clubs during the offseason. Furthermore, coach Arthur Diles has confirmed that other key contributors—Nishan Velupillay, Reno Piscopo, Franco Lino, and Lachlan Jackson—will also miss the match.
Ahead of the game, Wrexham unveiled its new home kit for the 2025-26 campaign, which draws inspiration from the strip worn the last time the club competed in the English second-tier, earning an appreciative nod from Jones. “I get sort of Joey Jones vibes about it,” he noted.
