Wrexham women share the 2022/2023 season spotlight with the men

Wrexham women should be more than an afterthought

Hearing the name Wrexham undoubtedly brings to mind a Cinderella story of promotion (at long last), Super Paul Mullin, a standing ovation worthy FA Cup run, pints shared in sorrow and cheer at The Turf pub, and a whirlwind ride led by Deadpool and “the other guy.” In other words, you think of the men’s team.

Meanwhile, amidst all the season-long promotion hullabaloo of “will they won’t they,” the Wrexham women’s team was quietly demolishing everyone in their path.

As recently as 1970, women’s soccer was banned in the UK. As the English national team and Women’s Super League have proven, the talent still very much exists, but the resources and support are in need of rebuilding.

While the men’s team laments over the lack of funding to build a new Kop to house additional fans in an already 10,000+ capacity stadium, the women’s team can hear the sing-song voices of two little girls standing on the sidelines among a sparse friends and family dominated crowd. It’s not a lack of interest from spectators, they just physically have nowhere to sit.

While the men’s team spent hundreds of thousands re-turfing their pitch…twice, the women are slogging their way through an uneven strip of muddy grass outside of town.

All the while, the women’s team was bringing in results equal to the men’s, ultimately gaining promotion in the same year.

Credit to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, they’re supporting the women’s side as well as the men’s with money, in-person support, and worldwide exposure through the documentary. A well-deserved investment in a group of women who live and breathe soccer in between their full-time, paying jobs, and who exude a fiery passion and pride in their hometown.

For a second I was so inspired I thought I might lace up my boots, fly back to Iceland where I’d last played, and see who’d like to offer me a contract. Then I remembered my knees hurt and preseason fitness and body fat testing are the worst, so I said never mind and sat back down to finish this article.

This is the era of women’s soccer getting its due, and with a nudge from well-liked Hollywood owners with substantial money and a seemingly endless supply of humorous quips, the Wrexham women’s squad is sure to make waves in the Adran Premier League and beyond.