Wrexham guilty of hypocrisy as Ryan Reynolds’ pledge undermined by 37-minute flight

Wrexham took a short-haul flight on a private jet to a game against Wycombe four days before Ryan Reynolds visited the United Nations to trumpet the club signing up to an environmental pledge

Wrexham’s rapid rise up the divisions under their Hollywood owners is coming at a heavy environmental cost, with the club guilty of chartering polluting short-haul flights. Wrexham picked up a crucial 1-0 win over fellow League One promotion hopefuls Wycombe on March 15, having taken a 37-minute flight to the game.

The Welsh side are operating on a different level to many of their opponents as they look to secure a third straight promotion, with owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney fully committed to funding their rise.

The increased interest, thanks to the Hollywood actors and the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series, has seen the club’s annual turnover jump by over 155 per cent to £26.7million.

That financial might manifested itself in the high-profile signings of strikers Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez for £2m in the January transfer window. But it is also evident in the way the team travels to away games, with the recent trip to Wycombe a shocking example of the lengths the team will go to get an edge.

READ MORE: Ryan Reynolds told Wrexham star tipped for Premier League could fetch club-record feeREAD MORE: Wrexham’s US revenue compared to UK becomes clear as huge wage bill figure emerges

Research by campaign group Fossil Free Football has revealed that Wrexham chartered a private jet to whisk them to Wycombe for the all-important match. The plane, which is operated by Blue Islands, flew empty from Jersey to pick up the team at Hawarden Airport, just north of Wrexham, then flew them down to Oxford Airport, around 150 miles away.

The chartered jet then flew back to its base in the Channel Islands, before returning to Oxford the following morning to fly the team up north and, finally, heading back to Jersey.

Altogether the plane flew 1,155 miles in just over five hours of flight time, including the four positioning flights – all to avoid Wrexham having to drive just over three hours in each direction on a coach.

The situation is made all the more ridiculous by the fact that Hawarden Airport is 20 minutes from Wrexham and Oxford Airport is 45 minutes from Wycombe’s Adams Park. That means that the 37-minute flight would only have saved the team a maximum of an hour and a half, compared with taking the coach.

Experts have previously told Mirror Football that short-haul flights are around 25 to 30 times worse for the environment than taking a coach. Wrexham did not respond to numerous requests for comment.

Wrexham have previous for taking short-haul flights, with BBC Sport revealing in 2023 that the team took 16 domestic flights, with an average time in the air of just 43 minutes, when they won the 2022/23 National League title.

Their latest disregard for the environmental impacts of their travel choices came four days before they trumpeted their commitment to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Reynolds and club directors Humphrey Ker and Shaun Harvey were among the executives to visit the UN in New York earlier this month to sign up the Football for the Goals initiative, which includes a commitment to sustainability policies and practices and climate action.

“Football at all levels is threatened by increased rainfall and flooding directly linked to the burning of fossil fuels,” said Peter Crisp from Fossil Free Football. “So there just can’t be room in the sport for short haul, ultra polluting and totally avoidable flights.

“If fans can travel a few hours to a match by coach or train, then so can teams like Wrexham, especially when they are also talking about positive impact and sustainability at the United Nations.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.