Birmingham City and Wrexham have seen an audacious plan to play this season’s League One fixture in America blocked by the Football League.
The two clubs - both under Stateside ownership - made the approach to re-schedule their games across the Pond to take advantage of ‘increased commercial opportunities.’
Birmingham are owned by Knighthead Capital - a New York-based investment fund that specialises in turning around troubled companies - while the north Wales club are under the stewardship of Hollywood icons Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
It is understood that the relationship between NFL superstar Tom Brady and Ryan Reynolds was integral to the plan. Brady is a minority investor at St Andrew’s, having been brought on board by Knighthead with whom he shares a close business relationship.
While Reynolds, along with Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney, has overseen back-to-back promotions in north Wales and has leveraged his notoriety to secure a Disney-backed documentary on the club. A source close to the Second City club confirmed that a conversation had taken place between the relevant parties.
While it appears the EFL didn’t have any issue with a friendly fixture being played on American soil, it vetoed the possibility of any league fixture being played outside the country. The idea received a muted response from Neil Cotterell, chair of Birmingham City’s supporters’ trust.
He said: “While I can see an idea like this could have commercial benefits and increase the profile of the club, there is a risk of alienating regular match-going fans and it could also have wider implications for the Football League. It seems to me that any such idea would be at an early stage and hopefully the club would engage with fans before pursuing further.
“I think of much more interest to supporters could be a pre-season friendly in the US which could still have commercial benefits.”
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