Crawley Town and Wrexham to star in global TV series following football minnows’ Premier League dream

TV cameras will follow Crawley Town’s first season with crypto-investor owners whilst Disney Plus goes behind-the-scenes with the Ryan Reynolds-owned Wrexham FC

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Crawley Town’s new Adidas jersey – the club will see kit NFTs under new owners WAGMI United (image – Crawley Town Twitter)

By Adam SherwinArts and Media Correspondent

They are subject to tales worthy of a Hollywood screenwriter, so it’s no real surprise that Crawley Town and Wrexham football clubs will star in shows for a global TV audience following their new owners’ pledge to turn the lower league minnows into Premier League giants.

US cryptocurrency investors Wagmi United, who bought League Two club Crawley in April, have agreed an access-all-areas deal for TV cameras to follow the club and its players, as it introduces a “pioneering” new ownership model.

Viewers who buy Crawley’s new NFT Adidas kit collection will be able to vote on new player signings in the documentary from Wall To Wall, the company behind the hit BBC series, Who Do You Think You Are?

Streaming giants and terrestrial channels are in discussions to screen the show following its takeover by Wagmi, a consortium of crypto investors, lawyers and “influencers”.

It believes the series will help build a new worldwide “fan community” for the Sussex team.

Meanwhile, Disney Plus will next month air Welcome To Wrexham, a fly-on-the-wall documentary series following the Welsh club’s first season after its takeover by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Cameras will continue to follow the National League team which Deadpool star Reynolds believes can rise from football’s fifth tier to the top flight.

Wagmi are selling the same Premiership dream to Crawley’s fanbase, which remains sceptical despite the consortium promising to empower supporters with a “real voice” in team decision making.

Cameras will film regular “fan council” meetings with the owners, who have promised that their own positions will be subject to a supporters’ vote if they fail to deliver promotion from League One.

Behind-the-scenes sports documentaries are driving subscriptions to streaming platforms.

Arsenal are the latest big name club to lay bare their internal workings for Amazon Prime’s All Or Nothing series, while Netflix’s candid Drive To Survive series, following the F1 circus, is credited with introducing the sport to a new generation of viewers.

It has been embraced by drivers and teams for giving hitherto unimaginable access to fans.

Preston Johnson, co-founder of Wagmi United, said: “There are some traditional sports teams that claim to be ‘community-owned’. But what do fans actually get? A piece of paper they can frame on their wall?

“We think they deserve more than that. We want Crawley Town FC to be a community club that reaches anyone with an internet connection.”

Wagmi United, which stands for “We’re All Gonna Make It”, is known to have received investment from leading figures in the Web3 movement.