Rob McElhenney complains about UK soccer regulations and feels Wrexham women are underpaid

Rob McElhenney has slammed the UK's soccer regulations for limiting wages for Wrexham's women's team.

By topping the Adran North during the 2022-23 season, Wrexham's women's team earned a promotion to Adran Premier - the top league of women's soccer in Wales. But they had to apply for a Tier 1 license to allow the team to complete in the league.

In a landmark move last season, Wrexham awarded 10 semi-professional contracts to players on its women's team - becoming the first club in north Wales to have a semi-pro set-up. Yet, despite such strides, stringent regulations continue to cap player salaries.

McElhenney, who co-owns Wrexham with Ryan Reynolds , expressed his frustration on the matter during the new series of "Welcome to Wrexham". "You have limits on what you're allowed to pay them," said the Hollywood actor.

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McElhenney sarcastically added in reference to the FA (English Football Association) and FAW (Football Association Wales): "Just another one of the really fun UK regulations in football that hold you back from doing some of the things that you want to do."

McElhenney and Reynolds are not just dreaming of Premier League glory for Wrexham's men's squad; they're also on a mission to elevate their women's team to global prominence. They're committed to offering sustainable salaries, allowing the players to dedicate themselves entirely to the sport, thereby boosting Wrexham's prospects.

"We fully and wholeheartedly believe that this is a club that can become one of the best women's teams in the world," McElhenney said on the documentary series.

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McElhenney and Reynolds became committed to investing in Wrexham's women's team after taking over the club in February 2021. McElhenney admitted during the second season of the docuseries: "We didn’t know that there was a women’s team in Wrexham until we took stewardship of the club and recognized that there was a program that was in place."

Following a triumphant moment for the women's team during the 2022-23 season, co-owner McElhenney shared heartfelt words with the players. He told them: "Ryan and I have been talking quite a bit about how we want to prioritise this program.

"For so many reasons in the past it hasn’t been. You’re all very important to us and we want to continue to support you. If you keep winning it makes it a lot easier."

The duo, along with Reynolds' wife Blake Lively had already shown their support before the team achieved semi-pro status. Lively backed the women's squad through her beverage brand Betty Buzz, which adorned the left sleeve of their match shirts.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.