Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have hooked up again with their favourite trailer maker.
Ifor Williams Trailers have signed a new deal to continue as the shorts sponsor of Wrexham AFC which is co-owned by the A-list stars.
The agreement was announced as the historic club – the third oldest in the world – prepares for life back in the English Football League after more than a decade in the non-league doldrums.
The holy grail of promotion was achieved after two years of having the superstar duo at the helm – as well as shrewd management by Phil Parkinson, the match-winning goals of hotshot Paul Mullin and a last gasp penalty save by former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster.
But the relationship between the club and Ifor Williams Trailers, with five advanced manufacturing plants in Denbighshire and Deeside, goes back even further.
Europe’s largest trailer maker first started backing Wrexham in 2016 when it was a much less glamorous prospect and they are now the longest serving kit sponsor.
The company stayed true to the club and the fans through the dark days of the pandemic and pledged to continue sponsoring the club even when matches were not being played during lockdown, helping it to remain financially afloat.
Then came the story that was so incredible it would have been too outlandish for a Hollywood script, with Rob and Ryan pitching to buy the club.
And when they announced the successful takeover in 2020 they kicked it off with a hilarious spoof video masquerading as a sales pitch for IWT’s famous horseboxes.
Many of the staff who work there are diehard fans and were thrilled to see the video going viral with more than five million views worldwide.
For the past two years Ifor Williams Trailers have been the club’s official shorts sponsor, having previously been the main front of shirt sponsor.
The shorts deal has now been extended for another year and the firm will remain as the club’s official trailer partner.
Carole Williams, Director of Ifor Williams Trailers, said: “A huge number of our staff across all our sites are diehard Wrexham supporters and they are living the dream, having enjoyed and endured every twist and turn of last season which ended so dramatically with Wrexham finally getting back to the promised land of league football.
“The reason we started sponsoring the club back in 2016 was that its community based values were a perfect fit for our own ethos.
“Although many things have changed since Rob and Ryan took over, those core values are still embedded and are at the heart of Wrexham.
“This is the beginning of a new golden era for this historic club and we can now dream of climbing up through the leagues, hopefully all the way to the Premiership.”
It was a red letter day for lifelong Wrexham fan Rhys Davies, manager of IWT’s Deeside site, when he was told about the new sponsorship deal.
He said: “This is wonderful news. I’m a massive Wrexham fan so I can’t stop smiling, I’m over the moon with it.
“The glory years of Wrexham saw us in the old Second Division, now known as the Championship. Hopefully, we can go one better now and reach the Premiership. The fanbase is there. We’re living the dream.
“We’d love to welcome teams like Manchester United and Liverpool to the Racecourse. You want to fill the ground and get that atmosphere as it was back in the 70s and 80s. That’s what the fans want and that’s what they deserve.”
Wrexham AFC Club Captain Ben Tozer said: “We’re really pleased that Ifor Williams Trailers are carrying on as short sponsors for another year. It’s fantastic for the club.
“It’s not just Rob and Ryan and the players on the pitch that helped the team go up. It’s the fans, it’s the sponsors, it’s the staff and everyone else as well – so having good sponsors and us wearing the kit with pride is a big thing.“
Wrexham AFC CEO Fleur Robinson added: “We are pleased to be able to continue our long-standing association with Ifor Williams Trailers, who have been a valued sponsor of the Football Club since 2016.
“Like the Football Club, Ifor Williams Trailers remains a company with local roots and a global reach, with an ethos that fits perfectly with our own.”
