Sports
In Exeter, a match to show how Reynolds and McElhenney have supercharged Wrexham’s rise
At the end of a week when the true impact of Hollywood coming to Wrexham was laid bare by a balance sheet containing almost as many new records as music store HMV, it felt appropriate that the Welsh club should make the long trip to Exeter City.
The Devon club are in their 21st season of fan ownership, the same model that kept Wrexham afloat for more than a decade before Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney rode into town.
Like Saturday’s 2-0 victors, Exeter had a stint in the National League — five years in their case, between 2003 and 2008 — after being taken to the brink of financial ruin by previous owners.
Today, though, the Devon club is rightly considered one of the best-run in the EFL, making the most of limited resources to establish themselves as a League One outfit. Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson is certainly a fan.
“This is a good club and it’s total respect over the job they’ve done,” he says. “I love their story with the fan-owned situation and how, like ourselves, this club has had tough times but kept themselves going.”
Exeter’s mid-table standing these past three years is no mean feat in a division that has seen them go up against some relative behemoths, with Birmingham City the latest member of the Premier League alumni to visit St James Park after Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County, Ipswich Town and Portsmouth had all made the trip to the south west.
Wrexham may never have played higher than the second tier in their history, but this week’s revelation about the huge £26.7million turnover generated by last season’s League Two promotion at the STōK Cae Ras means they can be added to any list of League One clubs with exceptional financial muscle.
To put that figure — which is likely to have risen slightly for the current campaign — into context, Portsmouth, champions of this division in 2023-24, raked in £13.6m over the same financial period and runners-up Derby £19.4m.
Exeter’s accounts for the last full financial year are not yet available, but in 2022-23, annual turnover at St James Park stood at £5.8m, including £1.39m in transfer revenue. A profit of £312,000 was made in a season when the club finished 14th in League One.
Such prudency, and in particular the nurturing of young talent to sell on for profit, has characterised this era of fan ownership at St James Park. In the absence of a major benefactor, it has had to.
Sell-on clauses are particularly important, providing Exeter with timely windfalls on top of the initial fees paid for the likes of Ollie Watkins and Ethan Ampadu, sold to Brentford and Chelsea respectively in 2017.
Just two summers ago, Ampadu’s switch from Stamford Bridge to Leeds United earned his boyhood club more than £1m. Jay Stansfield’s move from Fulham to Birmingham City also proved lucrative, with the sell-on clause in his 2019 transfer to Craven Cottage expected to bring in a further £2m.
Not so long ago, a similar level of husbandry seemed to be Wrexham’s only hope of a brighter future after years of mismanagement and poor decision-making had culminated in the fans riding to the rescue in 2011.
For the next decade, the supporters’ trust ran the show with the backing of around 4,000 members paying their annual subs.
On-field success proved just out of reach, Wrexham bagging 98 points in 2011-12, only to be pipped to the Conference title by Fleetwood Town and then losing to Newport County 12 months later in the play-off final. The irony of Fleetwood and, to a lesser extent, Newport both benefiting from a rich backer was lost on no one.
Off the field, however, the trust transformed a club initially losing £750,000 per year to one that was debt-free and had cash in the bank when bought by Reynolds and McElhenney in February 2021.
Once Hollywood had arrived in north Wales, spending restraints went out of the window as the new owners attempted to turbo-charge an escape from non-League via a series of loans.
This ambition remained once back in the EFL, albeit — as the latest set of accounts reveal — with Wrexham now being run along more sustainable lines.
An £11m wage bill in 2023-24 may be beyond the comprehension of not only last year’s League Two clubs, but also most of Wrexham’s divisional peers this time around.
Sealing the win from the spot 👏
🔴⚪️ #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/QpMqN85reC
— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) March 29, 2025
But it was made possible by that record-breaking turnover of £26.7m, raised in part by a seven-fold increase in sponsorship income to £13.1m, plus other substantial boosts to matchday and retail receipts.
This new-found sustainability on the back of such huge income levels also brings one very big benefit. Namely, how Wrexham — unlike others in League One, whose business model relies largely on selling players — can hang on to their best talent with a view to pushing even further up the leagues.
The performances of Max Cleworth and Arthur Okonkwo at this level have not gone unnoticed. The duo being calmness personified in the comfortable win over Gary Caldwell’s side will only have sharpened that interest.
Likewise how Sam Smith, Ollie Rathbone (who scored the game’s opener on Saturday), Ryan Longman, Lewis Brunt and George Dobson — all signed in the past 12 months amid a notable shift in recruitment policy that has started to bring the average age down and give the side more mobility — once again underlined their contribution to the promotion push.
The vast financial resources that have allowed Parkinson to recruit such talent mean there’s no real ceiling to how far the Welsh club can go. Unlike, perhaps, Exeter, due to the limitations of a fan-run setup that inevitably go with the commendable aspects, which on Saturday included a team of volunteers clearing rubbish from the stands within 15 minutes of the final whistle.
Wrexham are not fully there on the sustainability front. They did lose £2.7m in 2023-24 and a similar deficit is forecast for this season.
But, after all those years in north Wales of trying to make every pound do the work of a fiver as the supporters’ trust commendably kept the lights on, the time really has arrived for Wrexham to dream big.
(Top photo: Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
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For the first time in more than two decades, the Illinois men’s basketball team will still be dancing when the Final Four tips off.
Iowa’s underdog run in the NCAA Tournament ended Saturday with a 71-59 loss to a dominant Illinois team. Before Illinois could cut down the nets at Houston’s Toyota Center, a buzzer malfunction caused a loud, roughly 10-minute delay.
The buzzer initially sounded signaling the end of a media timeout with just under eight minutes remaining in the first half. The horn continued blaring for about another seven minutes.
A referee talks with the scorer’s table during an official’s timeout due to a broken shot clock horn during the first half of an Elite Eight game between Iowa and Illinois in the NCAA Tournament Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Players stood on the court ready to play for a couple of minutes before both teams started to warm up as the buzzer continued to sound.
It was finally silenced, to cheers from the crowd, but then the main scoreboard and video screen that hangs over the middle of the court went dark.
The game ultimately resumed with the big scoreboard still off. Two smaller scoreboards at each end of the arena were working.
Freshman guard Keaton Wagler scored 25 points to help secure Illinois’ first Final Four berth since 2005.
Keaton Wagler (23) of the Illinois Fighting Illini dribbles against Isaia Howard (23) of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center March 28, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
This will be the sixth overall trip to the Final Four for Illinois, which has never won a national title. The Fighting Illini will face either Duke or UConn next week in Indianapolis.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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BASEBALL
CITY SECTION
Palisades 2, North Hollywood 1
South Gate 5, Sun Valley Poly 4
SOUTHERN SECTION
Alta Loma 5, Schurr 3
Anaheim Canyon 6, Segerstrom 4
Beaumont 13, San Jacinto Valley Academy 3
Bethel Christian 15, United Christian Academy 1
Brea Olinda 8, Tustin 2
Buena Park 5, Savanna 3
Cajon 9, Granite Hills 5
Claremont 13, Littlerock 2
Compton 12, Compton Centennial 3
Covina 9, San Marino 6
El Segundo 13, Palos Verdes 4
Ganesha 13, Santa Ana Foothill 3
Golden Valley 9, Lancaster 8
Hesperia 8, Miller 7
Katella 6, Canyon Springs 3
La Serna 5, Alhambra 2
Linfield Christian 10, Woodbridge 0
Long Beach Cabrillo 17, Hawthorne 1
Montclair 2, Vista del Lago 0
Moorpark 16, Foothill Tech 11
Oxford Academy 7, Century 6
Rancho Mirage 1, Indian Springs 0
Rancho Verde 9, Riverside Poly 5
San Dimas 13, Irvine 2
Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 14, HMSA 11
Sonora 7, Long Beach Wilson 6
St. Paul 5, El Modena 3
Troy 5, Hacienda Heights Wilson 2
Valley View 16, Carter 10
Whittier Christian 9, Estancia 3
INTERSECTIONAL
Dominguez 13, King/Drew 2
Downers Grove 11, Santa Ana Calvary Chapel
Downtown Magnets 12, Long Beach Jordan 5
Inglewood 10, Stella 0
Layton 5, Schurr 4
Kentucky Trinity 5, St. John Bosco 0
Murrieta Valley 10, Galena 7
Orange Lutheran 7, Florida Venice 6
Santa Barbara 14, Douglas 6
Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 16, Collins Family 1
St. Bernard 7, San Diego University City 5
Tonopah 23, Lone Pine 8
SOFTBALL
CITY SECTION
San Fernando 5, LA Roosevelt 3
San Pedro 11, Legacy 1
Sun Valley Poly 8, LA Roosevelt 2
SOUTHERN SECTION
Alemany 9, Canyon Country Canyon 1
Burbank Burroughs 2, Rosary Academy 1
California 16, Whittier Christian 13
California 7, San Clemente 1
Camarillo 4, Chaminade 3
Camarillo 18, Rio Mesa 0
Capistrano Valley 9, Beckman 3
Chino Hills 15, Chino 3
Corona 10, Ridgecrest Burroughs 0
Crean Lutheran 11, Avalon 2
Crean Lutheran 13, Avalon 2
Edison 7, Crescenta Valley 5
Edison 2, Vasquez 1
Irvine 7, Long Beach Wilson 5
JSerra 2, Capistrano Valley 1
Leuzinger 11, Hawthorne 0
Marina 2, Los Alamitos 1
Mater Dei 10, Redondo Union 0
Mira Costa 9, Newport Harbor 3
Palos Verdes 2, Los Altos 1
Paraclete 11, Saugus 1
Rancho Mirage 14, Cathedral City 6
Rosary Academy 7, Fountain Valley 2
San Clemente 7, Whittier Christian 2
Simi Valley 7, West Ranch 1
Simi Valley 5, St. Bonaventure 5
St. Genevieve 7, Sacred Heart of Jesus 4
St. Paul 6, Warren 2
St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy d. Hoover, forfeit
Thousand Oaks 8, Rio Mesa 0
United Christian Academy 13, Bethel Christian 5
Vasquez 4, Woodbridge 0
Warren 5, La Serna 0
Westlake 4, St. Bonaventure 2
Westlake 0, Chaminade 0
Westlake 4, St. Bonaventure 2
West Ranch 10, Thousand Oaks 4
West Torrance 6, Hart 0
INTERSECTIONAL
Alemany 11, Arleta 1
Arleta 10, Canyon Country Canyon 8
Downey 6, Legacy 0
Downey 10, San Pedro 0
Granada Hills 8, La Serna 5
Muir 8, San Fernando 4
Muir 12, Sun Valley Poly 3
San Luis Obispo 7, Torres 6
St. Paul 8, Granada Hills 4
Sports
‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin avenges Olympic disappointment with backflip for third straight world title
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It seems like Ilia Malinin, the “Quad God,” has done a nice job of moving on from his Olympic heartbreak.
Last month, the 21-year-old Team USA star was the overwhelming favorite to bring home the gold in the men’s free skate. But the unimaginable happened as he fell twice and dropped all the way to eighth place.
However, he has begun to avenge the loss and is now a three-time world champion.
Ilia Malinin from the United States competes during the men free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Malinin shouted and punched the air with relief after finishing a skate that showed he had achieved his desire to “move on” from the Olympics after days of being tormented by his mistakes.
Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate for a total of 329.40, far ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan on 306.67. Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was third on 288.54.
Malinin was blunt about his Olympic performance when speaking to NBC afterward, saying simply, “I blew it,” and said it was a clear mental hurdle from start to finish.
“I just had so many thoughts and memories flood right before I got into my starting pose, and almost, I think, it maybe overwhelmed me a little bit. I’ve been through a lot in my life, a lot of bad and good experiences,” Malinin told reporters.
Gold medalist Ilia Malinin from the United States waves to spectators after the medal ceremony after the men’s free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
LINDSEY VONN KEEPING RETURN TO SKIING ON TABLE DESPITE INJURIES: ‘I DON’T LIKE TO CLOSE THE DOOR ON ANYTHING’
“So, I just feel like it’s the pressure of especially being that Olympic gold medal hopeful. It was just something I can’t control now. The pressure of the Olympics, it’s really something different, and I think not a lot of people understand that. They only understand that from the inside and going into this competition, especially today, I felt really confident, really good,” he added. “But it really just went by so fast I did not have time to process.”
But with some pressure off, Malinin was able to show who he truly is on the ice.
Gold medalist, Ilia Malinin from the United States waves before the medal ceremony after the men’s free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men’s world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen, who achieved the feat in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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