![[DEALS] Microsoft 365: 1-Year Subscription (Family/Up to 6 Users) (23% off) & Other Deals Up To 98% Off – Offers End Soon!](https://www.javacodegeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/jcg-logo.jpg){kind=logo}
‘Get our hands dirty’ – Billionaire investors snubbed Liverpool for EFL club
Billionaire family, the Allyn’s, passed up on investing in Liverpool for newly-promoted Championship side Wrexham. Wrexham’s executive director, Kaleen Allyn, has revealed her family invested in the Welsh team instead of the newly-crowned Premier League champions because they wanted to be ‘true partners’. Kaleen is part of a finance committee to help the club complete their new infrastructure targetsGetty In October the family climbed on board with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney after falling in love with Wrexham, who have become the first club in England’s top five divisions to secure back-to-back-to-back promotions. “Even when we were looking at other clubs, we were like: ‘We want to be true partners with whoever we work with’,” she told The Athletic. “Yes, Liverpool is an amazing club and when we were looking at that, we were like: ‘This could be a great opportunity’, but this isn’t what we want. “We want to be true partners and get our hands dirty; be part of the story of what’s happening. That’s the biggest honour.” The Allyns have fully embraced the Welsh club despite being 3,300 miles away in New York where the family’s medical device company, Welch Allyn, was based before it was sold in 2015 for £1.3billion. Wrexham previously outlined their intention to sell minority equity positions to fund a state-of-the-art stadium capacity expansion to 28,000 and new training ground. And after the club’s third successive promotion the side will need more investment to compete at a satisfactory level in the Championship. “I got a call from someone I’d worked with a long, long time,” Kaleen said. “They knew our family story for the last 20 years and said: ‘Have you ever thought about investing in football?’. “I was thinking: ‘Buffalo Bills? I don’t want to invest in football’. Even though my family love the Buffalo Bills. “He said, ‘No, no, no. I mean English football’. So, we started to look into this. We looked at some Premier League-level teams but you become a fraction-of-a-fraction owner. You are a small, small investor. You don’t have a lot of power. You can’t really engage. Wrexham are preparing for life in the Championship after a third-straight promotionRex “I explained this wasn’t really compelling to us. He replied: ‘No, Kaleen, think lower down in the pyramid’. I’m thinking, ‘Surely lower down means more risk’. I don’t know if I can look my family in the face and say: ‘Hey, this is going to be a great investment and be safe’. “He just said: ‘I can’t give you their names at the moment but you do need to speak to these people I have in mind, please trust me’ — and that’s how I got introduced to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.” Kaleen later watched the docuseries Welcome to Wrexham, and was amazed by the community aspect of the club. She quickly organised a meeting with Reynolds and McElhenney where they laid out their vision for the club while making sure the community were involved. But what they did not know was that her father, Eric, had already been in The Turf pub and met landlord Wayne Jones, who is a regular feature on the TV show. After her visit, Kaleen told Rob and Ryan to inform them of her family’s imminent investment because they could not pass up the ‘amazing opportunity’. The wealthy American tycoons could have invested in Liverpool, but preferred to get properly stuck in with a lower-tier clubGetty The size of the Allyn’s minority shareholding in Wrexham is not public information, neither is the amount they paid. Despite only having a minority stake, Kaleen has dived into her new role as executive director head first. “This is the most fun job I’ve ever had,” she admitted. “Granted, in terms of the portfolio I manage for my family, this investment is probably three to four per cent of that entire portfolio. “But, because we are partners in this and rolling up our sleeves to do the work, I’d say it consumes at least 70 per cent of my time. And that is the best part. “It’s something we can work really hard on to help and not just passively sit there, thinking: ‘Yeah, we have great people like Rob and Ryan running it, we can just relax’.”
Billionaire family, the Allyn’s, passed up on investing in Liverpool for newly-promoted Championship side Wrexham.
Wrexham’s executive director, Kaleen Allyn, has revealed her family invested in the Welsh team instead of the newly-crowned Premier League champions because they wanted to be ‘true partners’.
In October the family climbed on board with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney after falling in love with Wrexham, who have become the first club in England’s top five divisions to secure back-to-back-to-back promotions.
“Even when we were looking at other clubs, we were like: ‘We want to be true partners with whoever we work with’,” she told The Athletic.
“Yes, Liverpool is an amazing club and when we were looking at that, we were like: ‘This could be a great opportunity’, but this isn’t what we want.
“We want to be true partners and get our hands dirty; be part of the story of what’s happening. That’s the biggest honour.”
The Allyns have fully embraced the Welsh club despite being 3,300 miles away in New York where the family’s medical device company, Welch Allyn, was based before it was sold in 2015 for £1.3billion.
Wrexham previously outlined their intention to sell minority equity positions to fund a state-of-the-art stadium capacity expansion to 28,000 and new training ground.
And after the club’s third successive promotion the side will need more investment to compete at a satisfactory level in the Championship.
“I got a call from someone I’d worked with a long, long time,” Kaleen said. “They knew our family story for the last 20 years and said: ‘Have you ever thought about investing in football?’.
“I was thinking: ‘Buffalo Bills? I don’t want to invest in football’. Even though my family love the Buffalo Bills.
“He said, ‘No, no, no. I mean English football’. So, we started to look into this. We looked at some Premier League-level teams but you become a fraction-of-a-fraction owner. You are a small, small investor. You don’t have a lot of power. You can’t really engage.
“I explained this wasn’t really compelling to us. He replied: ‘No, Kaleen, think lower down in the pyramid’. I’m thinking, ‘Surely lower down means more risk’. I don’t know if I can look my family in the face and say: ‘Hey, this is going to be a great investment and be safe’.
“He just said: ‘I can’t give you their names at the moment but you do need to speak to these people I have in mind, please trust me’ — and that’s how I got introduced to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.”
Kaleen later watched the docuseries Welcome to Wrexham, and was amazed by the community aspect of the club.
She quickly organised a meeting with Reynolds and McElhenney where they laid out their vision for the club while making sure the community were involved.
But what they did not know was that her father, Eric, had already been in The Turf pub and met landlord Wayne Jones, who is a regular feature on the TV show.
After her visit, Kaleen told Rob and Ryan to inform them of her family’s imminent investment because they could not pass up the ‘amazing opportunity’.
The size of the Allyn’s minority shareholding in Wrexham is not public information, neither is the amount they paid.
Despite only having a minority stake, Kaleen has dived into her new role as executive director head first.
“This is the most fun job I’ve ever had,” she admitted.
“Granted, in terms of the portfolio I manage for my family, this investment is probably three to four per cent of that entire portfolio.
“But, because we are partners in this and rolling up our sleeves to do the work, I’d say it consumes at least 70 per cent of my time. And that is the best part.
“It’s something we can work really hard on to help and not just passively sit there, thinking: ‘Yeah, we have great people like Rob and Ryan running it, we can just relax’.”
