Will Boyle on phone calls with Ryan Reynolds and size of opportunity at Wrexham
Will Boyle, Wrexham’s solitary new face so far this summer, admits the size of his new club was brought home when cruising through the streets of Los Angeles this week.
“We were driving back from training at LA Galaxy’s stadium,” says the 27-year-old. “And right at the side of the motorway is this massive billboard advertising the next season of the Wrexham documentary. You couldn’t miss it!”
Advertisement
Boyle shakes his head with what seems a mixture of bemusement and disbelief that a League Two club can be such big news in the U.S. But this is the reality across the Atlantic for his new employer, as has become increasingly apparent to the Leeds-born defender since joining from Championship side Huddersfield Town.
His first outing as a Wrexham player was to take part in an open training session in North Carolina last Tuesday that drew a crowd of around 4,000 fans, all paying for the privilege to be there.
Then, the following night, Boyle came off the bench at half-time against Chelsea in a friendly watched by a sell-out 50,496 crowd. Saturday was spent taking on LA Galaxy II in front of another healthy following of Wrexham fans as Phil Parkinson’s side ran out 4-0 winners.
“Mind-blowing,” he says when asked about what life has been like on the road in the States with a club thrust into the spotlight a little under three years ago by Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. “I count myself really lucky to be part of this.”
The Athletic is speaking to Boyle shortly before he joins the rest of the squad on a sight-seeing bus tour around LA. Everything from the famous ‘Hollywood’ sign to the Walk of Fame that features co-owner Reynolds is on the agenda, as the coaching staff make sure the players get a chance to
Read on theathletic.com
