Wrexham flying to matches is causing controversy – but why?

Premier League clubs chartering private jets to fly them the length and breadth of England — and the globe for pre-season tours — has been standard practice for years. 

In the non-League game, however, it is unheard of, which is why the recent revelation that Wrexham took flights to eight games in the National League last season caused such a shock.

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A study by the BBC revealed that the club — owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney — travelled to matches at Eastleigh, Maidstone, Gateshead, Maidenhead, Dagenham & Redbridge, Bromley, Barnet and Torquay en route to winning promotion in May.

All but two of the 16 flights left or returned to Manchester airport, 45 miles away from Wrexham; the other two, for the Torquay game, left and returned to Liverpool airport, 38 miles away. Only one took more than an hour; the average flight time was 43.5 minutes.

Since then, the club embarked on a long-haul tour of America, including matches in North Carolina, Los Angeles, San Diego and Philadelphia. Again, an undertaking which is almost unheard of for a League Two club. 

As Wrexham prepare to play their first away game of the season at AFC Wimbledon on Saturday, The Athletic examines why their decision to rack up so many air miles has proved so contentious. 

Put simply, the more you fly, the bigger your carbon footprint — and in lower league terms, Wrexham’s was enormous last season.

Private jets are up to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes per passenger, and 50 times more polluting than trains.

This leaves Wrexham and their owners open to accusations of hypocrisy. On the club’s website, Reynolds and McElhenney’s mission statement as co-owners includes a “commitment to a more ecologically-sustainable