\n<\/p>\n
But not even Birmingham\u2019s buccaneer approach to spending can come without having a plan. In an address to supporters in April, Wagner set out his.<\/p>\n
On the back of the stadium plan announcement, the American financier spoke of making Birmingham a globally-recognised brand, with being a named-club in England\u2019s second city part of it.<\/p>\n
He even suggested the sponsorship deal with streetwear firm Undefeated was with this in mind, saying: \u201cYou go to New York City, you go to LA (Los Angeles), you will see people wearing Birmingham City kit on the street. <\/p>\n
“I don\u2019t really think they know what they\u2019re wearing but they will. We don\u2019t want to draw too much attention to it yet but they\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The problem for Birmingham is that North American fans already know they are wearing Wrexham, the documentary darlings of the world game.<\/p>\n
Exact replica sales are difficult to pin down, but Wrexham\u2019s merchandise and retail was their biggest driver, accounting for a third of their income in 2022-23, while their revenue from outside of Europe was almost a quarter of turnover.<\/p>\n
All that before sell-out summer tours to the US and Canada where officials from Chelsea were said to be casting envious eyes at the fan base being established and genuinely competing with Premier League names.<\/p>\n
Perhaps that is why it was reportedly floated in the summer to stage Monday’s fixture in the US, a notion shot down by Reynolds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI often look back over the trends and the metrics, and some weekends Wrexham are just as popular as Premier League matches and certainly there\u2019s more publicity than the big MLS (Major League Soccer) teams,\u201d says Chris Harris, editor of US-based WorldSoccerTalk, who says only Lionel Messi\u2019s Inter Miami can similarly compete. <\/p>\n
\u201cDo not underestimate it – you can see through social media there are a lot of people who are Wrexham fans, and not just passing, but on top of the new signings, what\u2019s going on at the club. <\/p>\n
“They are following a club like Wrexham just as easily and as much as they would follow Manchester City or Chelsea.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is a support that could be super-charged further with the EFL\u2019s US TV deal with CBS, with an increase in the number and the ease in which games outside the Premier League can be viewed.<\/p>\n
So far this season, Wrexham have been a featured game nine times \u2013 more than any of the recent Premier League clubs or giants in the divisions below the top flight such as Leeds United. Only one Wrexham fixture, league or cup, has not been available through either cable network or streaming.<\/p>\n
No surprise considering the press release to announce the deal mentions Wrexham in its headline, and the promotional poster for the coverage comes with Wrexham striker Paul Mullin as the central image.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe CBS deal is the Wrexham effect,\u201d says Harris. \u201cTheir popularity, through the documentary, would have been a major reason why they came in hard to get the rights.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n