Wrexham's journey has been ‘unimaginable'. As they roll into Melbourne, they're loving every second
He could never have imagined where he'd be in 2025: the club's head of media and communications, visiting Australia on Wrexham's first pre-season tour outside the United States, after a record-breaking three consecutive promotions up to the second tier Championship.
'I was just in the right place at the right time,' Henrys said. 'You can't be a volunteer and do it now, it's such an intense job. It's a 24-hour job.'
Things changed for Henrys and the rest of the team at the world's third-oldest professional soccer club when Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 's Rob Mac expressed interest in buying the club, and planned to film a docuseries of the journey to boot.
The team's unprecedented meteoric rise in the years that followed was a recipe for a worldwide sensation; Welcome to Wrexham exploded in popularity. Australia is the third-largest audience for the show behind the UK and US.
'I'm loving absolutely every second, as I'm sure the rest of the lads are,' Wrexham captain James McLean said. 'When you're riding the crest of the wave ... you just go along. Where the club has gone in the last few years, it's been unimaginable, I'm guessing even for the owners and everyone involved. It's probably exceeded their wildest expectations.'
Henrys said while on the Down Under tour – in which the Red Dragons will take on Melbourne Victory at Marvel Stadium on Friday July 11 before going up against Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium on July 15 – he had been taking calls from the UK at bedtime before waking up to emails from the US.
'There's interest from all over the world,' he said. 'You can always tell when the documentary is launched in different parts … you suddenly get a flurry of emails.'
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Kate, who donned a bow-shaped brooch in the Wimbledon colours of purple and green, also spoke with Jefferson Iweh, a ticket sales operator; Bob Flint, an honorary steward; and Wimbledon foundation host Shaniah Williams. Last year, the princess presented the Wimbledon men's final trophy to Carlos Alcaraz, in her second public engagement since she announced her cancer diagnosis. The Princess of Wales's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, were seen in the Royal Box on Monday, with the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Gloucester also in attendance. The Queen told tennis star Novak Djokovic that she was keeping her "fingers crossed" as she visited Wimbledon on Wednesday. The Princess Royal's son Peter Phillips attended the championships on Wednesday, with Hugh Grant and former prime minister Sir John Major also in the Royal Box. Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah, former footballer Ian Wright and Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins were among the notable names to attend a hot day at Wimbledon on Saturday. Temperatures are forecast to peak at around 30C and fall short of a record for a women's singles final day, with 31.2C having been recorded on the day of the 1976 final between Chris Evert and Evonne Goolagong Cawley. Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: "There will be blue skies at Wimbledon throughout the day, so it will feel hot, with very high UV levels and a light wind. "There might be a little bit more cloud around tomorrow, making it a degree lower." The men's singles semi-final on Friday between Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz was stopped twice in less than five minutes because of crowd emergencies, amid temperatures of 32C on Centre Court. Three fans also needed attention on Centre Court on Thursday in similarly hot conditions. The men's singles final on Sunday, with highs of 29C predicted, is unlikely to break the record of the warmest closing day on record of 34.1C recorded on July 3 1976. The extreme heat during the 1976 tournament prompted organisers to allow umpires to remove their jackets. Wimbledon has said the heat rule will apply for all singles events for players, which allows for a 10-minute break when the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is at or above 30.1C. The rule will apply after the second set for all best-of-three-set matches, and after the third set for all best-of-five-set matches. Players may leave the court during the break, but they may not receive coaching or medical treatment.
