US students to find a welcome in Wrexham

A few years ago it would have been unlikely that American high school students would even have heard of a place called Wrexham - let alone consider moving there.

But now that Wrexham Football Club's Hollywood owners have made the city famous, that is no longer the case.

Americans have already been visiting since the documentary series Welcome to Wrexham began charting the club's progress since 2022.

And the Racecourse stadium's next door neighbour Wrexham University has seen an opportunity - it is on a mission to recruit students from the US.

Officials are hoping these will start arriving for the next academic year, after Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds helped put the city on the international map.

Abraham Amador, 18, from Los Angeles in California is hoping to be one of the first to make the transatlantic move.

"It seems like they offer exactly the course I want to do. It sounds amazing. I would love to study there and be able to go to the Wrexham games," he said.

"Everyone and everything I’ve heard from Wrexham sounds kind and genuine."

He is applying for a sports management and coaching course after meeting university staff in his home city.

As a football fan, he says he knew about Wrexham even before the Rob and Ryan years, but says the publicity since their takeover has given him much more insight into the club and the city.

He says he was excited to discover he could also study there, after attending a university fair in Los Angeles in September and spotting a Wrexham shirt on one of the stands.

Of the 9,000 students currently enrolled at Wrexham University, around 1,500 are international students - mainly from South Asia but also from Africa, Germany and Switzerland.

Daniel Griffiths, who is the international marketing and recruitment manager, says the American market hadn't been seriously considered until recently.

But he said that while at the Los Angeles fair, it was clear that thanks to the football club, the north Wales city is firmly on the map.

However, he said, that only goes so far - and what Wrexham University can offer the students is what is most important.

"A lot of students recognised the Wrexham shirt and scarf," he said.

"Many of them knew the football club though the TV series, but a lot didn't know there was a university here.

"We were able to talk to them about what's available to study, and the affordability of studying and living in Wales, compared to the US.

"We've had a lot of investment at the university, like the brand new engineering building. There are solid reasons to come here as well as football."

Ashish, 26, from the Haryana region of India has been living in Wrexham for about six months, studying for a Masters in international business, after completing his first degree in his home country.

He was encouraged to consider the move by a friend who had already studied in Wrexham.

He says it's a good idea to recruit students from other parts of the world because the city is "unique" and has a lot to offer.

"I like the environment, there's no pollution. The houses are cute, the old buildings. I like the weather here," he said.

"Welsh people are humble, they are very nice to me."

Daniel Griffiths says he's hoping the arrival of students from USA, and South America from where he also hopes to recruit, will be a "natural build" with those who come, showing others back home what is possible studying in Wrexham.

He added there is no doubt that international students bring a "richness" to Welsh universities such as Wrexham, with their "unique perspectives".

"They come for a diverse experience of Welsh culture, but they bring us something too," he added.