Wrexham AFC Star Talks American Crew Collab

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As a self-professed “bloke’s bloke,” Wrexham AFC striker Ollie Palmer likes to keep it simple. In a quick video chat with Rolling Stone from aboard the team’s bus, Palmer discussed his pared-back routine to get game day ready and how Wrexham’s latest partner, American Crew, makes it easy to keep the team looking their best. 

Wrexham AFC just wrapped up a round of friendlies in the US and Canada, including games against Premier League and MLS teams in Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and Vancouver, cleverly dubbed the Wrex Coast tour. A non-Premier League team would rarely receive the kind of attention and sponsorships Wrexham AFC has garnered, particularly in the US. But Palmer and his Wrexham teammates were catapulted to global fame by the Hulu/FX documentary series Welcome To Wrexham.

The show premiered in 2022 and chronicles the historic but long-suffering Welsh football club’s attempts to get promoted out of the National League, whose efforts got a boost after the team’s purchase by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. After (spoiler alert) failing to get promoted in the first season, Wrexham AFC managed two successive promotions, first out of the National League into EFL League Two and then into EFL League One, two tiers below the Premier League. The team’s relationship with Ryan Reynolds even led to cameos for Ollie Palmer and Paul Mullin in the new Deadpool & Wolverine film.

Signed in 2022, Palmer has been a key factor in Wrexham’s ongoing success, notching 39 goals so far with the team. At 6’ 5”, he cuts an intimidating presence on the pitch but a friendly one off it. He’s quick to shower his teammates, the town of Wrexham, and “Rob and Ryan” — as they’re known to seemingly everyone in Wales — with praise.

Palmer has played for many teams, including AFC Wimbledon and Mansfield Town. But as he has in other interviews, he reiterated his desire to finish his career with Wrexham. Part of that clearly comes down to the camaraderie between the players, including off the pitch. “When traveling with the team, you know, we play a game of golf that gets everyone together. The atmosphere is good, it’s something we like to do on away trips and here in America.”

Wrexham has notched major sponsorships with United Airlines, HP, SToK, Vistaprint, and others, and American Crew is the latest to partner with the team. The grooming brand partnered with three of the team’s star players, Ollie Palmer, Jordan Davies, and Paul Mullin, ahead of their successful swing through the United States.

Wrexham AFC had an impressive showing in their friendlies in North America, drawing against Premier League teams Chelsea and Bournemouth and comfortably beating MLS team Whitecaps FC in Ryan Reynolds’ hometown of Vancouver. Match venues included the UC Santa Barbara campus and the Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco. Wrexham’s women’s team participated in friendlies on the UCLA campus and in Portland, Oregon.

The team’s next season kicks off on August 10, when Wrexham will undoubtedly attempt yet another promotion to the Championship League. The team’s rapid ascent up the English football ladder would induce the bends in anyone, but Palmer has kept to the simple routine that’s worked for him. If he has the kinds of superstitions athletes are famous for, there’s no evidence of it. “For 12 years now I’ve been doing the same thing, basically when I wake up, I have porridge, and then I get ready.”

Similarly, Palmer keeps his grooming routine simple. Keeping his miraculously well-coiffed hair in shape on the pitch is an enviably easy process for Palmer, who says it took “8 seconds” to get ready. He adds, “That’s probably a credit to the product, to be honest.”  You can check out the American Crew grooming essentials Ollie Palmer uses below. Welcome to Wrexham is streaming on Hulu, which Variety confirmed is returning for a fourth season.