28 July 2023 , 13:56
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National League champions Wrexham have come under fire after a study revealed the club flew to a number of away games last season.
The Dragons, who are owned by Hollywood megastars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, ended a 15-year exile from the EFL with promotion last term and have already been installed as one of the favourites to win the League Two title.
The club are currently ramping up their preparations for the new campaign in the United States, where they have played exhibition matches against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United. However, Wrexham's jet-setting antics during the domestic season have now come under the spotlight.
The study, which was conducted by The BBC, shows that Wrexham took short-haul domestic flights to eight of their National League fixtures last term: Barnet, Bromley, Dagenham & Redbridge, Eastleigh, Gateshead, Maidenhead, Maidstone and Torquay.
In addition to these 16 flights, which lasted on average for 43.5 minutes, the study also revealed that 16 'positioning flights' - a journey where a plane is specifically flown into the airport it is collecting passengers from - also took place.
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During their tour of the United States, Wrexham have played three matches and will face their final test on Friday night when they face Philadelphia Union II. Phil Parkinson's side kick off their League Two campaign against MK Dons next weekend.
Kate Cross runs Pledgeball, an organisation which works with football clubs to lower their footprints. She believes the club's rapid growth in popularity off the pitch could be "overshadowed" by their environmental footprint.
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Wrexham, who are on a pre-season tour of the US, are sponsored by United Airlines (AP)She said: "The club, with the full backing of their new owners, seem to be following the well-carved out track of measuring success through global expansion and financial success."
The club have also been blasted in the wake of their recent sponsorship deal with United Airlines: the world's largest airline. The deal is believed to be worth a significant amount and is the latest high-profile agreement Wrexham have secured since McElhenney and Reynolds took charge.
Frank Huisingh, who runs campaign group Fossil Free Football, has hit out at the lucrative deal and urged Wrexham to march to the beat of their own drum rather than following the lead of Premier League clubs.
Huisingh said: "Football has a clear interest in stopping the climate crisis from escalating further. It is therefore sad to see that so many young world-class players are asked to promote a very polluting activity like flying.
"Wrexham AFC shouldn't have followed their [Premier League clubs] lead. They should do what is best for fans around the world and stop advertising air travel."
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