The winners of the Wrexham promotion have been given their first taste of the high life in Las Vegas as part of their ‘monster’ party holiday three days after celebrating the club’s rise to League Two with a parade in open-top buses roof.
The National League champions have been given an all-expenses-paid four-day trip by their co-chairs Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to celebrate their record-breaking 111-point season.
And after heading to Sin City on Thursday, the festivities are well and truly underway.
The team landed at the city’s Harry Reid International Airport yesterday afternoon and throw-in maestro Ben Tozer shared photos of the group’s stopover in San Francisco before reaching their final destination, gently mocking the group’s matching outfits – Wxm Clothing line by star striker Ollie Palmer – by taking a picture with the caption ‘school trip’.
Players headed to dinner to kick off an evening of celebration (L-R: Elliot Lee, Ben Foster, Liam McAlinden, Ben Tozer, Rob Lainton, Antony Forde, Harry Lennon, and Ollie Palmer)
Upon arrival at Hakkasan nightclub, the players were presented with a lavish themed presentation
Wrexham are fast becoming a well-known sports brand in the US thanks to their Hollywood ownership and an upcoming US tour will only continue to grow the fan base
Wing-back Jacob Mendy was photographed enjoying the flight in A-list style, wearing dark glasses, and he later captured the team dressed for the evening ahead as they passed through the Mandalay Bay Hotel.
The players began their evening at Hakkasan, a contemporary Chinese restaurant in the MGM Grand hotel, where prices for the signature Phoenix menu start at $148 and the eatery’s standout dish, the Signature HK Peking Duck, can be ordered with a side of Tsar Nicoulai Reserve Ossetra caviar for $188.
Bottles of champagne, no doubt ordered to toast their successes, cost more than $200.
After a good meal, the top National League side moved to Hakkasan nightclub, where they were greeted by a huge presentation commemorating their successes.
Huge Welsh flags were waved and the club’s name spelled out in neon lights as the champions were welcomed to the city.
Later, center backs Eoghan O’Connell and Tozer shared a short clip of themselves on the dance floor.
Phil Parkinson’s side danced all night to music by DJ James Hype, only on the first night of their planned outing.
Paul Mullin shared that the idea for a trip to celebrate winning the competition grew as they got closer to their goal.
Speak against GK, the striker said with 47 goals: ‘It became something where we would get a holiday if we won the league. So we’re going to Vegas.’
Defenders Eoghan O’Connell (left) and Tozer (right) shared a glimpse of life on the dance floor
The group was treated to a dinner of modern Chinese cuisine at Hakkasan in Las Vegas
Before arriving in Las Vegas, players were eager to document their flight with Jacob Mendy (left) holding up his sunglasses on the A-list
The team landed in the party capital on Thursday, where Ben Tozer teased the group for the matching WXM Clothing hoodies – a brand owned by Palmer – that they wore on their travels.
Days earlier, the men’s and women’s teams celebrated a parade in open-top buses through the city
Rob McElhenney (center left) and Ryan Reynolds vowed to take the bill for Vegas trip
“Ryan and Rob told us to leave our cards at home, they’re sorting things out. They just sent us a full itinerary.
“Part of me doesn’t want to go, maybe I’ll be dead at the end! But I’d never go to Vegas on my own accord, so I’m looking forward to it.’
But one member of the history-writing side didn’t make the trip: manager Parkinson, who narrated it sky news that he hopes his players enjoy their well-deserved reward but ‘come back in one piece’.
Wrexham’s increasing popularity in the US, spurred on by their Hollywood owners and boosted by the Disney+ docu-series ‘Welcome to Wrexham’, will have seen the champions receive a hero’s reception on US soil.
The side will return to the country in July for a series of friendlies against Chelsea, Manchester United, LA Galaxy II and another team to be confirmed.